BUS conductor, Ezekiel Mwale, 32, told a Lusaka local court that his wife stopped respecting him every time he did not have money.

Mwale of Chipata compound was testifying before senior local court justices Pauline Newa and Miyanda Banda at Matero Local Court in a case in which his wife Irene Gondwe, 31, of Chazanga compound sued him for divorce after separating for a week.

Mwale told the court that he still loved his wife.

The two got married in 2009 and have two children. Dowry was paid.

Gondwe said that problems in their home started when their first born child died and Mwale would beat her every month and threaten to kill her.

She said she was so scared when Mwale told her that he would burn her with petrol that they went on separation for one year and five months.

‘’After we reconciled, Mwale started saying that he will kill me and sacrifice me. I have an operation on the right eye where he hit me,’’ Gondwe said.

In defence, Mwale said that every time he did not have money, Gondwe stopped giving him respect, adding that when he was out of employment recently, she even stopped greeting him and shifted and was now sleeping with the children.

Mwale admitted having differed with Gondwe but he said he never threatened to kill her or burn her.

When asked by the court if she could reconcile with her husband, Gondwe said that Mwale could not change his behaviour and that she only wanted a divorce.

Passing judgment, the court said that Mwale could not beat a person he loved and that he used threatening language of killing or burning Gondwe.

The court said that Gondwe also should not complain when there was no money because marriage was not about money but love.

The court said since Gondwe wanted divorce, the court could not force her to remain in the marriage. Divorce was granted and Mwale was ordered to compensate Gondwe with K3,000 to be paid in K200 monthly instalment, and also to pay children maintenance fee of K200 per month.

Nation Newspaper