Natasha Mkandawire, the 19-yearold girl shot dead last week, was part of an alleged love triangle possibly gone awry. On Thursday, police picked the body of Natasha on the outskirts of Lusaka. Benny Zulu, a chief executive officer of Family Health Trust, has been apprehended and detained by police in connection with the killing of Natasha.

The teenager, who completed secondary school in 2017 and dreamt of becoming a nurse, was allegedly shot in Mr Zulu’s car on Ngwerere Road on Tuesday night. Mr Zulu, who is currently detained at Lusaka’s Central Police Station, told police that he and Natasha were attacked by robbers, who shot Natasha dead.

One of Natasha’s friends, who did not want to be identified, said she could not say for certain whether or not Natasha was in a relationship with Mr Zulu, but that all she knew was that she was in a relationship with a police officer. She said Natasha had told her that Mr Zulu was only a friend whom she mostly chatted with on WhatsApp.

“I last saw her on Monday. But the only man she was dating is a police officer as far as I am concerned,” she said before she broke down. But when contacted, the police officer, whose identity Sunday Mail cannot reveal, admitted knowing Natasha, but refused to disclose any further information about the nature of their relationship over the phone.

“Yes, I knew Natasha. We cannot discuss this over the phone unless in person. Right now it’s not possible to meet because I am at church,” he said. Natasha’s mother, Mulipa Besa, described her daughter as a pillar of the family. Ms Besa said her daughter was very responsible and obedient.

The grief-stricken mother – a school teacher – said her daughter left home on Tuesday around 20:30 hours last week after receiving a phone call. “She did not say who the person on the phone was. She only asked her two younger siblings to escort her to meet the same person. However, she asked them to go back home before they could meet the person she was meeting. She promised to be back home within 30 minutes after buying bread,” she said.

When she did not return after 30 minutes, Ms Besa said they tried calling her phone but it went unanswered until the phone eventually went off. Ms Besa said the family decided to report her missing on Wednesday after a search in the community proved futile.

She said she was not aware about Natasha’s relationship with a Mr Zulu until she was discovered dead on Thursday. “I am devastated and in disbelief. She was a very responsible girl. She was my best friend, a confidante, a pillar of the family.

She took care of her siblings,” she said. Chingwere Youth Club, which Natasha belonged to, described her as an active member who always brought in new ideas and helped in recruiting new members. Interim chairperson of the group Chichizyani Nkhoma said Natasha was interested in seeing behavioural change among the youths in the community.

MHSRIP