The one year that Mary Changwe has been in her marriage has been agonising as her husband inspects her to see if she slept with men while he was at work. The level of distrust from her husband has made her sue him for divorce before the Kalulushi local court.

Changwe said her husband, Hazer Mwape, is a jealous man who does not allow her to greet any man in their neighbourhood. She complained that her husband always inspects her womanhood because he suspects her of having extra marital affairs.

“My husband inserts his hands into my womanhood to check if I slept with a man and this behaviour makes me feel bad because it shows that he does not trust me,” Changwe narrated. She also told the court that she once found her husband sleeping with an older woman but that she has never given her any explanations.

She testified that Mwape is an irresponsible man who does not care whether she has eaten or not. She complained that her husband once accused her of being in a sexual relationship with her uncle because he used to buy relish for her. Changwe also accused her husband of being abusive by beating her even over small misunderstandings.

She pleaded with the court to grant them divorce before he kills her. But Mwape accused his wife of drinking too much beer, a situation he said forces him to beat her up.

He also asked the court to grant them divorce because Changwe does not perform any house chores such as cleaning the house and washing for him. Kalulushi senior local court magistrate Fredrick Ndhlovu granted the couple a free divorce after the court proved that they both contributed to the breakdown of their marriage.