Double tragedy: Cheating husband jailed after wife wins divorce

Double tragedy: Cheating husband jailed after wife wins divorce

By Charles Musonda

A LUSAKA man suffered double tragedy in the Matero Local Court when he was locked up for contempt of court moments after his wife was granted divorce because of his infidelity.

This was in a case in which Bertha Phiri, 30, a vendor of Chaisa compound, had dragged her husband Stephen Phiri, 36, unemployed,  before presiding magistrate Harriet Mulenga, seeking to dissolve their 15-year marriage over his repeated affairs with women in the neighbourhood.

Bertha told the court that Phiri had at one point admitted to impregnating two women in the same area, and that despite repeated promises to reform following several marital disputes, his behaviour never changed.

Bertha told the court that the last straw came when she caught Phiri attempting to spend a night at a neighbour’s house for a ‘fee’.

“I was at my neighbour’s place around 23:00 hours when I saw my husband’s phone number on her phone. I asked my neighbor about his number on her phone and she said she did not know what he wanted from her because he had been pestering her for some time,” she said.

Bertha said she and her neighbour lured Phiri back home that same night on the pretext of continuing his discussion, while she hid in the bedroom to observe.

“We agreed with my neighbor to call him back and when he answered, he asked my neighbor if she was alone at home. When my neighbor said she was not with anyone, my husband came to her house within two minutes. My neighbor had hidden me in her bedroom so that I could hear what he was discussing with her in the sitting room. I heard him say he loves her, wants to sleep there, and that he would give her some money afterwards. I then came out of the bedroom and called our children. My husband just walked away in shame,” Bertha said.

When asked to explain his side of the story, Phiri pleaded with the court to reconcile him with Bertha, saying he would change if given a second chance.

Unmoved by his demeanour, magistrate Mulenga granted the divorce and ordered Phiri to compensate Bertha with K20,000, payable at an initial instalment of K2,000 followed by K500 monthly.

Justice Mulenga said it was disappointing that at a tender age of 36 years, Phiri was busy investing in other women’s ‘skirts’ instead of supporting his family.

She said Stephen had failed to cherish a wife who stood by him despite his unemployment, adding that marriage was meant to be enjoyed, not endured.

“If you can divorce at a tender age, you should have mercy for yourself because your problems will keep on increasing and eventually you will die of depression. What do you find in other women’s skirts?” she said.

But Phiri could not hold his tongue. As magistrate Mulenga was still pronouncing her judgment, Phiri repeatedly interrupted with fresh pleas, forcing her to cite him for contempt of court and ordered his detention at the nearby Matero Police Station.