The Kitwe Magistrate’s Court has locked up two sureties for failing to avail a named “man of God” who allegedly defiled a minor. Kitwe magistrate Chongo Musonda sent John Kapisa and Peter Muleba to jail for failing to avail Pastor Alick Simbeye before the court.
This is in a case where Pastor Simbeye, who is on bail, has never showed up in court. Magistrate Musonda said she had been too lenient with the two sureties and that the continued absence of Simbeye left her with no option but to commit the sureties to the correctional facility.

When the matter came up for trial yesterday, the State informed the court that Simbeye was still at large. One of the sureties, Mr Kapisa, 53, told the court that he is not aware of Simbeye’s whereabouts. Mr Kapisa, a pastor in one of the Pentecostal churches, pleaded with the court to give him more time to locate the suspect.

But magistrate Musonda said she would commit the sureties to the correctional facility because that is what the law provides for.
“Both sureties will be remanded in custody until the bond sum is paid,” she said. In August, Simbeye was granted a K10,000 bail, with two sureties in the like sum when he appeared for plea. This means the two sureties must pay K10,000 each before they can be set free.\

In a separate development, a nine months pregnant woman has told the Kabwe Magistrate’s Court that she stole groceries from Shoprite main branch in the same area because of hunger. Sara Bwalya, 25, a resident of Makandanyama area, was cornered on Monday around 16:30 hours as she was leaving the chain store with some stolen groceries in her handbag.

Bwalya appeared before magistrate’ Sebastain Mwenya yesterday and pleaded guilty to stealing the goods she was caught with on the material day.
“I don’t have any means of sustaining myself,” Bwalya said. And the records from the police, Bwalya pretended to be a customer and was caught picking items and packing them in her handbag and left without paying for the goods.

She was searched and found with oranges, packets of beef and chicken as well as other groceries. Bwalya is expected to appear in court on September 18 for reading of facts and judgement. She has been reminded in custody