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Kalulushi Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Labour, Rayford Mbulo, suspects his former girlfriend is gifted with a spirit of insults.
Mr Mbulo, who today appeared before Lusaka magistrate, Alice Walusiku, told the court that he wondered why Salome Mulenga brought herself back after she heard of his rise and recent achievements in the political arena soon after leaving the trade union leadership.
Mr Mbulo, who summoned Ms Mulenga for use of insulting language Contrary to Section 179 of the Penal Code Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
Particulars of the offence are that on May 14, 2012, while in Lusaka, Ms Mulenga conducted herself in a manner likely to provoke Mr Mbulo as to cause him to breach the public peace.
Mr Mbulo in his testimony said he was surprised to note that Ms Mulenga, the former girlfriend, accused him of infecting her with HIV/AIDS despite having an intermittent relationship with her and further threatened his life.
He told the court that in 2009 he met Ms Mulenga in Siavonga when he went to carry out strategic planning for the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions.
He said the two had an intermittent relationship from 2009 to 2011.
Mr Mbulo said last year after the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), he lost his phone and during that period he decided to use his wife’s hand set.
He said during the time he used his wife’s phone and SIM card he received massages from Ms Mulenga threatening him.
Mr Mbulo further produced his wife’s Samsung phone as part of evidence where he printed out two text messages as evidence to the threats he received from Ms Mulenga.
“Tell your hubby to switch on his phone, I don’t want to follow him to his work place,” stated one of the text messages on March 11, 2012.
Another text massage read, “Tell your hubby that since he does not want to face me in a polite way, he will face me in a rough way and University Teaching Hospital is waiting for casualties” sent on January 24, 2012.
He further told the court that it was such threats that forced him to report the matter to the police.
Mr Mbulo explained that Ms Mulenga further forced her way into his office and started insulting him and kicking furniture.
Meanwhile, defence lawyer Sakwiba Sikota wondered why Mr Mbulo maintained that their relationship was intermittent when Ms Mulenga was pregnant and subsequently had two miscarriages as a result of the sexual relationship between them.
Mr Sikota wondered why Mr Mbulo produced a phone which was not his at the time of the incidents, adding that the appropriate person to produce such evidence should have been the wife if at all she complained anywhere.
In Response Mr Mbulo told the court that he produced the phone as evidence because at the time he was in custody of his wife’s phone because he lost his mobile phone.
Tempers flared during cross examination when Mr Sikota asked Mr Mbulo if for sure he was not HIV positive, adding that the same issue was discussed at Cabinet Office when Ms Mulenga reported the matter to the minister.
In cushioning the incident Public Prosecutor, Zacks Yume, that Mr Sikota withdraws the statement as that was surmount to interference into the plaintiffs private life.
However, Magistrate Walusiku adjourned the matter and instructed that the said mobile phone be temporary released for use by Mr Mbulo as he was scheduled to travel out of the country on national issues at 14:00 hours today.
The matter has since adjourned to February 25, for continued cross examination.
