WHEN Vinchenzo M’bale said ‘grab a cold one,’ a Lusaka wife took it personal, turning herself into a self-proclaimed brand ambassador for kachasu and nsunko to the extent that she started swapping mealie meal to satisfy her throat and soothe her ticklish nose, while her pots remained empty and her husband slowly drifting away.
Bupe Kafwembe, a 33-year-old wife from 22 Miles, was accused of not living a lifestyle not befitting of a modest wife but of a woman whose love affair for kachasu and nsunko burned hotter than her marriage vows.
According to her 38 year old husband, Peter Bwalya, Kafwembe is so enslaved to team ‘high and dry’ that even hunger itself seemed to bow before her cravings.
This came to light in a divorce case brought before senior magistrate Lewis Mumba at the Matero Local court, where Kafwembe sought to dissolve her 18-year-old marriage to Bwalya, accusing him of abandoning her and their five children after allegedly running off like ‘mulife’ with another woman and dumping them at his mother’s house.
In her testimony, Kafwembe revealed that Bwalya had been an absent husband for ten months, saying he left without any warning and moved in with another woman, almost taking everything from their home and leaving her in the darkness.
“Bana pondoka (He became a wayward spouse) since December and dumped me at his mother’s place. Yonse mvula inasila nilineka pali ba mai babo… (even the rain season ended while I am still at his mother’s place, I just feel I can become old there, so I need to be rescued),” she said.
She also complained that Bwalya left her honeypot starving, developing cobwebs without service from his serial impregnating machine while he gets relief from another woman.
“Whenever he’s going to his other woman’s house, he passes right by my place because it’s along the roadside, but he never stops to see me or even say hi, he just walks past with so much pride. I have been sexually starved for 10 months now and he doesn’t even care,” Kafwembe said.
But Bwalya said he left because Kafwembe’s drinking and sniffing habits had become unbearable as she would start as early as 06:00 hours.
He also revealed before the court that she once consumed alcohol during pregnancy, which led to the loss of their baby.
“She’s always brought home drunk, sometimes on a wheelbarrow and it’s embarrassing. I told her I was getting another woman to look after the children because of her behaviour. She drinks kachasu, takes nsunko, and even trades our mealie meal, leaving the children and I with hunger,” he said.
“Nowadays when I pass by to check on her, I find the beddings wet and that’s how bad it has become.”
When Kafwembe’s mother was called to testify, she revealed that Bwalya was actually the person that introduced her daughter to alcohol when they just got married, as he took her to bars and made her drink uncontrollably.
Delivering his judgement, magistrate Mumba pointed out that both parties had failed their marital duties, declaring it a 50/50 situation.
“Kafwembe, you drink too much beer and neglect your home. Beer has destroyed many marriages. It’s shameful for a married woman to be found soaked in kachasu, especially selling food just for you to be happy.”
“You are such a selfish woman. And you Bwalya, walking out on your family was equally wrong because under statutory law, running away from your wife is a big crime,” he cautioned.
He then granted them divorce, ruling that the children should remain with their mother, while Bwalya must provide K800 monthly for their upkeep.
“You will compensate Kafwembe with K8,000 to be paid in installments of K500 per month starting next month. Kafwembe, you should ensure that both monies that will be given to you won’t end up in a tavern,” the magistrate ordered.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba October 29, 2025
