Judgment in Lusaka skeleton case flops
By a Correspondent
THE Lusaka High Court has failed to deliver judgment in a case in which Sylvia Mutaba, a widow of Garden Compound, is accused of causing the death of her husband George Kalaba.
Mutaba’s husband’s skeleton was discovered in their family home in Garden Compound a year after his death.
When the case came up for judgment yesterday, Lusaka High Court judge Anne Malata-Ononuju informed the parties that the judgment was not ready.
Judge Malata-Ononuju set a new date for the judgment to be delivered on February 25, without giving details for the postponement.
According to the court records, the deceased, George Kalaba, fell ill around August 2023 and became increasingly frail before he died in November 2023.
During his illness, access to him was allegedly restricted at times, with some family members informing friends and relatives that he was not at home.
In January 2025, police forced entry into the family’s house and discovered Kalaba’s body in a skeletal state, while the accused and her children locked themselves inside the house.
Following the discovery, Mutaba was charged with manslaughter, while three of her daughters and a neighbour were convicted and sentenced in June 2025 for failing to report the death to authorities.
Mutaba denied any wrongdoing and asked the High Court to acquit her, arguing, among other grounds, that the cause of her husband’s death remains unknown and could not be scientifically established.
