CEASAR MBEWE writes
@sun Zambian
A pastor from Lusaka’s Kanyama compound has begged the local court to end his five year old marriage claiming his wife was having an affair.
Emanuel Muyatwa, 36, a pastor at Weapon of Power Ministries in Kanyama sued his wife Mary Banda, 36, a teacher at Kamwala Primary school for divorce in the Kanyama local court on suspicious that she was having an affair outside marriage.
Mr. Muyatwa told court that his wife was fond of picking up phone calls late at night and that she told church elders she would not stop her infidelity until he paid her dowry in full.
He said he wanted the marriage ended because he could not let his wife continue to cheat on him just like that.
“I’m sick of her infidelity. We have been to the church elders several times and she won’t change. I can’t keep on just like this,” said Mr Muyatwa.
The facts before court were that the two got married in 2013 after he paid K100 of the K2000 dowry charged, and they have two children together, a girl, 5, and a boy aged 2.
In her defense, Ms Banda denied ever cheating on her husband but accused him of being irresponsible.
She said that he had never paid a single bill ever since they go married at her mother’s house where they resided.
She said that despite being a pastor, the husband was a lazy man who had never done anything for her family.
“My husband is asking for divorce because I intimidate him. I am of the same age but is harder working than him. I even bought him a timber sawing machine to try and reduce our financial burden,” she said.
In passing judgement, magistrate Mubukwanu Matakala, appealed to the pastor to forgive his wife since he did not have any evidence of infidelity but he refused.
He therefore divorced them without compensation to anyone, for fear gender-based violence may result if the two continued living together.
Judge Matakala ordered Emanuel to pay child support on a monthly basis.
