A FAILED attempt by a prophet to cast out demons from a woman brough a marital dispute after her husband was made to pay K1,700 under the pretext that she would be healed. Abraham Mulenga told the Kitwe Local Court that all was well in their marriage until his wife started associating with the prophet. Mulenga was testifying in a case in which he sued his wife, Mary Mutoma, for reconciliation.

He told the court that his wife left their matrimonial home because of the spiritual attacks, which she claimed only come when she is at their house. Mulenga told the court that his wife had hired the prophet to exorcise the demons from her but that she has not been healed despite assurances from the said clergyman.

The two got married in 2006 and they have seven children together. He testified that his wife started inviting pastors to their matrimonial home when she started experiencing spiritual attacks. Mulenga said it was during the pastors’ visits that his wife introduced him to a prophet from Zimbabwe who assured them that she would be fine after prayers.

He said the prophet told them that there was a charm in their house which he needed to cast out, but first they had to pay him K700. Mulenga said he paid the prophet after which he later conducted some prayers and sprinkled anointing oil in their house but that it did not yield any results. Mulenga said the prophet told them that the spirits were stubborn and charged them K1,000 for him to conduct another prayer session.

“Despite paying K1,700 to the prophet, my wife’s condition has never changed and it is the reason that she has packed out of our matrimonial home,” Mulenga testified. He told the court that his wife said she could only get back to him when he shifts to another house, a condition which Mulenga has refused to take. In her statement, Mutoma told the court that problems in their marriage started when they moved into their own house. She said she suggested that they move to another house but that her husband refused and that he later stopped supporting his family.

Mutoma said this made her pack out of their matrimonial house. However, she told the court that she was willing to reconcile with her husband as long as he agreed to her condition of them shifting to another place. Kitwe senior local court magistrate Fredrick Ndhlovu later reconciled the couple after he gave t