Sun, 24 Sep 2017 09:35:08 +0000
By Frank Nyambe
A 28-YEAR-OLD woman narrated before a local court in Lusaka that whenever her husband is drunk, he ties her to the bed and strips her and then proceeds to beat her.
This is in a case in which Mary Kasanda of Kanyama compound sued her husband, John Mwisa, 32, a teacher for divorce after separating for three months.
However, Mwisa said that he still love his wife. The two got married in 2012 and have one child..
Kasanda told Senior Court Magistrate Abbyshine Michelo sitting with Magistrates Mubukwanu Matakala and Esther Mulomba at Kanyama Local Court that problems started in 2013 because whenever Mwisa is drunk he would tie her to the bed, strip and beat her.
She explained that she has been going to Mwisa’s mother for safety and that in 2016 she went to the village for eight months, adding that Mwisa followed her thrice and they reconciled.
“Mwisa did not stop beating me, he even started chasing me and in June 2017, I left the matrimonial home after he broke my cell phone and assaulted me. I decided to divorce Mwisa because he can kill me, I even have a medical report,’’ said Kasanda.
In defence, Mwisa said that he has stopped drinking and that they were differing with Kasanda because as a teacher, he tries to teach their child but Kasanda gets upset and says he is not the one who gave birth to the child.
Mwisa explained that when he knocks off, he finds that Kasanda has not swept the house and that she would tell him to sweep since he has hands or prepare for himself water for bathing.
“Kasanda goes to drink beer with the child at a bar near where she is staying,” said Mwisa.
Magistrate Michelo said that there are problems because Mwisa and Kasanda have not been staying together since June.
Magistrate Michelo said that it is true Mwisa drinks too much and that it is the cause of fighting and that it is better to save a life than to save a marriage.
He granted the couple divorce without compensation but Mwisa was ordered to be paying child maintenance fee of K500 per month and that the households acquired together are to be shared equally.
