By SARAH TEMBO –
A THIRTY-SEVEN-year-old man of Lusaka’s Kalingalinga Township wants to divorce his wife because she cooked Nshima with kapenta for his mother.
The man told the court that it was not in order for his wife to prepare Nshima with Kapenta for his mother instead of Nshima with chicken.
This is in a case where Maulu Chisakati sued Sepiso Akafandelwa 34, of Lusaka’s Woodlands Township after she allegedly prepared Nshima with kapenta for her mother in-law.
Facts before the court were that the two got married in 2011 and have one child but problems in their marriage started last year when Chisakati’s aunt told Akafandelwa that he had found another wife for her nephew because she did not love his relatives.
Chisakati told the court that his wife did not love his relatives because from the time the two got married in 2011 she had never bothered to go and visit any of them.
He said his wife was also strict with him and she never gave him time to spend with his friends as she monitored his movements like he was a young boy.
Chisakati told the court that although he knocks off from work at 17:00 hours his wife demanded that he reached home by 17:30 hours or 18:00 hours if he delayed.
“I don’t even have time for my friends, I did all she wanted me to do but giving my mother Nshima with kapenta is unacceptable,” he said.
And in her defence, Akafandelwa told the court that since the two got married her husband had never complained about anything which showed that all was well.
She said shortly after the two got married, she went to school in Mongu to study teaching at Mongu Teachers Training College and would only come home on holidays only for a month hence she never had enough time to visit his relatives.
Akafandelwa said the main reason her husband wanted to divorce her was because he had another woman he wanted to marry.
“Before I came back for the December holidays, my husband told me that I should not return to his house because his aunt had found him a wife to marry and everything was paid, and when I came back he told me the same thing in person,” she said.
But Magistrate Sharone Sichone refused to grant divorce and advised the couple to go and resolve their problems outside court.
She added that the reasons advanced for divorce could not stand and advised the couple to seek counsel from their families.
Mother drags daughter to court over benefits
By SARAH TEMBO –
A SIXTY-ONE-year-old woman of Lusaka’s Lilanda Township has sued her daughter demanding K100,000 benefits for her other two daughters who have died.
She said that following the death of her two daughters, Janate Jere who was also her daughter collected all their benefits and refused to give her what she was entitled to.
This is in a case where Adesy Zulu sued Janate Jere 38 of Lusaka’s Lilanda Township after she refused to give her part of the benefits left by her late daughters.
Facts before the court were that Zulu was the mother to Jere and when two of her daughters died, Jere was chosen as an administrator but when she collected the benefits she failed to administer the money accordingly.
Zulu told the court that one of her daughters died in 2006 and the other in 2010 but when Jere collected the money she refused to give her, a share of the money.
She said her daughter who died in 2006 left a house which was sold at K150.000 but when the money was shared she was not given anything.
And her second daughter left her pension benefit which was K140, 000 and out of the total amount she was not given nothing.
“I was the mother of those two daughters, I deserve to be given something out of what my daughters worked for so hard, Jere should just give me what is legally mine, “she said.
And in her defense, Jere said that she never refused to give her mother part of the money but on the contrary, she refused to get the money from her because at that time she was the one who was taking care of her.
Jere said when she collected her late sisters’ benefits she shared it accordingly and all the right beneficiaries benefited from it.
She told the court that she tried to give her mother the money but she refused instead told her to use the money to buy things for the house since the two were staying together.
“I did just as she told me, now she has changed her mind just because she is no longer staying with me, I will gave her the money but what she is demanding is just too much because her money can’t be K100,000” she said.
And when passing judgment, Magistrate Shallon Sichone ordered Jere to calculate the total amount of the money collected from her late sisters’ benefits and give her mother 25 per cent which was her share.
Court refuses to dissolve marriage
By SARAH TEMBO –
MATERO local court Magistrate Sharone Sichone has refused to grant divorce to a couple of Lusaka’s George Township saying the two did not have valid reasons to warrant a divorce.
Ms Sichone said whatever misunderstandings the two had, divorce was not the solution but that they should sit and discuss how best they could resolve their problems.
This is in a case where Carol Kaonga 42, sued Morris Kaonga 53, for divorce after she caught him committing adultery.
Facts before the court were that the two got married in 1989 and have six children but problems in their marriage started in 2012 when Morris started an affair with another woman.
Carol told the court that her husband stopped providing for the family and paying for his children’s education.
She said that her husband also used to refuse to have sex with her.
Carol said when she reported her husband to his relatives, they supported him and told her that his tribe allowed him to have as many wives as he wanted.
“Because of the support my husband is receiving from his relatives, he continued seeing the same woman I caught him in bed with and he tells me that if am not happy I should just divorce him so that he could marry the woman he loves,” she said.
But in his defense Morris told the court that his wife stopped respecting him as she used to insult him in public.
He said his wife started drinking a lot and he even reported her to her relatives but nothing had changed as she still drinks a lot.
Morris said when his wife caught him committing adultery, he begged her for forgiveness on several occasions but she refused saying that she had found another man who was supporting her financially.
But when passing judgment, magistrate Sichone did not grant the two divorce because the two had grown old together hence they should just settle their marital dispute amicably.
She however ordered Morris to be supporting his family with K1,000 per month and stop seeing the woman that he was seeing.
Woman accuses neighbour of causing her marital problems
By PEZO SIABASIMBI –
A FORTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD woman of Lusaka’s Chalala Township has accused her neighbour of bringing problems in her marriage by spreading rumours that she has been seeing other men.
The woman told the court that her marriage was on the rocks because Janet Nalwimba 24, who is her neighbour accused her of having extra-marital affairs.
This was in a case in which Juliet Namonje of Chalala sued Nalwimba, of the same area for defamation of character.
Facts before the court were that Namonje and Nalwimba were neighbours but last year in November, the two had a quarrel and Nalwimba called Namonje a prostitute.
Namonje told the court that on November, 20 2013 she sent her daughter to fetch water from a nearby borehole but to her surprise her daughter delayed to return home.
After waiting for some time, she decided to follow her only to find that she was exchanging insults with her neighbour.
“When I saw that the two were exchanging insults, I decided to confront my neighbour and I told her to stop insulting because she was just embarrassing herself and other older women,” she said.
Namonje said instead of Nalwimba responding in a polite manner, she started insulting her and called her a prostitute.
“I have brought her here so that she can show me the men I sleep with because my husband doesn’t want me anymore, saying that he wants to see the same men that I have been sleeping with,” she said.
But in her defence, Nalwimba told the court that she never insulted Namonje but that it was her daughter who insulted her husband.
She said when Namonje came at the scene, she was supposed to tell her daughter to stop insulting her husband as she was just a young girl.
Nalwimba said to her surprise, instead of Namonje talking to her daughter, she started insulting her saying that she was a prostitute and that was the reason her children had different fathers.
“When Namonje came at the scene, without even asking she started insulting me and my husband when in fact her daughter was the one at fault,” she said.
But when passing judgment Magistrate Sharone Sichone dismissed the case saying from the submissions, it was clear that the two exchanged insults.
Lusaka family locked in wrangle over estate
By SARAH TEMBO –
A LUSAKA family has differed over the estate left by their mother, shocking a local court which has witnessed several cases of broken families as a result of failing to share property.
Chilenje local court Magistrate George Kaoma said it was disheartening to see a united family breaking after their mothers’ death because of selfishness.
This is in a case in which Prisca Yeta 51, sued his young brother Mwinga Malambo 37 for revocation of the appointment as administrator for their mothers estate saying she was not there when the family choose him.
Facts before the court were that Yeta was Malambo’s elder sister and their mother died in 2006 living a house which was now at centre of controversy among the three children.
Yeta told the court that her relatives chose Malambo as an administrator without consulting her which made her upset.
She said since her brother was chosen as an administrator he had been threatening to sell the house with her other younger brother.
She told the court that she was the one who bought the house for his mother hence no one had the right to do anything now that their mother had died.
Yeta said she asked Malambo to sale the house to her at the cost of K50,000 but he refused saying that the money was just too little.
“When mum died Malambo decided to leave the house saying it was too small. So I had to put our cousins in the house but Malambo every month collects rentals and when they fail to pay, he threatens to sell the house,” she said.
And in his defence Malambo told the court that he was chosen as an administrator in his elder sisters’ absence because she was never present when the family called for meetings.
He said that all the three children contributed to the building of their mothers’ house and it was unfortunate to see her sister claiming ownership of the house.
He told the court that in 2006 his mother had a stroke and died and Yeta got the title deeds for the house and used it as collateral for a loan she got from the bank.
“All I want is to live in peace with my sister, if she does not want me to administer mums estate then let her choose the person that she wants, all we want is to ensure that mum’s properties were shared
equally among the three children, “he said.
And according to Yeta’s wish the court revoked the appointment of Malambo as administrator and ordered Yeta to choose another administrator and allow peace to reign in the family.
