Squabble over toilet lands 2 neighbours in court

TWO neighbours of John Howard township have dragged each other to court over the cleaning of a communal toilet they share.
In the Chawama Local Court was Lydia Mwamba, 25, who has sued her neighbour Fridah Mwila, 31, for defamation of character.
Mwamba told senior court magistrates Gaston Kalala and Sarah Nyendwa that she does not talk to Mwila because of her intolerable behaviour and loud mouth. Mwamba told the court that three tenants, including herself and Mwila, share one toilet.
She said each tenant is required to clean the toilet for a week.
“Last month, our landlord called us for a meeting to discuss the state of the toilet. When the landlord asked us the reason the toilet was in a bad state, Mwila told her it was my fault because I had been refusing to clean,” she said.
Mwamba said Mwila told the landlord that she (Mwamba) was inconsistent when it was her turn and would usually assign her siblings to do it.
“I sometimes decide to clean the toilet in the afternoon. I was shocked by her utterances. When I asked her what her motive for saying such things was, she called me a liar in front of my in-laws and threatened to beat me,” she said.
She said a week later, her six-year-old son fought with Mwila’s son, also aged six, and instead of approaching her (Mwamba) to find out what had happened, Mwila started threatening to beat her and anybody who threatened her children.
“She did not mention my name but I knew she was talking about me. This is the reason we have spent the last two years not talking to each other. I brought her here so she can at least be warned against slandering other people,” she said.
But Mwila said Mwamba was not in the habit of cleaning the toilet when it was her turn. She said she decided to tell the landlord because it was getting out of hand.
“She was upset that I told the landlord that she was the problem. She called me names because I told the landlord the truth. She is the one who even got up from her seat and threatened to beat me,” she said.
Passing judgment, the court dismissed the claim and urged the parties to live in harmony as neighbours.