Father laments delayed justice over son’s death

Sat, 04 Mar 2017 10:14:25 +0000

A LUSAKA resident has complained of continued delays in the delivery of justice in the January 2016 accident when the Woodlands Stadium wall boundary collapsed and caused the death of his 14-year-old son.

Kennedy Sikota of Chilenje compound in Lusaka said Legal Aid have failed to give him a concrete response to his legal suit against the owners of the structure that claimed his 14-year-old son’s life.

Mr Sikota took City of Lusaka Football Club to court for failure to maintain and secure the wall around their home ground, Woodlands Stadium, after the building  collapsed during a heavy downpour on 8th January, 2016.

“I have been coming to court for over one year now, and there is no progress on the matter being handled by Legal Aid.

“My son died because of negligence and lack of maintenance of the boundary wall by the owners, City of Lusaka, and other people were injured in the same incidence. I do not know what is going on with the case,” he said.

He explained that Legal Aid were in charge of his case against the Woodlands Stadium management, but that there has been little progress to assure him of any finality.

James Sikota, 14, died of injuries he sustained when the brick wall collapsed on him and seven others as they sought shelter.

Mr Sikota complained that as a parent, all he was asking for was a finality to the matter to allow him time to mourn his son and get back to family business.

“Like this it is as though I am still following up my son when all I am asking for is a finality through some form of compensation because if the Club management looked after their structure properly, this could not have happened.

“My son loved football. He was at the stadium playing football when it started raining and that was how he met his fate,” he said.

Mr Sikota was speaking in an interview after another fruitless trip to the court to check on the progress of the case.