The Horrific Case of Sylvia Mutoba Kalaba – The Woman Who Kept Her Dead Husband’s Body for Two Years on Her Bed!
An analysis by Rev Walter Mwambazi
Unless you crawled from under a rock, the news is out there, and social media is awash with the story! I had taken time before writing so that I could gather some details on the case. My experience has been that such developing stories tend to take some very interesting twists and so one must be cautious before drawing any conclusions.
I will get into my analysis and leave a write up of the details in the comments so as not to end up with a super long post.
The Big Question
Why would someone opt to keep the dead body of her husband in her house, and go to lengths to not inform any relatives, friends or neighbors of their fate? The case is so bizarre because many wondered what trick she used to ensure the smell of such a body isn’t discernible. How did she make that happen? And the biggest question, what was the benefit of such a deed? Why did the daughters seemingly comply with the macabre deeds of their mother?
That’s four questions which I shall attempt to answer without drifting off course.
✍ #1 Why did she not report the death of her husband to the authorities and relatives?
A: This remains absolutely bizarre. The reason behind why this case has raised such a storm on social media. No ordinary person would not report a death to relatives and authorities and host a funeral.
Instead she opted to keep the body in the house. What a shocking thing to do! Whatever the truth will turn out to be, no one can be blamed for the speculations and wild tales that are currently doing the rounds.
Whatever the case, I would like to know if keeping a dead body without reporting it to the authorities is an actual crime in Zambia under what caps of the law.
We remain bamboozled in all honesty.
✍ #2 How did she manage to mask the smell for that long?
According to Meta AI, here is the process of decay and what happens – taken from various web sources.
The process of decay, also known as decomposition, is a complex and multi-stage process. Here’s a general overview of the decomposition of a human body from death to skeleton:
Stage 1: Autolysis (0-3 days)
– After death, the body’s cells begin to break down, releasing enzymes that digest tissues.
– Soft tissues like skin, muscles, and organs start to liquefy.
Stage 2: Putrefaction (3-14 days)
– Bacteria from the gut and environment begin to feed on the body’s tissues, producing gases like methane, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia.
– The body starts to swell, and a strong, unpleasant odor becomes apparent.
Stage 3: Active Decay (14-30 days)
– Bacteria continue to break down tissues, releasing more gases and creating a stronger odor.
– Soft tissues continue to liquefy, and the body starts to take on a more skeletal appearance.
Stage 4: Advanced Decay (30-180 days)
– The body’s soft tissues continue to break down, leaving behind bones, cartilage, and other connective tissue.
– The odor begins to fade as the body’s tissues are consumed by bacteria and other organisms.
Stage 5: Dry Decay (180+ days)
– The body’s tissues have largely been consumed, leaving behind a skeleton.
– The skeleton may still be held together by ligaments, tendons, and other connective tissue.
Regarding the odor, it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact timeframe for when the smell will dissipate, as it depends on various factors, such as:
– Environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, airflow)
– Presence of insects, bacteria, and other decomposers
– Body composition and health at the time of death
However, as a general guideline, the strong, unpleasant odor associated with decomposition typically peaks around 3-14 days after death and begins to fade significantly after 30-60 days.
In this scenario, assuming the body remains on a bed over a period of eighteen months, the odor would likely have dissipated significantly within the first few months. However, some residual odor might still be present due to the presence of bacteria, mold, and other microorganisms that can continue to break down the body’s tissues.
Keep in mind that this is a general outline, and the actual decomposition process can vary significantly depending on the specific circumstances.
Based on the above, I deeply doubt that body was in the house. The deceased must have perished elsewhere, and later on the body brought to the house. As seen from the explanation, it would have been impossible to mask that smell unless.
They used formaldehyde and other such embalming fluids to preserve the body. But then we know that it would not “rot” per se and so presents another serious conundrum.
My money is the body was brought from elsewhere after significant decay had taken place (six months).
Only time will tell as more facts emerge.
✍ #3 Why did she keep that body in the house?
This is the million dollar question.
Well, according to one of the brothers of the deceased at the burial of his brother according to a report filed by both Kalemba and other leading online platforms, the wife claims she kept his body on instructions from her “spiritual leader” for her to harness power for her prophetic ministry. Apparently by keeping the deceased body, she was instructed that she would harness power in order to make her ministry effective.
Whilst we await the actual truth from authorities via official statement, this cannot be discounted. Reports indicate that she was hosting prayer meetings at the house, with a dead body (skeleton) within the same premises unbeknownst to those in attendance.
It is further alleged that many were able to receive their “miracles” and get help, this according to her own words as reported by the brother to the news sources.
Whilst that sounds astounding, it is not surprising. I have repeatedly warned people on this page about these self styled prophets and magicians running “gatherings” with questionable credentials. Many are using actual sorcery and in this case, necromancy to harness otherworldly powers.
The above is not unique to her as I am personally aware of a number of these self styled prophets here in Zambia and from known countries within Africa who utilize different types of powers based on magick specifically soothsaying, sexual satanic ritual abuse, demonic altars, the summoning and conjuring of angels and other dark arts including necromancy. The utilization of dead bodies and various body parts for witchcraft is nothing new as it’s a standard practice in witchcraft and dark rituals centered around demonology.
The above is the only seemingly justifiable reasons for such a gruesome set of events. We shall soon learn the truth as the story develops.
✍ #4 Why did the daughters comply with such a macabre deeds?
The only answer to this one that makes sense is that their mother manipulated them into this. As we all know, many fathers (men) don’t have good relationships with their wives and children as they tend to be distant when it comes to time spent and fellowship.
The cultural mindset is that for as long as one has provided, they have demonstrated their love. Unfortunately this couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that many family members suffer from perceived abandonment. It is the reason why many men suffer a retaliation of the same in their retirement years because when they are ready to connect as a family, their children and wife are strangers.
I believe that the ladies (daughters to the deceased) were manipulated into silence and compliance by a very manipulative and strongly influential mother. And because he may have already had a non-existent negative relationship with his children only ending at courtesies, he may have been demonized by the wife to his children.
What obviously remains mind boggling is the level of compliance. But knowing what I know about cultic behaviour and the power of mind control, I am not surprised.
Again, the truth will become known soon enough.
Conclusion
Seeing this case is still a developing story, we can honestly just wait for the truth to come through once all relevant authorities are done with their inquiries and investigations.
It is tempting (as can already be seen) to draw all manner of conclusions, but only the final truth will tell us what the reality on the ground was.
As Africans, we cannot rule our high levels of superstition and speculation. Whether it turns out that witchcraft and sorcery is involved, or it’s simply a deeply disturbed individual like the types we watch on Discovery ID, only time will bring to light the true extent of the horrors witnessed and the real answers to the above four questions.
Truly wonders shall never cease!
PS:
As a watchman, I still stand to warn as I always do the extent of false prophets and magicians on the pulpits with their shrines where dark power is summoned to hoodwink gullible sheeple.
Please remember, not everyone who calls on the Lord and claims to be a servant of God with self styled titles of “Prophet” or “Prophetess” is what they claim to be! Deception is now at an all time high and many of you reading this are already being deceived.
My warnings are labelled as “bitter” and “pharisaical” and that “I fight fellow men of God”! Yet I know better. I know what is going on with many of them. If I revealed what I know, the harm on the faith of many would be greater than the remedy of warning. It is better they learn for themselves and discover the truth on their own.
And so as such, I opt to speak out against activities for most of them except the obviously wicked ones like the ones I have mentioned in the past!
Please beware!
Picture Credits:
1. Supposed picture of the key person, Mrs Sylvia Mutoba Kalaba
2. The house where this bizzare incident took place
3. The recent burial ceremony of the remains of her husband George Kalaba aka Zanaco
