‘She dumped her children, hubby for lover’

A WOMAN of Nalwamba village who sued for custody of her grandchildren told the Kanyama Local Court how her daughter-in-law allegedly deserted her three children and ailing husband for another man.

But her daughter-in-law Georgina Hamaluwa disputed her accusations saying her late husband is the one who dumped her for her best friend.
Sara Syampeyo 62 told the court that when her son fell ill in 1999, she deserted him and her three children and got married to a neighbour.
In a case where Syampeyo dragged Hamaluwa to court for Child Custody, she said her late son handed over the children to her and she has been with them for 15 years until two of them moved to Lusaka in 2010 to visit their mother.
“Court, I followed my grandchildren because ever since they came to visit their mother, they’ve never been back at the village. They have stopped school and one of them even has a child,” she said angrily.
Syampeyo told the court her grandchildren are busy prostituting because Hamaluwa has failed to discipline them which she was ably doing.
She said the only child remaining with her in the village is Hamaluwa’s eldest child who is well behaved and now doing grade twelve.
And in her statement before Justices Harriet Mbewe and Mukuka Ngandwe, Hamaluwa said her late husband is the one who ditched her for her friend.
Hamaluwa said when her husband married her friend; Syampeyo paid him a visit and recognised the union saying that was when her son had married.
“This woman is lying, after my husband left me and later fell sick, she brought the children to me,” she said.
And when the court called the eldest daughter to testify, she said she would never go back to the village.
She said she has no interest in school and would not change her mind.
In passing judgment, the court granted Syampeyo custody of the children.