‘Caring’ mom detained

CHARLES MUSONDA writes  A LUSAKA woman was yesterday detained after she produced in court an alleged forged under-five card for her son who is charged with one count of trafficking in heroin. Before Lusaka Magistrate Nsunge Chanda was Wisdom Phiri whose age is indicated as 20 years on the indictment but yesterday his mother Eunice Tembo, a pre-school teacher of Ng’ombe compound, produced his under-five card showing that he is a juvenile born in 2003. But an alert Ms. Chanda observed that the card was allegedly forged as it had the same handwriting from the time Phiri was born until he was five years old. Asked by the court as to how she could bring to court a forged document, Tembo said she got the under-five card from Phiri’s father. Ms. Chanda then noted that the system of parents producing forged documents in court is too much and that such people are encouraging their children to commit crime instead of helping them to reform. She said the same person had been writing on the under-five card with the same handwriting since 2003 adding that Phiri’s father also should appear in court to explain. She then locked up Tembo, who said the under-five card was issued at Chelstone clinic, until police verify the document’s authenticity. Later, Phiri admitted trafficking in 1.62 grams of heroin and his case comes up next Monday for facts and sentencing and he has been remanded in custody together with his mother. The Sun