THE order and serene environment at Matero Local Court was disrupted yesterday as proceedings were abruptly halted following a dramatic intervention by a 58-year-old woman protesting the potential arrest of her daughter.
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“Arrest me instead of my child,” Getrude Kangwa exclaimed, turning her plea into a Soweto Market traders’ songs to entice a client into buying her goods, until the court proceeding was stopped.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the Court, like the genie in Aladdin, granted the woman’s request of being apprehended, but she is now behind bars with her daughter and three other relatives.
This is in a case where her daughter, 29 year old Mulenga Kabwe, with her two cousins, Carol Kabwe aged 25, Jaqueline Kabwe, 26, and the two women’s mother, Beatrice Kabwe, 63, were arraigned before the court for being a cast in an amateur video which they used to insult and defame a family member.
Beatrice, and her three dependants’s action, allegedly targeted, Mary Kabwe, who happens to be the trio’s cousin, claiming that she was responsible for the continuous death of family members.
It was revealed in Matero Local Court that the four defendants, all from Chaisa compound posted a video on social media of themselves confronting an alleged “satanist” in their family, imploring this individual to cease their gruesome activities and devouring family members.
During the trial, the three young siblings defended their actions, stating that their motive for creating and circulating the video was to attract the attention of witch-doctors, pastors and even the President divine intervention and assistance in resolving their matter.
“The video did not contain any specific names or targeted accusations. Our intention was solely to persuade the supposed “guilty person” into coming forward and admitting their involvement in the mysterious deaths within the family,” asserted Jacqueline.
“Our only goal was to gain attention from social media users and potentially pastors, witch doctors and even the President so that we could receive the help we so desperately needed,” Carol said.
“Our parents are already gone and only three are left. We are afraid that they might be next which is why we decided to make the video, hoping that someone would listen to our pleas and help us find a solution to this horrific ordeal,” Mulenga added.
But Beatrice, the guardian of the three siblings, passionately disassociated herself from their behavior, emphasising her role as their caregiver and the pillar of strength that advocated for unity.
“All I ever wanted was to unite my family and put an end to these baseless allegations. I have raised all of them including Mary (plaintiff) and her sibling, and my heart aches to see them at each other’s throats,” she said.
Despite Beatrice’s denial of involvement, the evidence in the video presented in the courtroom revealed otherwise.
The footage played in the presence of the judge and the parties involved, clearly showcased the three sisters engaging in a language that not only incited violence but also included derogatory statements full of unprintables towards Mary.
Magistrate Harriet Mulenga who presided over the hearing, wasted no time in formally charging the four women with contempt of court, citing the cyber security law of 2025.
Upon hearing the potential of Mulenga’s arrest, Getrude who is Mulenga’s biological mother, stepped outside for a while and returned after a minute, all charged leaving even the birds around shocked that they flew away..
“Nkakeni ukuchila mukakilemo umwana wandi, Mary teti aliile palifwe (arrest me instead of my child because Mary can’t be rich on us,” Getrude exclaimed.
But in a turn of events, Getrude’s desperate actions resulted in her own arrest as the court was not moved by her emotional outburst, and became one of the clients to spend some nights at Matero Police Station.
“Honestly, just to come and disturb the whole court proceeding like a mad person, I have never seen such kind of behavior in court, you can all go outside, we are done. We are speechless as a court, we can’t proceed until we discipline these people,” Magistrate Mulenga expressed.
“I don’t think we are ready to proceed, we are sorry but we will continue tomorrow morning, I am really in shock,” she added.
The five women were escorted by police officers to the Matero Police Station following the adjournment. The case is expected to resume today.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba April 30, 2025
