A MINIBUS driver complained before a local court in Lusaka, Zambia, that his wife sleeps in leggings to prevent him from making love to her.
Richard Makuza, 48, of Kanyama compound was testifying in a case in which his wife, Patricia Mulenga, 40, a business woman sued him for divorce on allegation that he was violent.
According to the Zambian Observer, the two got married in 1996 and have five children.
Patricia told the senior court magistrate, Lewis Mumba, sitting with two other magistrates, Abbyshine Michelo and Esther Mulomba at Kanyama Local Court that Richard has been beating her over petty issues since her father died in 2004.
She explained that in 2006, he threatened to burn her clothes and was forced to seek refuge at her parents’ home.
She told the court that he once beat her until she fainted.
Patricia said that in 2015, Makuza started working for APG Milling in Mansa but still failed to provide for the family because he only sent home K50 or K100 per month.
She further said that Richard joined her in June 2016 when his contract was terminated but she never saw the benefits he was given.
“When I asked for our children’s school fees, he beat me in public and removed the chitenge material I was wearing.
“I was left in the short skirt I was wearing and in the confusion he beat a man who wanted to rescue me from his hand,” Patricia said.
In defense, Richard denied being violent but admitted that problem started in 2006 when he had a girlfriend.
He explained that when he came from Mansa, his wife started sleeping in leggings to prevent him from making love to her.
The magistrate, Mumba stated that there was violence in their marriage and since Patricia wanted divorce, the court had no power to force her to continue living with Richard.
He granted the couple divorce, ordering Richard to compensate Patricia with K6,000 with an initial payment of K1,000 followed by monthly instalments of K300 and to be paying child maintenance fee of K400.
Property acquired together was ordered to be shared equally.