Lusaka man demands lobola refund after sampling potential bride
A MAN of Lusaka is up in arms and demanding a lobola refund from the family of a woman he intended to marry but called off the wedding.
But the family of the woman has sworn upon the thirty thousand recruited teachers that they will not pay him back saying lobola refund is against ancient Nsenga culture of Eastern Province and that he had sampled the potential bride one too many times.
Jones Mukanzo aged 45, a resident of Thirteen Miles is now hoping the Lusaka Boma Local Court can intervene in the matter and help him get a refund.
Mukanzo told the court that he fell in love with Selina Zulu and decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her upon which he assembled a lobola negotiating committee to meet her people.
At the meeting two months, Mukanzo was charged K21,000 as bride price out of which he paid K10,000 to set grand wedding rehearsals in motion.
However, as the wedding preparations were in full gear with bridal party members perfecting their wedding dance routines and selecting outfits to wear on the big day, Mukanzo had a change of heart and called off everything.
But when Mukanzo demanded for a refund, Selina’s family refused to pay back.
During the court hearing yesterday, Selina’s uncle
Eliud Lungu aged 51 who received the money on behalf of bride’s father said the family cannot return the dowry because it is not in the Nsenga tradition.
Lungu, a resident of Garden House explained that Mukanzo had already test driven Selina and sampled all the goodies he would enjoy if he had married her so there was no need to pay him back his lobola.
And in solidifying the case, Selina’s 69-year old grandmother Phalesy Banda of Chelstone testified that indeed her grandaughter went for sleep overs at Mukanzo’s residence.
“I lived with my grandaughter at the time they where preparing for the wedding and he called me for permission for Selina to go to his place where she would stay for three days,” she testified.
Granny said her granddaughter would mostly go on Friday to Mukanzo’s place in Thirteen Miles only to return on Monday.
But Mukanzo swore by the 15 flats of Esther Lungu that he had never slept with or spent a night with Selina.
After hearing both sides Senior Local Court Magistrate Mubukwanu Matakala adjourned the case to a later date so that Selina, who is a co-defendant in the matter can be present to clarify matters.
By Mwiche Nalwimba
Kalemba