A 42-year-old woman of Lusaka’s Garden compound has been left husbandless after her husband of 24-years walked away, not because of anything she did in reality but because of a betrayal that unfolded in the realm of his dreams, where he saw her cheating on him with another man.
For weeks, the husband, 44-year-old Charles Sakala was tormented by a recurring nightmare, in which his beloved wife, Mirriam Banda appeared in the arms of another man, their bodies entwined and caressing as if the fate of the world depended on their forbidden embrace.
The defendant, Banda, told the Matero Local Court that Sakala took the dream personal and had abandoned their matrimonial home for half a year, confessing that he was tired of eating from the same honeypot for 24-years.
She said Sakala simply packed his bag one day and walked out without a word, abandoning her and their three children for six good months.
And after leaving Banda to endure the effects of climate change alone, Sakala resurfaced not with an apology or explanation, but with a cold declaration of finally wanting a divorce.
“He accused me of cheating on him with a man who was romantically chasing me at his shop, where I also do business of selling spices,” she stated.
“Initially, my husband changed when he bought a car because that was when he started entertaining multiple women in his life.”
And to justify his actions, Sakala claimed that his dream actually manifested into reality, likening himself to a prophet whose visions arrive not in temples but in the quiet night.
He asserted that he later caught his wife red-handed at their shop, being romantically pursued by another man.
“I want this marriage to end because I warned my wife before she started coming to shop about men in town. I told her that in town, mulibantu bandalama, ba nzelu na sweet talk, so the only thing I expected from her is to be in a chill mode which she didn’t,” he said.
Despite Banda’s plea for Sakala to reconsider his divorce decision, insisting that she still needed him in her life, he remained unmoved, firmly maintaining that all he wanted was for the marriage to end.
After listening to both parties, senior magistrate Lewis Mumba granted the divorce, stating that judging by Sakala’s attitude and insistence, it appeared he had already found someone else satisfying his ‘reproductive seed dispenser.’
“If you want to leave your woman, leave her without cementing lies. I order that you compensate your wife with K12,000 effective this month, and as for the house, it will remain in the children’s name,” ordered magistrate Mumba.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba September 25, 2025
