Barnabas Pentecostal Church pastor fined K20, 000 for adultery

Sun, 02 Jul 2017 10:59:17 +0000

By FRANK NYAMBE

A 38-YEAR-OLD Pastor has been ordered by a Lusaka Local Court to pay K20, 000 as compensation for adultery and told not to hide in the name of being a man of God.

Senior Court Magistrate Pauline Newa sitting with Magistrate Miyanda Banda at Matero Local Court ordered Lameck Phiri of Barnabas Pentecostal Church who resides in Kabanana compound to compensate Michael Sakala, 35, a carpenter of Chazanga compound for committing adultery with his wife, Olipa Mbewe, 31.

Sakala told the court that he married Olipa in 2017 and that he paid dowry.

He explained that Phiri was his neighbour and that last year in May he shifted to another compound, his wife, Olipa left him and went to Kapompe to visit but she switched off her phone.

Sakala said later Pastor Phiri’s child told him that what Olipa and the pastor were doing was not good, adding that he later learnt that the two got married.

“Even friends told me that they saw Olipa and Phiri at Bush Park. Later I heard that Olipa went to the village where she took the child for fear he could reveal what he saw,’’ said Sakala.

In defence, Phiri denied knowing Olipa and said that he did not even know her phone number. Olipa also denied having a love affair with Phiri.

But a print out from Airtel ordered by the court showed that the two were communicating for about ten times a day.

Sakala’s child, 9, said that he knew Phiri as a Pastor ‘abusa’ and that his mother, Olipa left his father, Sakala to stay with the pastor.

He further testified that his mother and pastor Phiri were sleeping together in the bedroom while he slept in the living room.

In submission, Sakala said that he wanted the court to help him while pastor Phiri said that he had nothing to say.

Magistrate Newa said that it was evident that Phiri and Olipa had a steamy love affair and wondered how come they were able to communicate about ten times a day.

She said that there were many women even in Devil Street who were single or at court to wait for those being divorced but Phiri opted to get a married woman and that he should not hide in the name of a Pastor.

Phiri was ordered to pay the fine with initial payment of K2,000 followed by monthly instalments of K500.