‘She was always calling my husband’

A THIRTY- FIVE-YEAR-OLD married woman of Lusaka’s Chazanga Township shocked a fully-packed Matero local court when she denied knowing a 43-year-old man who insisted that she was his girlfriend.
Idah Phiri claimed before the court that she had no idea of Robert Chifwabantu, who insisted that he had had a love affair with the married woman.
This was in a case in which Phiri sued Maxina Chifwabantu, for defamation of character after she accused her of having an affair with her husband.
Facts before the court were that Chifwabantu (Maxina) on several occasions insulted Phiri and accused her of having an affair with her husband.
Evidence before the court showed that Chifwabantu used to exchange bitter words with Phiri because of his extra-marital affair.
Chifwabantu submitted that although Phiri was denying having an affair with her husband, he used to go and sleep with her at her home every time her (Phiri’s) husband was away.
But Phiri told the court that since 2011 Chifwabantu had been calling her on the phone accusing her having an affair with her husband.
She told the court that her marriage was now on the rocks because her husband had started believing that she was truly having an affair with Robert Chifwabantu.
In her defence, Chifwabuntu admitted that she had insulted Phiri because she had suffered from the time her husband allegedly started going out with the plaintiff.
She told the court that many people told her that Phiri was having an affair with her husband and she later discovered that it was true when he personally found them walking together.
“He is my husband and no one would want to share the person they love.
“This woman used to call my husband at any time to the extent that he started switching off his phone when he was home,” she said.
Local court magistrate Petronella Kalyelye, sitting with Lewis Mumba, dismissed the case saying although Phiri never admitted that he was having an affair with Chifwabantu, it was clear that the two were indeed having an affair.