LUCY PHIRI writes
A 47-YEAR-OLD man of Lusaka has been ordered to pay his former wife K23,000 compensation as after she divorced him for being irresponsible.
Chelstone Local Court senior magistrate Charity Milambo ordered Emmanuel Mazo, 47, a driver of Mtendere East to compensate Pauline Mugoba, 45, despite being the one who divorced him.
The two got married in 1996 with five children and dowry was paid.
Magoba sued Mazo on grounds that he wants to marry another woman and that he had deserted his matrimonial home.
“My husband goes to his girlfriend and lies he is in Solwezi for work,” she told the court.
“Since we got married we have been living peacefully, but everything changed when he started sleeping out. In 2015 we divorced and he later came to beg that we should live together and I forgave him. We got back together as husband and wife,” Magoba said.
She said after getting back together promising to change, he started sleeping out again.
“My husband doesn’t give me money and he does not provide food at home. He goes for days without leaving anything at home,” Magoba said.
“One time he lied to me that he had gone to Solwezi, but he was in Kabangwe at his girlfriend’s place,” Mugoba said.
“I just want divorce because I am tired of the marriage, and cannot manage living with the second wife.”
Mazo pleaded with the court not to divorce the couple saying he still loved his wife and wanted her back.
“I want us to keep the children together, and I also want to marry another woman but they will be staying in different places,” he said.
“At one point my wife poured hot chilli in my bathing water, beats me with a log and locks me outside. I slept outside that day and early in the morning I went to the hospital where I was given some medication, but still I forgave her,” he said.
“My wife has my ATM card. She is the one who gets my money.”
And upon hearing statements from both sides, the court dissolved the marriage, and ordered him to compensate her with K23,000 because 23 years in marriage was a long time.
Mazo was the course of the divorce.
The money should be paid in instalments of K1,000 effective August 6, 2019 and also K1,000 monthly for children’s maintenance.
