My wife wants to bewitch me, man tells court

A 37-YEAR-OLD security guard of Torres Security limited in Lusaka presented a small padlock, locked with its keys attached to a safety pin to the Chelstone Local court as his evidence that his wife has been trying to bewitch him.

This is in a case in which Muke Sabelo of Lusaka’s Mtendere East sued his wife Misozi Zulu for divorce over allegations of his wife trying to bewitch him.
The fetish padlock was wrapped in a piece of chitenge material with a portion of black powder wrapped on it.
Sabelo said he married Zulu in 2003. However, problems started last year when he discovered some particles in the fried eggs his wife had prepared for him. His wife expressed ignorance when he asked what was in the eggs.

Sabelo said a few months later, he went home one night with an opened bottle of Castle lager. When he tried to drink his beer the next day, he said he found some mealie meal like substances floating in the beer.
He said early this year, he discovered a portion of brown soil with needles and some dried roots wrapped together pushed in his mattress.
“The mattress was new so I was surprised to find this fetish thing on the side of my bed. Early this month I discovered a padlock in my pillow when we were sleeping. It was too much so I took the matter to the elders,” he said.

He said he sued for divorce in order to guarantee his safety.
But Zulu told the court that she had never experienced problems in their marriage of 12 years until her husband changed jobs from G4 security to Torres last year.
“I used to know his salary when he was working at G4 security but things changed when he started work at Torres. He doesn’t adequately provide for our children and sometimes he leaves us with nothing at home,” she said.

Zulu said allegations that she is trying to bewitch him started when she reported to his supervisors at work that he does not provide for his family.
“Yes, that piece of cloth in which that lock is wrapped used to be mine but it mysterious went missing in 2006. He is the one who uses juju and he has confessed that his people are champions in such things. He uses the juju claiming it’s for protection,” she said.

Passing judgement, the court granted divorce on grounds that there were too many suspicions and finger pointing in their marriage.
Senior Presiding magistrate Hope Mwila ordered Sabelo to pay Zulu K10, 000 as compensation for taking care of their home and their three children.

Daily Mail