Soldier’s wife lover found guilty of assault
By a Correspondent
A LUSAKA magistrates court has convicted 35-year-old physicist Dickson Musopelo of assaulting an army officer who caught him in his matrimonial bedroom committing adultery with his [officer’s] wife.
Delivering judgment yesterday, magistrate Victoria Mututwa brought to a close a case that had drawn public attention due to its dramatic circumstances.
Mutukwa heard that on September 26, 2025, Musopelo was found inside the bedroom of an army officer after 22 hours. Evidence presented during trial indicated that the officer had unexpectedly entered his bedroom and found Musopelo with his wife.
The officer’s wife asked Musopelo to hide in a wardrobe when her husband walked in.
During the confrontation, Musopelo punched the officer, causing him injuries.
When placed on his defence, Musopelo denied the allegations and called two witnesses, his sister Martha Musopelo and a medical doctor, Sithokozile Nandazi.
Martha informed the court that on September 27, 2025, her brother went to her home bleeding, with bruises on his left eye and two broken teeth.
She said she rushed him to Kabwata Police Station to obtain a medical report and later took him to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) for treatment.
However, during cross-examination, State prosecutor Georgina Daka asked Martha whether the medical report described Musopelo as stable, to which she responded in affirmation.
The witness also admitted that she was not present during the alleged assault on September 26 and could not state what had transpired.
Dr Nandazi testified that she attended to Musopelo in September 2025 at the casualty department after he complained of difficulties in swallowing, jaw pain, a laceration above the eye, neck bruises, nausea and two broken teeth.
She said Musopelo reported that he had been hit during an altercation and briefly lost consciousness.
Under cross-examination, Dr Nandazi admitted that she did not conduct a specific examination on the broken teeth and did not present photographs or physical evidence of the injuries before court.
She also acknowledged that the injuries could have been caused by another person or even self-inflicted.
Dr Nandazi confirmed that at the time she examined him, he was stable and not bleeding.
Magistrate Mutukwa found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Musopelo of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
