‘He treats me like a slave’
Written by Millennium on July 29, 2019
LUCY PHIRI writes
A 30-YEAR-OLD maid of Lusaka’s Kamanga Township wants to divorce her husband of nine years for treating her like a slave.
Annett Chibuye, 30, was appearing before Chelstone local court presiding magistrate Mary Namangala in a matter in which she sued Betrum Cheelo, 33, of the same area for divorce.
“My husband enjoys mistreating me because he just wants to see me crying every time we are together,’’ Namangala said.
Since 2017 the two have been having misunderstanding in the house.
“My husband respects his friends more than me because even when we are sleeping together and his friends call he would rather spend time with them than me,” she said.
“He always tells me that he doesn’t want me and that if he feels horny he will be going to other women and pay a K50 to relieve himself. He has also chased me from our matrimonial bedroom for a month now. I have been sleeping in the sitting room,” Namangala said.
At one point she found some condoms in the bedroom and Cheelo accused her of bringing them home.
He accused her of being a prostitute who brought men into the house.
She said Cheelo always said he did not want her anymore because he had found a virgin to marry.
“Whenever he finds me eating with the children he pours dirty water used for washing hands on me and scatters everything and tells my chil-dren not to eat what I cook. Instead, they would be eating what he cooked,” Namangala said.
“I have not even been sleeping at his house for the past one week. We haven’t been talking since. Church people and family tried to sit us down but to no avail,” she said.
In defence, Cheelo said his wife at one point came with a man at home when he was not around.
“My wife says she doesn’t want me and told the Victim Support Unit officer that she doesn’t want me,” he said.
The court adjourned the hearing to August 30, 2019 and advised Namangala and Cheelo to live in harmony.
“My husband respects his friends more than me because even when we are sleeping together and his friends call he would rather spend time with them than me”.
