Rumour monger to buy chitenge material for an apology
Written by Millennium on June 26, 2019
RABECCA BANDA writes
@SunZambian
THE Chilenje Local Court has ordered a Lusaka woman to buy a chitenge material worth K300 as an apology for spreading false rumours about her former employer.
Jane Nalungwe, 28, a hair dresser of Libala South was sued by Florence Nakazwe,45, also of the same area.
Nakazwe said she called Nalungwe from the village last year to come to Lusaka to work in her hair salon which she did.
“I discussed the deal with my husband and we gave her the cottage to stay with her child. After working for some time, for one year, her behaviour changed and she stopped even greeting me.
“I told her to quit the job if she wasn’t happy and promised to pay her for what she had worked. But she continued with her rude behaviour until she stopped working for me and shifted out of our cottage,” she said.
Nakazwe told senior local court magistrate Ackim Phiri sitting with senior local court magistrate Harriet Mbewe and presiding local magistrate Patrick Nyirenda that she paid Nalungwe the money she worked for, adding that her former worker later started working in another salon where she started telling people that she was a witch.
“Nalungwe started telling people that I am a bad person and treated her badly. She told people that I bewitched one of my tenants so that they don’t bear children. I took her to the police and she apologized. She promised not to repeat,” she said.
She decided to sue her in the Local court because she had continued spreading rumours that she was a witch.
“I want her to compensate me for lying and telling people that I am a witch,” she said.
In defence Nalungwe denied accusing Nakazwe of being a witch.
Nalungwe said Nazakwe had opened a docket for her at police concerning the same matter and she apologized.
“I apologize to her not because I had spoken those words but because I did not want to get into more trouble. I wonder why she has sued me when she never heard me call her a witch,” she said.
The court dismissed the claim on grounds that it was hearsay because Nalungwe did not directly call Nakazwe a witch.
The court cautioned Nalungwe and ordered her to buy a Chitenje worth K300 to give to her former employer.