Childless couple seek divorce

LUCY PHIRI writes

@SunZambian   

A MAN of Lusaka has sued his wife of four years for divorce on allegation that they are not able to conceive as a couple and that his wife also denies him conjugal rights.

The case was before Chelstone local court presiding magistrate Mary Namangala sitting with presiding magistrate Kennedy Mwansa Mutale.

Anthony Lyamba, 32, of Kabulonga, sued his wife Bridget Mulenga, 33, of the same area for divorce.

Lyamba told court that he married his wife in 2015 after paying dowry.

Since then she had not been able to conceive, which had caused endless wrangles in the house.

“I always force her to meet as husband and wife to the extent of tearing her clothes off,” Lyamba said.

“My wife insults me and denies me conjugal rights. It has been a while now without meeting and every time I want to meet her it’s a struggle. Clothes have to be torn,” he said.

In 2016 she told him that if he really needed a child he should go out and get a girlfriend whom he could impregnate, but because he loved his wife Lyamba resisted the temptation.

“My wife always tells me that she cannot trust a man with all her heart because men usually disappoint.

“I remember at one point I told her that I had impregnated another woman, but to my shock she told elders at church and her relatives as if she wasn’t the one who was telling me to impregnate another woman outside our matrimonial home,” he said.

He was then banned from participating in all activities at the church.

Lyamba said he had just told his wife a lie to see how she would react.

He narrated that parents and church elders had tried sitting them down, but to no avail. 

As he was speaking his wife had even moved out of their house and was living alone.

“I want the court to separate us because I am tired of this marriage,” Mutale said.

In defence, Mulenga said they used to live peacefully in the first years of their marriage, but everything changed when her husband started coming home around 22:00 hours or 23:00 hours.

Whenever she asked he told her that he had gone to his friend to encourage one another as brothers in Christ.

“Yes, I told my husband that he should go out and impregnate another woman since already, I had a child from my previous marriage.

“I discovered that my husband has a girlfriend because he goes for three days at times and comes back moody and wants to have sex with me. He also sleeps with clothes on at times,” Mulenga testified.

Since February they had been on separation and had not been talking to each other.

The court then ordered the matter to be adjourned to a later date for continued hearing.