‘I started bleeding after my husband took my underwear to his girlfriend’

A 28-YEAR-OLD woman of Mandevu Township has told the Matero Local Court how she suddenly started bleeding excessively after her husband took her underwear to his girlfriend.
Elina Kaira told Senior Court Magistrates Petronella Kalyelye and Lewis Mumba that her husband Martin Makowa, 38, a general worker at Water Affairs took her underwear to his girlfriend as a way of punishing her after a marital dispute.
This was heard in a case in which Kaira was sued for divorce by Makowa. The two got married in 2004 and have two children together.
But in his statement, Makowa, who denied his wife’s allegations, told the court that Kaira was a disrespectful and violent woman.
Kaira said problems in their marriage started after Makowa was employed as a full time employee at his company.
“My husband stopped respecting me. He started saying that I was not his class because I had not gone to school. I have never seen his payslip and he never gives me money to run the home,” she said.
She said she later discovered that Makowa was having an affair because of his continued unexplained absence at home. Kaira said Makowa also developed a habit of starting unnecessary fights with her.
“One day I saw him with a woman I suspected to be his girlfriend and followed him until they entered a certain house. After they went in, I knocked and entered but upon seeing me, my husband ordered his girlfriend to beat me up,” she said.
“When he came home, he took my underwear, saying he was going to give it to his girlfriend so that she teaches me a lesson. Since then, I have been having prolonged periods,” Kaira said.
Kaira complained to the court that she is tired of Makowa always sending her to her parents each time they have an argument, saying she needs counseling.
But Makowa said he could no longer continue living with a woman who beats him and denies him sex.
“She wears the pants in our marriage and I can no longer tolerate that. She pushed me to the limit; I now prefer to be at the bar than at home with her. In fact, she pushed me into another woman’s bed with her behaviour. I never wanted to leave her,” he said.
However, when asked by the court how Kaira could be heavily pregnant when she denies him sex, Makowa insisted that Kaira denies him sex.
The court granted the couple divorce and ordered Makowa to pay Kaira K8,000 as compensation with an initial payment of K500 starting this monthend. He was also ordered to pay K300 monthly as child maintenance.
The court also ordered the couple to share property acquired together equally.

Zambia daily mail