A 15-year marriage between a Lusaka couple has ended in divorce after the husband accused his wife of violent behaviour, alcohol abuse, substance use and infidelity before a Local Court.
Edward Kumwenda, who petitioned for the dissolution of his marriage to 40-year-old Florence Wazi of Garden House, told the court that the relationship had broken down beyond repair.
Kumwenda alleged that he only discovered after their marriage that his wife drank heavily and sniffed snuff tobacco.
He further claimed that Florence became violent whenever they disagreed, alleging that she had on several occasions pursued him with a knife and threatened to stab him.
The husband told Magistrate Moses Lubuwa that he had previously sought a divorce but withdrew the case after his wife appealed to him to give their marriage another chance.
However, Florence rejected her husband's allegations and blamed the marital crisis on his conduct.
She told the court that she discovered that Kumwenda had fathered four children with four different women, which she said contributed to the breakdown of their relationship.
The woman also accused her husband of disrespecting her parents and alleged that he once threatened to burn her with a pot of hot spaghetti.
After listening to both parties, the magistrate dissolved the marriage without granting compensation to either side.
The court awarded Florence custody of the couple's three children and granted Kumwenda unrestricted access to them.
Kumwenda was also ordered to pay K1,500 monthly towards the children's upkeep, beginning from the end of August, with the amount to be reviewed annually.
The court further directed the former couple to divide equally the household property acquired during their 15-year marriage.
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