SCARED that he would lose his life at the hands of his wife following a series of death threats, a 30 year old man of Lusaka west area has given up on his marriage. Mutale Chanda, a brick layer, says his wife of five years, Paxina Chanda 23,could carry out her threats one day. Mutale said: “My wife likes saying that she will kill me, make me lame or infect me with a virus whenever we quarrel. She has vowed to make my life miserable ” He was testifying in a matter in which he sued Paxina for marriage reconciliation.

He said he has never enjoyed his marriage from its inception adding that Paxina is always threatening him. Mutale told the court that his wife has on several occasions chased him from the couple’s home. “We bought a plot in 2017 and built a two roomed house on it, but recently she hid the papers from me. She also chased me from the house saying I have demons,” he said. Mutale told the court that he gets discouraged to continue with his marriage whenever he thinks of the challenges he goes through. But Paxina told the court that Mutale has been mistreating her from the time they got married. “I have been in this marriage for the past five years because of my perseverance, my husband likes saying that there are better women out there,” she said.

Paxina told the court that Mutale stopped buying food from the time she started selling at the market. She also said her husband has been throwing her clothes outside every time they quarrel. “Our families have on several occasions tried to counsel him but he has not changed,” Paxina said. In her submissions, she told the court that she still loves her husband and is against the idea of a divorce. Magistrate Pauline Newa dismissed the claim for reconciliation on grounds that Mutale is not willing to remain in the marriage with Paxina.