Witnesses in the Lusaka High Court have testified to concerning details surrounding the life and death of George Kalaba, whose wife, Sylvia Mutaba, stands accused of manslaughter.
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Accounts from friends paint a picture of Kalaba as a man who allegedly suffered abuse and was isolated due to not owning a phone for eight years, making him incredibly difficult to reach.
According to testimony, Kalaba complained to friends about his wife withholding food and an incident where she allegedly hit him with a stool, causing him to limp.
Kelvin Ngosa, a 38-year-old real estate agent and friend of Kalaba, told Justice Annie Ononuju that communicating with Kalaba was a significant challenge because he never had a phone for eight years.
Ngosa explained that any attempt to reach Kalaba had to go through his wife, Sylvia Mutaba.
Ngosa, who used to drink beer with Kalaba, recalled his friend often complaining about his wife not giving him food.
He last saw Kalaba in August 2023.
Ngosa, who also used to find tenants for Kalaba’s properties, grew worried when he stopped seeing his friend.
“There was a time I stopped seeing Kalaba, I got worried. His tenant George Mubanga is the one who informed me that he was unwell, and this was in August 2023. I started calling his wife to find out his whereabouts,” he said.
But Mutaba would tell him Kalaba wasn’t home and to call back later.
A year passed without Ngosa seeing his friend. In 2024, Ngosa visited Kalaba’s house, where he found Mutaba outside.
She told him Kalaba was not around and had gone to visit his brother in Chelstone.
Ngosa eventually gave up trying to contact Kalaba after repeated unsuccessful calls to his wife and visits to his house.
Another witness, 40 year old Harrison Wasa of Luangwa Garden compound, testified that he and friends visited a sickly-looking George Kalaba in September 2023.
Wasa stated that when asked how he was feeling, Kalaba replied he was weak.
Wasa inquired if Mutaba had taken him to the clinic, to which she responded she was waiting for his brother from Chelstone to take him as advised.
Wasa said he left K120 for Mutaba to buy Kalaba a drink before they departed.
Patrick Banda, 52, of Kamanga Compound, recounted that Kalaba visited his place in 2022 and spent a night, complaining of pain in his hip.
Banda told the court that Kalaba told him he wasn’t living well at home and that his wife was abusive.
“Kalaba told me his wife hit him with a stool in and that’s why he was limping,” he said.
All three witnesses stated they only learned in January 2025 that police found skeletal remains in Kalaba’s house and subsequently arrested his wife and children.
Sylvia Mutaba has been charged with one count of manslaughter, a charge she denies.
She is accused of causing the death of her husband, George Kalaba.
The discovery of Kalaba’s remains came after his elder brother, Emmanuel Kalaba, 55, reported to the police that Mutaba had consistently denied him and other family members access to George between July 2023 and January 2025.
Emmanuel Kalaba’s concerns escalated when he visited the residence one morning at 06:00 hours and found the house locked and prevented from seeing his brother.
Further inquiries led a tenant to reveal that they had not seen the deceased for two years and that his wife had prevented anyone from visiting him.
It is alleged that between July 1, 2023, and January 14, 2025, in Lusaka, Mutaba caused the death of her husband, George Kalaba.
The trial is set to continue on September 16, 2025.
By Lucy Phiri
Kalemba July 5, 2025
