‘My wife always demanded for a share of our property any time we fought’

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A Lusaka Boma Local Court in Zambia has ordered a man to pay his wife K16,000 after he divorced her on accusations that she was cheating on him.

This is in a matter where Jeff Mwemba, aged 31, of Chinika area, sued to divorce 29-year old Ruth Tembo, after six years of marriage and bearing two children.

According to Zambia Observer, Jeff told the court that he could no longer stomach his wife’s habit of communicating with her ex-boyfriend and mistreating her step daughter.

“My wife has been communicating with her ex boyfriend who was also her teacher in high school.

I found her text messages to him where she stated that she would like to see him so as to thank him for his generosity towards her and I figured out that it was her body she was offering him,” Jeff said.

He further complained that his wife turned to drinking whenever he went out of the country on business trip.

Jeff explained that his wife often maltreated her step daughter.

“I remember when I was nursing pains resulting from an accident last year, my wife would tell my daughter to call her mother to send her food to eat.

“During that period, she always told me that she could not make provision for the family,” Jeff told the court.

He added that Ruth constantly asked for her share of the property they both possessed as if they were divorced or he had died.

Ruth responding stated that all that her husband said about her was true.

Ruth, however, refused that their marriage be dissolved because she still loved her husband.

“I took alcohol because he frustrated me. He was always saying he was tired of me.

The other issue is that we bought a plot of land, but he later told me that he sold the land without my consent, Ruth said.

She said her mother in law was too involved in their marriage to an extent that she would shout at her not to stress the son she depended on.

Giving his judgment, Justice Contrudah Kamono dissolved their wedlock on the grounds that the court could not force Jeff to remain married when his mind was made up.

Justice Kamono noted that their marriage crumbled because there was no team work between the two, adding that there was no way Jeff could have sold the plot of land they jointly bought without consulting his wife.

She further said that Jeff did not dispute that his wife kept him for one year after his accident and is still providing for him even now though he has recovered and is working.

Justice Kamono, therefore, ordered Jeff to compensate his wife with K16,000.

According to her, he would pay a first installment of K1,500 and then K500 every month.

She also ordered him to be maintaining his children with K600 every month and this does not include medical and school requirements.

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