A FAMILY in Lusaka is dealing with overwhelming grief occasioned by the loss of their two teenage daughters – one to death, and another to a possible long stint behind bars.
Everything seemed normal for the Malambo family until Sunday afternoon when his youngest daughter made a distress call claiming her elder sister, Taonga had suddenly collapsed in their home in Kamwala South.
Relatives and neighbours who rushed to help found Taonga unresponsive while her mouth was filled with tablets that appeared to be Panadol.
The 18-year old girl was rushed to the University Teaching Hospital where, unfortunately, she was declared a Brought-In-Dead upon arrival.
Upon being alerted, police officers who inspected Taonga’s body noticed several things that were off.
Despite the drugs found in her mouth to suggest she may have taken them to end her own life, police noticed signs of strangulation, marks of physical harm along with suspicious signs.
After a few questions, all fingers were pointing to the victim’s 15-year old sister upon which she was taken in for questioning and the interrogation revealed what even the most experienced officer of the law could have never been prepared for.
Sources close to the the investigation told Kalemba that the juvenile readily admitted to murdering her sister with the help of her 16-year old lover.
According to the sources, the young suspect decided to permanently silence her elder sister who had threatened to spill the beans about her becoming pregnant and undergoing an abortion.
So with the help of the lover, the young girl is said to have attacked her sister, beat her up before strangling her.
After squeezing the life out of the deceased, the 15 year old girl, her lover and another friend, then staffed several pills into the mouth of Taonga to cover their tracks and make it seem as if the victim took her own life.
According to Zambia Police Service spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi, the incident happened between 08:00 hours and 11:00 hours on Sunday.
Chilabi has since confirmed the detention of the two juveniles to Kalemba.
He said the matter was reported to the police on Monday, June 22, 2026, at around 20:30 hours by the deceased’s father, Michael Malambo aged 40, of Woodlands, who reported the death of his daughter under suspicious circumstances.
“Brief facts of the matter are that on June 21, 2026, the 15-year-old, who is now in police custody, called her mother to report that the victim had collapsed at a residence in Kamwala South,” Chilabi said.
He explained that the suspect also alerted a nearby family member, who rushed to the house and found Taonga lying unconscious and unresponsive.
The victim was rushed to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Chilabi revealed that preliminary investigations suggested foul play, indicating that the deceased may have been strangled and beaten before being drugged.
He said following intensive investigations and information gathered by detectives, the two juveniles were picked up and remain in police custody to assist with investigations.
“The motive for the incident has not yet been established, and investigations are ongoing. Further updates will be provided as the case progresses,” said Chilabi.
Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been deposited in the UTH mortuary pending a post-mortem examination to establish the exact cause of death.
Kalemba June 24, 2026
