MATERO Local Court magistrate, was left in shock and questioned whether, a Lusaka husband was demon possessed after denying inflicting pain on his wife, stating he didn’t even have any memory of touching her.
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It was revealed that 45-year old Irvin Masempela of Lusaka’s Six Miles, used numerous weapons to attack his wife Chomfwa Chalwe, 32 and even waited for a moment in the middle of the night to suffocate her while she was asleep.
Like the witches or thieves who only get a chance to work at midnight, Masempela targeting Chalwe at her vulnerable state when she fell asleep and used a pillow to suffocate her
Chalwe told the court that Masempela also used a variety of weapons including knives and metal bars to inflict physical harm upon her.
“I am constantly in fear in that house, it’s like living in a nightmare because the knowledge that my husband is waiting for me to patiently fall asleep so he can attack me is worrying,” she confessed, while fearing that he four children might become motherless.
“It’s not just a pillow, he uses a knife and a metal bar which has resulted in deep cuts on my body.”
But in mitigation, Masempela dismissed these allegations as a mere ‘masobela yachikalamba’ (adult games) and that his wife did not understand.
He justified that all these wrangles in their marriage is as a result of the couple not having sex for over two months, alleging that their marriage had been strained for some time, with Chalwe opting to sleep in the sitting room instead of their matrimonial bedroom.
“The main issue that brings confusion is that of sex because my wife runs away from the bedroom and I don’t know what she’s afraid of,” he stated.
“She stopped respecting me and it’s because I don’t have money. She started drinking alcohol and I caught her with birth control pills. It’s like she doesn’t care about me anymore. Why would she do that if she didn’t want to get rid of me?”
Masempela added that despite not cooking and washing for him, he still loved his wife whom he didn’t want to lose.
However, when Magistrate Harriet Mulenga asked Masempela why he refuted claims of being an abusive husband when initially his wife had fresh wounds on her body, Masempela made it clear that he could not remember anything, not even laying his hands on his wife.
In her ruling, Magistrate Mulenga questioned whether Masempela was demon possessed as she struggled to make sense of his evasive responses and behavior.
“You lack seriousness for not knowing when you beat your wife and your demeanor proves that you are unfit to be married. However, I have granted you a divorce, this marriage is over,” magistrate Mulenga declared.
The court further ordered that Masempela compensates his wife with k14,000 and maintains his children with k1,500 while household goods should be shared equally.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba April 25, 2025
