A LUSAKA man has told a local court that he will marry a woman he impregnated after settling down in his new job. This was when Matero Local Court Magistrate Miyanda Banda advised Gershom Chola, 30, and all other young in general to desist from dumping young women after impregnating them. Magistrate Banda said it was unfortunate that young men are in the habit of impregnating young women and dumping them at their parents’ homes.

The court heard that Chola, a resident of Garden House, has two children with a woman whom he abandoned at her parents’ house. “Where there is love things fall in place, it does not matter the beginning. In fact, it is advisable to start sleeping on the floor together so that you can testify in future,” Magistrate Banda said. Chola was dragged to court for compensation by his girlfriend’s uncle, Prosper Chiluya, 49.

In his statement, Chiluya told the court that Chola abandoned his niece after bearing two children with her and impregnated her for the third child. “We called Chola for a meeting when he first impregnated my niece and charged him K8,000. He promised that he was going to pay and marry the young lady. Surprisingly we heard that he impregnated her for the second time,” he said. Chiluya told the court that Chola has abandoned his two children and that he has never supported them from the time they were born.

He said his niece always delivers through Caesar at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) when she falls pregnant. Chiluya, in his submission, told the court to compel Chola to pay the money and take responsibility. In his testimony, Chola told the court that he would marry Chiluya’s niece once he settles down. “I just started work recently and I am on probation, I will get my wife and the children as soon as I settle down,” he said. In passing judgement, magistrate Banda ordered Chola to pay K4,000 in addition to the K8,000 he was charged earlier.