Shally, Joseph divorce after failing to reconcile
By Charles Musonda
Shally Banda and Joseph Zulu have divorced after he told the Matero Local Court that she used to receive text messages from an overseer of a Reformed Church in Zambia (RCZ) branch that suggested the two were in a love affair.
Banda, 39, of Kabanana Compound sued Zulu for divorce on grounds that she feared for her life because Zulu is a violent man who beats her.
She said Zulu, 46, who has three children with different women outside marriage, even refuses to eat her food and the two have not made love for 10 months despite living in the same house.
Banda said at one time Zulu said he wanted a baby from her and that three days after they slept together, he complained of pain on his manhood suggesting that she had infected him with a sexually transmitted infection.
She said Zulu then accused her of being a prostitute who brought STIs in the marriage.
Banda said Zulu then wanted to divorce her so that he could sell the house after which she hid papers for the property.
She said when Zulu learned that she had hidden the papers he became extremely violent and frequently beat her.
Banda said she stopped worshiping at their initial RCZ branch because Zulu had a girlfriend there.
She switched to another branch whose overseer encouraged her to reconcile with Zulu through text messages when they were on separation and not the love affair Zulu suspected.
In his response, Zulu, who married Banda in 2002 and they have six children together, said she lost respect for him after she joined another church branch.
He said Banda started shaving her private parts on her own.
Zulu, who did not want to divorce Banda on grounds that they have many children together, said when he slept with her he contacted an STI and that for 10 months they had not slept together.
He said the only thing he wanted was for Banda to stop shaving herself, stop communicating with other men outside marriage and have respect for him.
Magistrate Lewis Mumba said it was clear that there was lack of communication and trust in the marriage.
Zulu is a womaniser.
Justice Mumba said Zulu has destroyed their marriage through womanising and that the court could not force the two to continue living together.
He granted the couple divorce and ordered Zulu to compensate Banda with K12,000 in K500 monthly installments and to be giving her K800 monthly for maintenance of their three youngest children.
