Mansa couple jailed for murder

17/06/2014

A 31-YEAR-OLD woman and her 34-year-old lover of Chitamba Village have been sentenced to 10 and 20 years imprisonment each by the Mansa High Court for murder.

Ndola High Court judge Petronella Ngulube sitting in Mansa recently convicted Bridget Chama and Edward Mubanga after finding them guilty of murder with extenuating circumstances because they were drunk when the incident happened.
“I find the accused guilty of murder with extenuating circumstances and I convict them accordingly,” Mrs Justice Ngulube said.
Chama, Mubanga were initially jointly charged with Peter Besa, who is Chama’s former husband, after she implicated him in the matter but he was discharged following instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Particulars of the offence are that Chama and Mubanga on August 7, 2012 in Mansa, jointly and whilst acting together murdered Peter Chisuku.
During trial, Chama’s 13-year-old son, told the court that Mr Chisuku and Mubanga were both her mother’s lovers.
The juvenile told the court that on August 6, 2012, he was at home with his two siblings when his mother arrived with Mr Chisuku around 18:00 hours.
He testified that Chama and Mr Chisuku went into the bedroom but Chama left him in the bedroom and went on a drinking spree.
The juvenile said Mubanga came home and started fighting with Mr Chisuku when he found him in Chama’s bedroom.
“I climbed on an incomplete wall that within the house and I saw all that was happening,” the juvenile said.
He said Chama was drunk when she returned home and found Mubanga and Mr Chisuku fighting.
The boy said Mubanga reached for an iron bar and used it hit Mr Chisuku on the head.
The juvenile said Mubanga later got a sack and covered Mr Chisuku’s head and wore plastics on his hands.
The boy recalled that Mubanga and Chama carried the body outside and Chama wiped the blood stains.
“He (Mubanga) offered me K100 but I refused and he warned me against telling anyone and the two later left the house and returned the next morning,” the juvenile said.
In defence, Mubanga accused Mr Besa of murdering Mr Chisuku
Chama in her defence, said Mubanga and Mr Chisuku were both her boyfriends but she decided to leave Mubanga after he reconciled with his wife.
“Mubanga asked me to implicate my former husband so that he can pay me,” Chama said.
Passing the sentence, Mrs Justice Ngulube said Chama also caused the death of Mr Chisuku because she did not report the matter to the police.
“You failed to distance yourself from Mubanga’s acts even at the police station and implicated an innocent person who was not even there,” Mrs Justice Ngulube said.