Fri, 25 Aug 2017 13:20:37 +0000
By Chintu Malambo
THE Lusaka High Court yesterday moved to the crime scene where four witnesses testified in the matter involving a Makeni woman, Jaquiline Mwiindwa who is accused of murdering her husband, Kofi Milumbe, by running over him.
Meanwhile, during proceedings, the sister-in-law of the accused, Sandra Malasha, informed the court that at no point did the accused hit the deceased with a vehicle.
Mwiindwa, a health care administrator is alleged to have run over her husband with a motor vehicle.
The incident happened on 28th October, 2016 in Makeni Bonaventure.
Testifying before High Court Judge Charles Chanda, Ms Sandra Malasha, said on the material day, she had just arrived from Livingstone when the accused picked her up from the station.
Mwiindwa informed her that that she was going to pick her workmate, Leonard Nyirongo, whom she had wanted to help her mount a bunker bed and that afterwards, she would visit her children at their father’s place.
At her husband’s home in Makeni Bwanventure, Mwiindwa left her with Mr Nyirongo in the vehicle while she went inside the house and later came back with the children.
Malasha testified that Mwiindwa told her that she was not happy with the condition she found her four children in and thus she was taking them with her.
The court heard that just as Mwiindwa pulled off to leave, her husband stepped out, coming to the window of her car. He then started yelling at her, telling her not to get the children and the two exchanged words.
The witness told the court that Mwiindwa managed to drive off while her husband held on to the car until it joined the main road.
She also told the court that the vehicle was moving slowly while Milumbe followed and that at many instances, he held on to the vehicle whenever it stopped but that at no point did the accused hit him with the vehicle.
Mr Nyirongo said he witnessed the two exchanging words and that they did not agree on anything until they reached a turn in Bayuni road in Makeni, when Mwiindwa and Milumbe agreed to go back home where Milumbe had left his vehicle so that they could go to the police station together to make a report.
He said Mwiindwa drove back to the house slowly with Milumbe walking behind the vehicle. Mwiindwa drove on and waited for him at the house.
He said also testified that Mwiindwa asked him to drive the car so that he would drop her at the police station and later drop her kids and sister-in-law at her home because it was getting late.
Another witness, Winford Soko, a security guard at Crime Watch Security Company along Bayuni road said about 18:30 hours, he saw a Nissan Primera, gold in colour being driven by a woman, moving from South to north and a man was hanging on to the window of the vehicle.
He said after about 10 minutes he saw the same vehicle heading back to the South and that there was a man who seemed to have been following the vehicle while limping and talking on the phone.
Later, he saw two trucks and two small vehicles heading to the direction of Mr Milumbe.
Mr Soko said after about five minutes, he saw Mr Milumbe, lying dead on the right side of the road, with his phone a few meters away.
Trial continues.
