‘My hubby is lazy, irresponsible’

A 28-year-old woman of Lusaka’s Libala Township has narrated in the Lusaka local ourt how she gave birth to a premature baby due to over-working as she tried to fend for her irresponsible husband.
Apart from delivering a premature baby, Thelma Silubwa told the court that she was forced to look for employment three weeks after giving birth because her husband, Robbie Mbewe, could not provide for the family.
This was in a case where Silubwa sued Mbewe of Kanyama Township for divorce following persistent marital disputes.
Facts before the court were that the two got married in 2007 and have a child together but started experiencing marital problems immediately after the birth of their child.
Silubwa submitted that while Mbewe failed to provide for his family, he would go to his mother’s house where he had meals leaving his wife and the baby languishing.
“At one time his mother gave him K1,000 for food at home but he never even disclosed this,” she said. “I just heard from my mother-in-law when she asked me if I had received some money from him.”
Silubwa said the two had been on separation for four years and wanted the court to grant her divorce because she was tired of Mbewe’s beatings.
But Mbewe refuted all the allegations levelled against him and told the court that it was in fact his wife who was fond of leaving the house for no apparent reason.
Mbewe, however, admitted having received some calls from different women but claimed such people had ill intentions of disturbing the couple’s marriage.
When asked by his wife why he tolerated them and could not report them to her, Mbewe could not respond.
Local court magistrate Sharon Sichone, sitting with magistrate George Kaoma, said it was clear that the two had marital problems and granted the couple divorce.
The court ordered Mbewe to compensate Silubwa with K4,000 and a monthly K200 towards child maintenance.