‘Love between us no longer exist’

Lydia Mulenga, 25, of John Laing township, sued her husband Julius Mulenga, 29, for divorce, stating that love between them no longer existed. The two were married in 2005 and have three children together.
Mulenga told Senior Court Magistrates Dennis Mpundu and Esther Mulonda that her husband had a bad temper and was in the habit of beating her even over trivial matters.
She said often during heated arguments, her husband would point a knife at her to threaten her.
“He has a habit of throwing things around the house during arguments and beating me up when he is angry,” Mulenga shared.
On one occasion when Kayombo beat up Mulenga, she reported him to the police who then locked him up for three days. Upon his release, Mulenga said Kayombo chased her from their home.
In 2011, Kayombo found work in Chingola and worked there for over two years, a period during which he and Mulenga were not communicating.
“I would call him and another woman would answer. Even his relatives were surprised when I mentioned he had another woman,” she said.
When Kayombo lost his job in Ndola, he returned to Lusaka but according to Mulenga, they still could not get along.
She said their families had sat them down to be counselled on different occasions but nothing had changed.
Kayombo testified that he was unhappy with his wife’s behaviour towards him which was why he beat her.
He said one time he asked his wife if she could change her behaviour and she agreed.
However, he said one day when he returned home from work she had left food on the table for two hours without telling him to eat it.
When he started to prepare a meal on the stove the same evening, Kayombo said Mulenga tried to pour boiling water on him.
He further accused her of having an affair with a white man who he had once taken to the police.
Mulenga’s mother, Vainess Mulenga also told the court that her daughter’s marriage to Kayombo was a troubled one and that the two would one day kill each other.
While Mulenga maintained that their marriage should end, Kayombo argued that he did not want to see his children suffer due to divorce.
In passing judgement, the court however granted divorce and said based on the counterattacks between the two parties, it was evident that the marriage lacked love and trust.
The court also decided that there would be no compensation, stating that in the nine years that Kayombo and Mulenga were married, that had practically been living separate lives.
Custody of their three children was given to Mulenga. Kayombo was ordered to be maintaining his children at a fee of K300 per child every month.

Zambia Daily Mail