THERE was laughter in a local court in Lusaka when a woman responded to the husband that if she was not in his class she was not going to have children with him.

Josephine Tembo, 39, a maid of Marrapodi compound was testifying in a case in which her husband, Saviour Phiri, 54, a Security Guard sued her for divorce.

The two got married 1994 and they have six children. Dowry was paid.

Phiri said that though they had come from the same house, they hadn’t made love for a year.

Phiri told Senior Court Magistrate Pauline Newa and Harriet Mulenga at the Matero Local Court that he had no peace since the inception of their marriage because Tembo has no respect and that whenever they differ, she reports him to the police.

He explained that in 2015 they divorced but after Tembo pleaded, they remarried and he even paid dowry again.

She even promised she will stop taking him to police and start doing laundry for him but after a week, she started again.

Phiri added that Tembo has been saying that he will go to the Mortuary and that she will go to jail.

Phiri also testified that at one time, he left the matrimonial home and stayed at City Market with street kids for two days because Tembo insulted him for he had no money for relish and that they went on separation for a year.

In defence, Tembo said that Phiri was not taking care of her and the children and that he left the matrimonial home for one year and nine months.

She admitted that they hadn’t made love for a year because Phiri says he is on night shift but could leave home at 10 hours.

She explained that one day she followed Phiri and saw him entering a house of a woman in Chaisa compound.

In cross-examination, Tembo said that she did not say Phiri is not her class but that she told him not to behave like an 18-year-old boy adding that if he was not her class she couldn’t have children with him.

Passing judgment, the court said that there is lack of communication and trust because Tembo says Phiri will go to the mortuary while she goes to prison.

The court said that there was no sex which shows there was no love and it granted the couple divorce ordering Phiri to compensate Tembo K12, 000 with initial payment of K1, 000 followed by monthly instalments of K250 and to be paying children’s maintenance fee of K500 per month.