Instead of saying it by word of mouth, a Livingstone man has had to write a letter to his wife of 21 years stating that he no longer loves her. Based on the same letter, his wife, Mary Maluke, 47, of DNC 138, Dambwa North, has dragged Cassius Ndunga of the same residential address to court seeking divorce. The visibly emotional Maluke narrated before the court that problems in their marriage started when Ndunga sold a motor vehicle the two owned without giving her a share of the money.

The two, who have a 22-yearold child together, got married in 1998 and dowry was paid in full. She told the court that they had agreed that the money earned from the sale of the motor vehicle would be used to build a house at their plot in Kalomo district. Maluke said Ndunga has however failed to give her any money and instead built a structure worth K10,000 on the plot.

She told the court that she wants the marriage dissolved because he has told her countless times that he does not love her anymore. “Your honour, marriage is something that cannot be forced. He has come out in the open telling me that he has moved on and that I should also move on,” Maluke said. She told the court that despite presenting her with a house as a birthday present in 2010, the title deeds still bear Ndunga’s name. Maluke said her husband has refused to change ownership of the house into her name despite presenting it as a gift to her earlier.

And when Maluke asked Ndunga on whether his intention to divorce her was because of a woman named Petronella Mwiche, he answered in the affirmative without hesitation. Ndunga told the court that love no longer exists between the two of them. He said marriage is not working out between the two and that the best is for them is to divorce.

Ndunga told the court that he does not want a share of the property the two had acquired and that the house he gave to Maluke as a birthday present should be registered in their son’s name instead of hers. He said he wants a fresh start of life as a divorced man. Senior Local Court Magistrate Jerry Mwaka advised the two to list property which they acquired in their marriage. Magistrate Mwaka said the list will help the court to share the property equitably between the couple before they are granted divorce.