‘I’m suspicious of hubby’s affection towards our son’

A 43-YEAR-OLD woman shocked the Lusaka Boma Court when she narrated her husband’s odd behaviour towards their four-year-old son.
Maureen Halyoonda, an employee of the Ministry of Local Government and Housing told senior court magistrates Gastone Kalala and Sylvia Kabunda that her husband of 14 years is inappropriately affectionate towards their son.
Maureen told the packed courtroom that she has on three different occasions caught her husband, Coster Halyoonda, 45, fondly and passionately kissing their son.
This was heard in the Lusaka Boma court in a case in which Maureen, of Chalimbana, Chongwe, was sued for marriage reconciliation by Coster, of John Laing Township. The two got married in 2000 and have one child together. The two are currently on separation.
You could hear a pin drop when Maureen narrated that Halyoonda, a worker at Decotex Paints is also in the habit of bathing with the boy as well as taking him along when he goes to inspect works at the couple’s farm.
She said she does not understand the reason Halyoonda always insists on escorting their son to the toilet as well.
“It’s inconceivable that anything other than father-son relationship exists between them but I don’t know what to think especially that I found him alone with our son in our bedroom fondling the child’s private parts. I also caught him passionately kissing him on another occasion.
“Something is not right because our son is now withdrawn and has equally developed a habit of fondling himself,” Maureen said.
A visibly agitated Maureen said she has noticed how their son usually went back home withdrawn each time he went for long hours with his father to the farm.
“The other strange thing is that when I went to school, my husband in his wisdom asked his older brother who I consider to be my in-law, to move into our matrimonial bedroom so they could be sleeping together on our bed,” she said.
She said when she asked the reason he had decided to disrespect their matrimonial bedroom like that, she said Halyoonda did not answer apart from saying his older brother would move out when she returned for holidays.
“I once failed to enter my bedroom because I got home when my in-law was still in bed. In fact, he would even move around our house dressed only in boxer shorts. He would also wake up around 05:00 hours and sweep the yard before going for work,” she said.
She told the court that she would not reconcile with Halyoonda for her own sanity and that of their son.
In his statement, Halyoonda who pleaded with Maureen for reconciliation refuted his wife’s claims concerning his alleged inappropriate behaviour towards their son.
“She denies me my conjugal rights and she has been demanding results of my voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) as a condition for having sex with me. She also demanded that I go for male circumcision,” Halyoonda said.
He also accused his mother-in-law of contributing to their break-up as she has not gone back to her home since 2009 when she went to visit the couple.
He said he wants to reconcile with Maureen as he can not manage to be on a five-year separation, which his wife and her family suggested due to their endless marital problems.
In passing judgment, the court failed to reconcile the two. The court advised Maureen to sue for divorce if she is no longer interested in her marriage.

Daily Mail