MUTINTA MULAYE writes
A MAN of Lusaka’s Kuomboka Compound surprised the Boma Local court when he said that he did not want his wife anymore after initially suing her for reconciliation.
Stanley Mbewe, 30, who appeared before Senior Local Court Magistrate Fridah Mugala said that the issue of between him and Martha Malwa was never discussed and they were merely cohabiting.
“Bana muleta beka ku nyumba, after ayendo papila kwabo futi, after 5 months bana muleta, I bought that summon because last week pa Thursday, ninayendo ona brother wake anati funsa tonse babili ngati tifuna kupitiliza navi kwati, tonse tinakana,”
” They brought her to my house after she had already delivered from her family’s house, I bought that summon because last Thursday I went to see her brother who asked us both if we wanted to proceed with the marriage and we both denied,” Mbewe told the court.
Malwa however told the court a different story by stating that the two had in fact agreed to get married.
“Ba brother banga banati nkazika pansi banati funsa ngati tenzo funo pitiliza, ba Mbewe banakamba ati siwanifuna vochinja chinja ba kazi, nifuno kwatila wamene uyu, naine nina vomela ati nifuno kwatila,”
“When my brother sat us down, he asked us if we wanted to proceed with the marriage, Mr Mbewe said yes as he didn’t want to be changing women, I also agreed that I wanted to get married,” Malwa said.
Malwa also told the court that Mbewe was denying her for the first time in court and that she was willing to end the relationship if he did not want to marry her.
Malwa’s brother also explained to the court that he had been keeping his sister but she decided to move in with Mbewe after she wrote her grade 12 exams.
He also told the court that his family then asked Mbewe to meet so that they could discuss and he had promised to come with his family.
He said that when Mbewe went to meet with their family, he came with a Pastor who told them that he had no relatives and only has his father who was in Choma.
“They asked them if they could charge damage and dowry together and so we asked them to pay K10, 000 in total of which they only paid K1, 000 for damage, ” he told the court.
Ms Mugala found that there was no marriage to dissolve or reconcile because the two were merely cohabiting as boyfriend and girlfriend.