My husband hauls insults on me, accuses me of dating my pastor — Wife

•She cares for her pastor, respects him more than me — Husband

A Nakonde couple’s 25-year marriage is on the verge of ending after the husband told the Nakonde Urban Local Court, Zambia, that his wife respects her church “Papa” more than she respects him.

The court has failed to reconcile the couple after the wife refused to stop attending the church she says she believes in.

The matter involves 44-year-old businessman Israel Simwinga and his wife, Precious Chileshe, 41, who is seeking to dissolve the marriage.

Israel told the court his wife’s church leader, whom she calls “Papa,” had taken over her attention.

He said their home is filled with pictures and stickers of the “Papa” and that whenever his wife falls sick, she moves around the house carrying handkerchiefs associated with him.

Israel added that any attempt to question her belief in the church leader always resulted in serious arguments.

The name of the church leader and the church were mentioned in court but have been withheld in this report.

When asked whether he opposed the divorce, Israel said he was ready for the marriage to end.

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He told the court that although they had been married for 25 years, only the first 20 years had been meaningful, claiming that for the past five years his wife had not allowed him to be “the man of the house.”

The husband added that he once approached the church leader to discuss the matter but was told, “The problem is people do not believe in us men of God.”

Israel further claimed that the church leader had affected his business opportunities and alleged that his wife once told him she would have a better marriage in future.

He said that statement made him suspect she was involved with another man, which is why he accused her of prostitution.

In her testimony, Precious told the court that her husband constantly insults her, disrespects her and accuses her of prostitution.

She said problems in the marriage started after she left the United Church of Zambia (UCZ), where the couple worshipped, and joined a Pentecostal church in 2017 with her husband’s approval.

She told the court everything was fine until 2023 when her husband changed his mind and ordered her to stop attending the church.

She returned to UCZ, but said her husband still complained that she did not appear happy in church.

She eventually stopped going to church altogether for about a year, and later her husband also stopped attending church.

 Precious said their relationship continued to deteriorate, with almost every conversation ending in arguments and insults, sometimes in the presence of their children and other people.

The mother of five also told the court that her husband accused her of having an affair with her pastor.

 She said that whenever she travelled to her farm in Northern Province, her husband told people she had abandoned him for another man.

She further said her husband told her she had brought bad luck into his life and that he regretted marrying her.

She said those words deeply hurt her, especially after she helped raise two children her husband had outside the marriage and later supported them until they got married.

Senior Local Court Magistrate, Collins Chinsha spent time counseling the couple and urged them to reconcile, saying the issues raised were not strong enough to end a marriage of more than two decades.

The magistrate asked her whether she would consider stopping attendance at the church to save the marriage, while Israel told the court he would make an effort to love his wife again if she agreed.

However, she refused, saying she would not leave her church.

Chinsha noted that it was unfortunate the couple had failed to reconcile, especially after recently marrying off one of their children, saying they could have continued setting a good example for their family.

The court has set  a date for a scene visit to assess the couple’s jointly owned property, including a house, flats, a shop and household items, after which judgment would be given.