A Zambian woman's 25-year marriage is facing collapse after she asked a court to dissolve the union, alleging that her husband repeatedly insulted her and accused her of having an affair with her pastor.
The divorce suit, filed by 41-year-old Precious Chileshe against her husband, Israel Simwinga, 44, was heard before the Nakonde Urban Local Court, where efforts to reconcile the couple ended without success.
Chileshe told the court that her husband constantly humiliated her, labelled her a prostitute and falsely accused her of dating her church pastor.
She said the crisis began after she left the United Church of Zambia in 2017 to join a Pentecostal church with her husband's consent, adding that their relationship deteriorated in 2023 when he demanded she stop attending the church.
According to her, she returned to her former church and later stopped attending church altogether for about a year, but the accusations and insults continued.
"My husband keeps telling people I abandoned him for another man whenever I travel to my farm. He also says I brought bad luck into his life and regrets marrying me," she told the court.
Simwinga, however, blamed the breakdown of the marriage on his wife's devotion to her church leader, insisting that she respected the cleric, whom she called "Papa", more than she respected him.
He alleged that their home was covered with the pastor's photographs and stickers and claimed his wife relied on items linked to the cleric whenever she fell ill.
The businessman further told the court that the first 20 years of their marriage were peaceful but that the last five years had been dominated by disputes over the church.
He also alleged that after his wife once remarked she would have a better marriage in the future, he became suspicious that she was involved with another man.
Senior Local Court Magistrate Collins Chinsha advised the couple to reconcile, describing the issues before the court as insufficient to end a marriage that had lasted more than two decades.
The magistrate asked Chileshe if she would consider leaving the church to save her marriage, while Simwinga pledged to love her again if she agreed. She, however, declined, insisting she would not abandon her faith.
The court subsequently fixed a date to inspect the couple's jointly owned properties, including their house, flats, shop and other assets, before delivering judgment.
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