“Divine” Scandal, 11 Nabbed as Brothel Masquerading as Massage Parlour Gets Busted
It started with a simple complaint: “Ba Council, we’re tired of seeing strange cars at number 9 even at midnight!” What followed was a scene straight out of a RED bag the Zambian drama movie, complete with council police, used cond0ms, and a so-called “massage bed” that saw more than just sore backs.
On Tuesday morning, May 20th, what was meant to be a routine inspection by Kitwe City Council turned into a full-blown raid as officials stormed House Number 9, Mumbwa Close, off Chandamali Road, following growing whispers of “unholy” activities behind the high wall and tinted windows of a business operating as Divine Massage Spa.
Residents of the usually quiet Parklands area had been grumbling for months about the “massage parlour” with customers arriving in SUVs, disappearing inside for exactly 17 minutes, and emerging looking mysteriously relaxed. One neighbor reportedly said, “We thought they were doing Chinese foot massages until we found a used cond0m in our yard. Even our dog was confused.”
Inside the house, drama unfolded like an 18+ script. Ten young women were found some in bathrobes, others wrapped in questionable outfits best described as “lingerie meets fashion disaster.” In the kitchen bin? Used cond0ms with “evidence” still intact. Council health officers stopped mid-step. One whispered, “Even CSI Kitwe isn’t ready for this.”
Among the arrested was 28-year-old Kimberly Mbewe, suspected to be a procuress of the establishment. Calm and collected, she allegedly asked officers if they wanted a “deep tissue massage” before being firmly directed to the back of the council van.
The house itself told a juicy story: one room had a proper massage bed, as per the license. But the other rooms were furnished like a lodge pa weekend two beds, music speakers, mirror lights, and drawers filled with oils that were not Johnson’s Baby. Investigators found that the women, aged 22 to 31, actually lived at the premises, making the brothel a full-time, in-house operation.
The Council’s Director of Public Health, Rodney Banda, said the bust followed a particularly disturbing complaint: a child picked up a used cond0m near the wall fence. That was the final straw. “We moved in quickly. This wasn’t just about illegal business it was a public health risk,” he said.
As officers rounded up the suspects, some neighbors watched from their yards with popcorn. “You see, we knew something was wrong,” said a man who identified himself only as Mr. Tembo. “Even our wives stopped sending us to buy bread from that direction. Too much temptation!”
Kitwe City Council Public Relations Manager Mwaka Nakweti confirmed the premises had been officially shut down. “This kind of business has no place in our communities. If you want to massage people, do it the right way not the ‘zinachitika pa bed and bin’ way.”
The house, owned by one Mr. Sydney Banda of Solwezi, is now under investigation, and the eleven women hailing from Kitwe, Ndola, Lusaka, Petauke, and Kabwe are facing charges related to living off the earnings of prostitution.
As for Divine Massage Spa? The only thing divine about it was how quickly it got shut down.
May 22, 2025
©️ KUMWESU
It’s a very serious matter and no one should be laughing as it points to collective failure of both state watchdog institutions and individual citizens and the bloody church. Enough said already as I am too angry to continue.