MUTINTA MULAYE writes
@SunZambian
A local court in Lusaka has dissolved a six year old marriage because the couple were having lots of misunderstandings and had lost trust for each other.
Boma local court senior Magistrate, Ngandu Mukuka, ruled that Miriam Phiri, 30, of Ngombe Compound could no longer live together with Jonathan Tembo, 35, of Kaunda Square, because their marraiage had completely broken down.
Before Senior Local Court Magistrate Ngandu Mukuka, Ms Phiri told the court that she got married to Mr Tembo in 2013 and since then he has been having many girlfriends.
In her submission to court, Ms. Phiri accused him of making her pay rentals by asking her to use her money with a promise that he would refund it but never did.
“Nikaba pempa ndrama benzo niuza ati nikonda chabe vokamba kamba, uyende kuli ba mai bako (He would tell me I was talkative and should go my parents whenever I asked him for money),” she said.
She accused him of denying her sex saying that he only slept with her at his own convenience.
“Ine nikaba uza ati nikali kufuna benzo niuza ati ndine hule, (when I tell him I’m not satisfied, he would call me a prostitute),” Ms Phiri disclosed.
She accused her husband of having girlfriends whom she said he used to phone in the night to talk “bad things” about her while she was sleeping.
“Apa nikamba, bana kwatila step sister wabo, penina ziba nina yenda kuma kolo banga, pamene tina yendako na family, banaba funsa kwamene viyenda vintu, bana kanilatu ati sibani funa, banani packingila navovala vonse ati niyende (He is married to his step sister as I speak. We went to talk to him when we discovered about the other woman but he still said he did not want me and packed my belongings),” said Ms Phiri.
But in his defence, Mr Tembo told the court that his wife still had boyfriends despite an agreement that she ends all her relationships before they go married.
“Inangu time ninamu peza red handed mu motoka ya boyfriend. Futi anabwela afaka photo ya wamene uyo mwamuna nolemba ati ‘I love your kisses, you are such a darling’” (I once caught her with another man in his car, and also found his photo on her whatsapp where she wrote that she loved his kisses.)” stated Mr Tembo.
He also stated that he was also not sure the child she had was his because she claimed she had two men when she became pregnant.
Mr. Tembo complained that Ms. Phiri took everything from the house when they separated making him sleep on the floor and that she also refused to grant him access to the child.
The court ruled that there was a lot of misunderstandings between the couple, and that their prolonged period of separation and lack of conjugal rights had also contributed to the breakdown of the marriage.
