MUTINTA MULAYE writes
@SunZambian
A
DRIVER of Lusaka has divorced his wife of 10 years because of her insatiable
appetite for alcohol.
The Boma Local Court granted the application by George Ngwira, 54, of Kamwala
for divorce saying he was tired of his wife, Louisa Masamwisha of Chawama
Township.
Ngwira told senior local court magistrate Gastone Kalala that he married Masamwisha between 2009 and 2010.
He told the court that in 2009 he went to work in South Africa and one time he phoned his wife, but she was not picking up his calls.
“I called my children and I was told she had not been home since afternoon. So I continued calling her until morning. I was worried, so I got permission from my boss and I came back here,” Ngwira said.
He said when he asked his wife where she had been she told him she had gone for a party and got drunk.
Ngwira said he reported the matter to his mother-in-law and told her to take his wife to ‘ba langizi’ to be taught.
After some time they reconciled.
“We moved to John Howard and my wife became a sales lady. I took her to a driving school to make her job easier. But I started hearing from different people that the car was being seen in the wrong places and even her brother told me to get the car from her because she was being irresponsible,” Ngwira said.
He told the court another time when they fought over her going out at late hours to drink, she almost stabbed him with a knife and he even had to involve his mother-in-law on the issue again.
“Another time she followed me to work and caused problems that I even left her and went to Kitwe for three days. When I came back we reconciled and life went on. Another time she beat me and undressed me and people were even watching,” Ngwira said.
He told the court they went on separation for two years because they used to fight a lot.
“She accused me of dating other women and told me I had a small manhood. I cried. My father later reconciled us and again we fought and she ripped my clothes,” he said.
Masamwisha told the court that her husband had a girlfriend who had brought problems in their marriage.
They had often sat down to discuss the matter but there was no improvement.
“He tells me I am barren and I just know how to sit down and eat nshima. He ran away to the Copperbelt when we had a misunderstanding. The main thing that causes problems in our marriage is that he has another woman,” Masamwisha said.
She said her child often got sick especially when her husband left home and returned later because he had obviously been with other women.
“He doesn’t appreciate because I’ve raised his own children and I’ve built our home. Our child has even been admitted for two months before because when he comes back home the child gets sick,” she said.
The court found that there is gender based violence in the marriage.
Magistrate Kalala also found that there was possibility of unfaithfulness from Ngwira.
He granted Ngwira divorce and ordered him to compensate Masamwisha with K5,000.
