COURT ORDERS FOUR MARRIED WOMEN TO SPEND NIGHT IN POLICE CELLS FOR REPEATEDLY INSULTING NEIGHBOUR
Four married women from George Township spent a night in cells at the Matero Police Station as punishment for insulting their neighbour, mocking her epileptic son, and making crude remarks about her sexual performance.
Magistrate Harriet Mulenga delivered the ruling at Matero Local Court after hearing testimony from the complainant, Grace Mwansa, 33, who told the court that the four women – Bessie Mwanza, 26, Catherine Banda, 27, Karen Mutondo, 33 and Besnart Banda, 24 – had relentlessly harassed her since moving into the neighbourhood.
“They mock my firstborn son, who has epilepsy, as if they are not mothers themselves,” Mwansa said.
“One day, they laughed at him and when I responded, an argument broke out.”
She further testified that the group had ganged up on her during a heated exchange, taunting her that she was “lazy in bed” and did not know how to handle her husband’s manhood, adding that this, they claimed, was why she had given birth to a disabled child.
The insults also extended to Mwansa’s landlady, whom they called “dumb.”
In court, Mwansa played an audio recording of the verbal abuse, which prompted Magistrate Mulenga to order the four women into custody immediately.
“Group influence is very destructive,” the magistrate said.
“All of you are married, why can’t you focus on keeping your own homes in order instead of ganging up against a neighbour?”
Beyond the cell sentence, the magistrate ordered each of the four to compensate Mwansa with a total of K4,500, payable by the end of September.
“I want you to learn that insults are not acceptable,” Magistrate Mulenga said.
“You will pay for the harassment you have caused this lady.”
The women were led to the cells shortly after the judgment for one night.
ZDM