Zed Farmer

ZED farmer Maria Zaloumis Mwelwa has filed for divorce in the Lusaka High Court on grounds that her husband threatened to kill her and accused her of commiting adultery.

And Maria has prayed that her two-year-old marriage to Apollinaris Mwelwa be dissolved because throughout the course of the marriage, her husband has physically, verbally and emotionally abused her which caused her great distress.

She strongly believes that the couple is not incompatible and cannot reconcile because they have different cultural backgrounds, exposures and viewpoints, a fact they both know was now beyond manageable and a source of their conflicts.

In a petition for dissolution of marriage filed in the principal registry, Maria stated that she was lawfully married to Mwelwa on September 1, 2019 at Lusaka Civic Centre.

She stated that she has one child with him aged one year six months and another child from a previous relationship.

She added that her husband also has four other children from his previous relationships.

Maria stated that prior to the parties getting married, the couple constantly engaged in arguments which resulted in their family members advising them that they were not ready for marriage but they proceeded against the advice.

She stated that her husband has failed to appreciate the nature of her work which resulted in physical confrontation on several occasions.

“The said behaviour continued throughout the marriage such that in April 2020, the petitioner left the house for a month following the respondent’s threats to kill her,” the petition further read.

She stated that she reported the threats to the police but later withdrew the case.

Maria stated that she returned home and the couple’s relationship was cordial for about a month but in July 2020, the verbal abuse continued with her husband accusing her of adultery when he knew that she is a farmer who deals with both female and male clients.

She told court that sometime in February this year, they had a misunderstanding that led to an altercation that resulted in her failing down and breaking her laptop.

Maria stated that this incident made her to leave the matrimonial home on February 26, 2021 after it became apparent that their constant arguments and confrontations may result in harm to her or be forced to retaliate in defence.

“The parties have failed to communicate effectively such that even after the petitioner left the house, discussions to do with the wellbeing of the child of the family have proved futile and resulted in the petitioner maintaining the child of the family alone,” she said.

Maria wants the court to dissolve the marriage as she cannot reasonably be expected to live with her husband due to his unreasonable behavior.

She added that parties cannot hold a mature conversation and do not speak at all due to multiple accusations and misunderstanding.

Maria seeks an order for maintenance and property settlement and that she be granted custody of the child of the family.

(Mwebantu, Tuesday, December 28th, 2021)

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here