VICTORIA KASANGA writes:
A woman in Ndola has dragged her daughter in-law to court for claiming she slept with her own biological son using charms.
The woman claimed her daughter in-law also accused her of being responsible for her failure to bear children and for the other problems she had in the marriage with her son.
Sarah Kayombo, 64, of Twapia Township, sued her daughter-in-law Beauty Mukebe, 38, of Chifubu Township, for scandalising he name and accusing her of practising witchcraft.
Ms Kayombo told the court that in October last year her daughter-in-law invited her to a meeting at her home where she explained to her marital problems and informed her she was no longer interested in the marriage.
“She explained the problems she was having in the marriage with my son and took off her wedding ring saying the marriage was over,” she said.
Ms Kayombo said Ms Mukebe later began texting messages to her phone accusing her of bewitching her not to children and of being responsible for the other problems she encountered in her marriage.
She said the daughter-in-law also accused her of having had sexual intercourse with her own son using charms.
The case was before Chifubu Local Court senior presiding magistrate Besa Mushibwe, sitting with magistrates Kaala Nyambe and Paul Kayula.
Ms Kayombo told court that she was seeking compensation from her daughter-in-law because she had scandalised her name among her relatives and other people in the community.
And a witness, Bwalya Kafwimbi, who is also Ms Kayombo`s son, said his wife phoned him while they were on separation, in December, and informed him a witchdoctor had told her that her mother-in-law was responsible for her failure to bear children and for the problems she was having in her marriage.
Mr Kafwimbi said his wife also told him she had several times visited the hospital but they found nothing wrong with her.
Mr Kafwimbi, who testified as a witness to his mother, said Ms Mukebe also posted messages on social media accusing his mother of being a witch.
He said Ms Mukebe also accused his mother of having had sexual intercourse with him using charms.
He said she kept on posting messages on social media saying his mother was a witch
But in her statement, Ms Mukebe said when she was engaged to Mr Kafwimbi, his mother told her she loved him very much and that she had been accused of having had a hand in the death of his first wife.
Ms Mukebe said that after she got married to Mr Kafwimbi, he also told her people suspected his mother of being responsible for his father’s death and that he died a sad man because of her witchcraft acts.
She said she called for the meeting with the mother-in-law in 2018 and wanted to divorce after the husband put her under a lot of pressure because of not having children.
Ms Mukebe said her husband called her and her relatives prostitutes saying it was for that reason that the mother was sleeping with him.
“I texted him and told him that his mother was a witch and that she might have had a hand in her husband’s missing underwear when we just got married,” she said.
She said Ms Kayombo phoned her and they exchanged bitter words because she could not understanding her whenever she explained to he what her son was doing to her.
In passing judgment, the court dismissed the case without costs saying the issue between them was a family issue which needed to be discussed as such.
The court ordered them to live in harmony.
