WHEN people who are related live in one town or township, life becomes easy because in times of need, they help each other.
This has been happening in many African communities, especially in the rural areas where people from the same and extended families live close.
In towns, it is not usual for uncles, nephews, aunties, nieces, cousins, brothers, sisters and the like to stay close to each other in the neighbourhood.
For instance, one member of the family may be in Ndola’s Masala Township while another may be in Chipulukusu and Matero as well as Mtendere townships in Lusaka, respectively.
Whatever the case may be, relatives always seek the assistance of each other no matter how far apart they may be living from one another.
In many instances, people who are related help each other when they are faced with problems, especially domestic disputes.
The most common domestic disputes are those in which a couple is at each other’s throats because of immorality.
Recently, I was in Lubuto Township where I had escorted my nephew who wanted me to help him get money from his tenant who had defaulted paying for three months.
My nephew, who did not have any relative in Ndola apart from me, told me that his tenant had not been paying rentals and each time he approached him he used the excuse that he had not been paid by his employers and he promised that he would settle the arrears as soon as he was paid.
My nephew suspected that his tenant was not paying the rentals because he (my nephew) was too ‘soft’ and the tenant took advantage of this.
But then, I was too ‘soft’ myself and worse still, the house was not mine. Well, my nephew told me what role to play.
He said all he wanted me to do was to tell the tenant that I wanted to move into the house and that I had already paid for three months in advance at K700 per month.
My nephew thought his tenant would jack up and look for money to pay.
I thought the idea was good, but for all I know, tenants need to be given notice if they are to be evicted or removed from the houses for defaulting.
I asked my nephew whether he had given notice to his tenant and he told me that if tenants were told to vacate a house they usually sneaked out without the landlords’ knowledge and thus it was best just to catch them napping.
It was for this reason that my nephew asked me to help.
Like I pointed out earlier, relatives who live nearby have an obligation to help one another and so I had no excuse but to escort my nephew to Lubuto for this exercise.
It was on a Saturday and my nephew was at my place as early as 06:00 hours to pick me because he wanted to meet his tenant before he left home.
We got to my nephew’s tenant’s home at 07:15 hours and we found him still in bed, but the wife was already up and was sweeping the yard.
The woman knew my nephew and immediately she saw us, she smelled trouble as she knew her husband was in three months’ arrears.
“Bushetabalalipila impiya sha rent?” (Hasn’t he paid the money for house rentals?) she asked us after the greetings.
My nephew shook his head indicating that the man had not paid.
The woman then told my nephew that her husband got paid on Wednesday and he told her that he spent all the money on clearing rental arrears.
“He told me that he cleared the three months’ rental arrears and paid another three months in advance. Now if you are saying he did not pay the house rent, where did he take the money?
“In fact yesterday he did not spend the night at home and he just came at 05:00 hours,” revealed the woman.
I knew then that my nephew was dealing with a crooked man and I thought that the best thing to do was to evict the man from the house.
While I was having those thoughts, a woman in her late 20s or early 30s, with a baby strapped on her back came and greeted the tenant’s wife.
Although this woman was wearing a smile on her face, her eyes showed that she was not happy.
“Bushe abalumebenu epobali?”(is your husband at home?) the woman asked.
A woman with a baby on her back coming so early in the morning and asking someone’s wife whether her husband was home!
As an eavesdropper, I thought there was something wrong.
What could be wrong? Was this woman another wife or girlfriend to the man we had come to see over the non-payment of house rentals or was she one of those women who lend kaloba to people! I wondered.
The woman we found sweeping the yard agreed that her husband was around.
“Epobali,tabalabuka. Nababene ebobalefwaya. Lekeni mbabushe,”(he is still asleep. Even these people want to see him. Let me wake him up) said the woman who looked very friendly but sad, perhaps because of her husband’s conduct.
The woman got into the house and shortly came back and asked us to get into the house as she had informed her husband that there were people to see him.
As we got into the house and sat ourselves on the sofas, we heard the man in the bedroom complain: ”Nangu kumona umuntu kwisa ulucheloifi?’ (Do you really have to come this early to see someone?)
Then the door from the bedroom squeaked and the man, looking drunk, staggered into the sitting room.
Upon seeing me, my nephew and the woman with the baby, the man looked confused. He found somewhere to sit and greeted us.
He turned to the woman whom he addressed as mulamu (sister-in-law) and we came to learn was the younger brother’s wife.
“You have come so early in the morning mulamu, is there a problem home?” the man asked the woman.
Apparently, the woman was well-mannered and she told the man that there was something she wanted to discuss with him in private.
But the man arrogantly refused to discuss anything in private and told the woman that all that were present were a family and there was no reason why the two should discuss whatever it was in private.
It was at this point that the woman started explaining why she had come to see that man.
The woman complained that for the past four days, her husband had been coming home very late in the night but that on that particular day it was worse because he came home at 04:00 hours.
“I don’t know why your brother is doing this. For the past four days he has been coming home after midnight. Today he came home at 04:00 hours and we have a baby at home,” complained the woman.
Upon hearing this, the man burst into laughter and I thought this was strange. How could anyone find such a serious matter funny?
The woman was right to come and complain to this man who was her brother’s husband!
“Mulamu, this is not the problem you can bring so early in the morning. Your husband is even better for coming home at 04:00 hours. I have just come and I want to sleep. Ask your sister-in-marriage,” said the man, waving a hand as a sign to dismiss his sister-in-law.
The woman who now looked more shocked politely got to her feet and started walking out.
The man’s wife followed her and we heard her saying: ”Your mulamu is a fool. Is that how he can answer you although it is true that he has just come? One of the men in there is the landlord and I am told he has not paid rent for three months but he told me he has cleared the arrears and paid three months in advance,” said the man’s wife.
The sister-in-marriage told the man’s wife that she was very surprised with her brother-in-law’s behaviour and that is why she had to leave.
Meanwhile, the man was telling my nephew that he would get paid the following Monday and asked him to come on that day in the evening.
It was then that my nephew told the man he should leave the house because another tenant, who happened to be me had paid three months in advance.
I saw the man sweat as I told him that I was shifting into the house the following day, which was a Sunday.
The man started protesting, but my nephew told him that it was late.
Suddenly, the door flung open and the man’s wife walked in.
“But you told me that you cleared the arrears and paid three months in advance. I think I am going away and will only come back when you get back to your senses,” the woman said.
The man got to his bedroom and came back with a wad of notes and counted it and gave my nephew what he owed for three months, but refused to make three months advance payment as per agreement.
He gave him a month’s notice to vacate and we left.
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