BROKEN BEYOND WORDS
…Family speaks out after Makeni double murder, süicide.
THE Sister of two siblings killed in cold blood last week in Makeni says the family is broken beyond words and now faces the painful responsibility of caring for five orphaned children.
Theresa Nyambe, 43, and her younger brother, Innocent Nyambe, 39, were reportedly shot dead by Theresa’s husband, Clifford Chileshe, before he turned the gun on himself last Wednesday.
In an interview, Annie Mwiiya said the family is taking each day as it comes, clinging to faith and hoping that the kindness and prayers of others will help them through the tragedy.
“We are broken beyond words. We are still in shock. The day started normally and all they wanted was to respond to that call-out, but they never came back. We are so broken and can only look to God for strength to pull through,” Ms Mwiiya said.
She said the family is struggling to come to terms with the violent manner in which her siblings died.
“The thought of losing our siblings in such a way is something we are finding difficult to accept,” she said.
Ms Mwiiya said Innocent has left behind a wife and two children, while Theresa is survived by three children, deepening the family’s pain and sense of loss.
She said the family is particularly heartbroken for the children, who are still very young and needed the love, guidance and presence of their parents.
Meanwhile, a witness, Precious Mulenga, recounted the terrifying moments leading up to Theresa’s death, saying she repeatedly called out her name in desperation before she was killed.
Ms Mulenga said she rushed out of her bedroom after hearing Theresa screaming her name but, fearing for her safety, remained inside the house and peeped through a window.
“Aunty Theresa cried for help after uncle [Clifford] shot her in the shoulder. I heard her shouting my name, ‘Precious!’, several times. When I left my bedroom, I did not go outside. I just drew the curtain aside and peeped through the window to see why she was calling me,” she said.
Ms Mulenga said that she saw Clifford dragging Theresa out of the house before slamming her head against the blocks on the veranda.
“I noticed he had a gun in his hand. At that moment, Aunty Theresa became motionless after her head struck the blocks. He had already shot her once and then appeared to reload before shooting her again. I knew there was nothing I could do,” she said.
Ms Mulenga said she slowly crawled back to her bedroom and began searching for phone numbers so she could call for help.
STORY: ZDM
📷: Zed diary