By SARAH TEMBO –
A TWENTY-YEAR-OLD woman who was married at the age 14 has been divorced after her 27-year-old husband accused her of failing to do household chores.
This was a case in which Rosemary Sakala, of Lusaka’s Garden Township was sued for divorce by her husband Elias Sakala who accused her of failing to perform household chores including bathing the children.
Facts before the court were that the couple got married when Rosemary was just 14 years old and have three children although problems started shortly after their wedding day.
Sakala claimed that he had taken up all the household chores because Rosemary could not wash for him or clean the house hence his decision to divorce her.
He said he was tired of living like a bachelor when he had a wife because he used to do everything for himself even cooking for the family.
“My wife does not cook or wash for me, not even to talk of her own kids, I think am tired I will not manage to continue living like a bachelor when I have a wife.
“She has also threatened to kill me and when I was on TB treatment she abandoned me, saying that she never wanted to contract the disease,” he said.
He said Rosemary had not changed despite several efforts by the family to sit her down and teach her good ways of keeping her home.
In her defence, Rosemary told the court that her husband was just obsessed with jealousy.
She said whenever she visited her parents, Sakala would get upset and accuse her of having love affairs with other men.
She said she still loved her husband and since he was the father of her three children and she was not willing to divorce him.
Magistrate Lewis Mumba sitting with Petronella Kalyelye was shocked to learn that Rosemary was married off at the age of 14 and called on parents to stop marrying off their daughters before they were of age in order to have successful marriages.
She, however, granted divorce and ordered Sakala to compensate Rosemary with K6,000 as well as monthly K250 towards child maintenance.
Court dismisses defamation case
By SARAH TEMBO
THE Matero Local Court has dismissed a case in which Polycor Limited production manager Alok Kuma was sued for insults by one of the former workers.
The court dismissed the claim because Lewis Mulenga, 40, of Lusaka’s Matero Township had no evidence to prove that Kuma, 40, of Lusaka’s Emmasdale Township really insulted him.
This was in a case in which Mulenga sued Kuma for defamation of character after he allegedly insulted him in May this year.
Facts before the court were that Mulenga was working from the production department at Polycor Limited and Kuma was his immediate supervisor.
Mulenga told the court that on May 13, Kuma instructed him to produce 200 kilogrammes (KGs) of plastic rolls.
He said he made a mistake by producing 263 KGs. However, his supervisor got annoyed and allegedly started showering insults on Mulenga.
Mulenga submitted that he was immediately suspended for a week before getting a sack after working for a month.
“This man does not know how to talk with the workers, when a worker commits just a simple mistake he insults them,” he said.
However, Kuma told the court that he never insulted but questioned why Mulenga had failed to follow the instructions.
Contrary to Mulenga’s claims, Kuma told the court that he respected every employee in his company regardless of the position they held.
“If a person is told to produce 200kg of plastic rolls and if they produce more than that, it means the excess is the company’s loss because it is not paid for by the customer.
“Meaning when Mulenga produced 263kg he had made the company lose 63kgs because that was not paid for hence I was just questioning him not insulting him,” he said.
Magistrate Lewis Mumba dismissed the claim for lack of evidence because there was no witness while Mulenga had taken far too long to take the matter to court.
Woman abandones marriage, opts for late aunt’s estate
By CHATULA KAMPO
THE Ndola Main Local Court has heard how a 23-year-old married woman left her husband to stay with her ailing aunt so that she could benefit from her estate when she died.
The court heard that Dasey Namukoko had abandoned her marriage at the time her aunt, Belina Namukoko was ill to get a share of the deceased’s property which she claimed had been offered to her when the relative was still alive.
Namukoko who has been married for three years told the court that her relatives had not been taking care of her, a situation which had forced her to leave and be nearer to the estate of the deceased.
She was testifying in a case in which she sued her uncle, Bernard Simukoko over ownership of her late aunt’s house located in Chifubu Township in Ndola.
Namukoko who was in possession of the title deeds of the house, told the court that she decided to steal the documents because her late husband’s relative had allegedly offered the house to her before she died.
She claimed before the court that her relatives had been planning to sell the house and share the money without her consent.
However, in his defence, Simukoko told the court that the deceased had many dependants and that it was not possible for Namukoko to have the house alone.
“My late sister had many dependants. Namukoko only started staying with her when she became very sick. She did not leave any Will or write anywhere that she had given the house to the Namukoko,” he said.
Ms Bwalya, however, adjourned the case and ordered the family to choose an administrator.
Alcohol separates Lusaka couple
By SARAH TEMBO
A THIRTY THREE-year-old woman of Lusaka West wept before Matero Local Court magistrate Petronella Kalyelye as she asked the court to grant her divorce from her husband whom she accused of traumatising her.
With tears in her eyes, Brenda Nkauso told magistrate Kalyelye when she tried to reconcile the couple that her husband, John Mumbwe had turned her into a slave in their 14 years of marriage.
This was a case in which Nkauso sued Mumbwe, 34, for divorce after the two failed to resolve their marital dispute.
Facts before the court were that the two got married in 2000 and have two children but problems have persisted since then.
Nkauso told the court that she was no longer interested in the marriage with Mumbwe because her husband was an alcoholic who talks the whole night every time he comes from a drinking spree.
He said her husband never respected her as he used to insult her in the presence of his girlfriends without any reason.
“Enough is enough, I have had it with this man before he commits suicide please grant us divorce so that he does that when he is married to some else,” she said.
However, Mumbwe appealed to the court not to grant the couple divorce as he was willing to change and became a better man.
A remorseful Mumbwe told the court that he wanted one last chance to prove to his wife that he still loved her.
He said he never wanted to live alone because he still loved his wife and wanted to continue staying with her so that they could care for their children.
“Please give me an ultimatum in which to change, if she discovers that I have not changed she can come back to court so that you can grant us divorce,” he said.
Magistrate Kalyelye tried to talk to Nkauso so that she could give her husband a second chance but the plaintiff could not bow forcing the court to grant divorce.
Mumbwe was ordered to compensate his former wife with K5,000 to be paid in monthly installments of K200 while another K200 should go towards child maintenance.
Dowry detail twists reconciliation case
By SARAH TEMBO
A MAN of Lusaka’s Kanyama Township has refused to reconcile with his ‘wife’ after accusing her of plotting to kill him so that she could inherit his property.
Kaseba Nkomba, 35, told the local court that his ‘wife’, together with her family had on several occasions threatened to kill him so that they could inherit his money.
This was a case in which Anna Kalenga, 27, sued Nkomba for marriage reconciliation after the two failed to resolve their marital dispute.
Facts before the court were that the two eloped in 2009 and have four children but problems in their union emerged shortly after coming together.
Nkomba told the court that from the time the two got married, they had never stayed in peace because his wife’s family used to insult him.
He said Kalenga’s parents had on several occasions told him that he was too old for their daughter hence they did not want her to continue being married to him.
Nkomba submitted that he was on the verge of losing his job because his wife and her relatives followed him at work to insult him in front of his boss and company clients.
He said he was not willing to reconcile with Kalenga for the reason that she was in fact, not his wife because no dowry was paid for her.
“I am willing to pay for damage, the K4,000 I was ordered to pay, but for this woman she is not my wife because no dowry was paid,” he said.
However, Kalenga told the court that her husband was very stingy and used to record whatever money he spent on her.
She said her family was upset with Nkomba because he was a tight-fisted man who refused to provide for his family despite having the capacity to do so.
“My husband just has a habit of dumping women when he gives them children because I am not the first wife or the second but am the third one,” she said.
Magistrate Kalunga Chansa sitting with Contridah Kamono said the two were just cohabiting because no dowry was paid but ordered Kalenga to sue for child maintenance.
‘Dead’ Bishop Nyondo faces arrest
By MARISA MWAPE
THE Kitwe Magistrate’s Court has issued a bench warrant against Holy Fire Christian Ministry bishop charged with nine counts of sexual abuse for allegedly absconding from court proceedings.
Senior resident magistrate Daniel Musonda issued the bench warrant against Dominic Nyondo after state prosecutor Juma Banda applied to do so.
Nyondo was charged with defilement, rape and indecent assault after he allegedly sexually abused nine female members of the church on the pretext that he was cleansing them of evil spirits.
The offences were allegedly committed between April 2010 and November 2011 and involved female church members aged between 14 and 45 years.
Nyondo is, however, alleged to have committed suicide last month by throwing himself in the crocodile infested Kafue River.
He is alleged to have left a suicide note stating that he had decided to take his life because of the allegations.
When the matter came up yesterday, the two sureties Royd Kasangili and Chris Milimo insisted that the accused had died.
In response Mr Banda also insisted that Nyondo had not committed suicide because there was no evidence to prove that the accused person had died and applied for a bench warrant.
In granting the application, Mr Musonda said it was clear that the accused person did not want to avail himself to court.
“It looks like the accused person does not want to appear before court and it is certain that he did not commit suicide. I therefore, grant the application for a bench warrant,” ordered the court.
The court further ordered the sureties to pay K5,000 immediately for failing to produce the accused person before court or face a jail term of four months imprisonment with hard labour.
The matter was adjourned to October 8, for return of a bench warrant.
