‘I can’t live with this man. He’ll kill me.’ – wife

19/04/2015

THE MATERO Local Court was almost moved to tears as a distraught woman gave an account of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband.
Mavis Muleya, 28, of Kasupe told the court that her husband Patson Muleya, 33, also of Kasupe has been so promiscuous that he has now infected her with HIV.
She was speaking before seniour court magistrates Lewis Mumba and Petronella Kalyelye in a case where she sued her husband for marriage reconciliation.
Mavis who was teary eyed most of the time said whenever she told Muleya to stop his ways he would tell her to scream to the whole world that he had infected her.
Throughout her testimony, Mavis kept on telling the court, ‘I can’t live with this man. He’ll kill me.’
And while staring straight at Muleya, Mavis told the court, when she fell pregnant, Muleya would often beat her telling her he did not want the pregnancy.
Muleya demanded she has an abortion but she refused after which he moved from their bedroom but however, the beatings continued.
When she could not take the beatings anymore, Mavis one day in the dead of night ran away to her mother’s home where she collapsed upon arrival.
She only regained consciousness at the hospital where she was diagnosed with depression.
When she was discharged from hospital, she forgave Muleya and went back home with him but one day, he packed her belongings and took her back to her parents.
“Instead of unpacking my stuff, he drove away with my ARVs and I was forced to miss some dosages,” she said.
He has never bought me anything. I only have one chitenge and one panty which when I wash, I remain naked,” she said, as tears welled up in her eyes.
Mavis said she has a month old baby who Muleya has never seen it as he does not want to.
And in his statement, Muleya said Mavis was on family planning but he got shocked that she fell pregnant.
He accused her of being disrespectful.
In passing judgment, Justice Mumba ruled failed reconciliation and told Mavis to sue for divorce.