Unmarried women in hot soup

MARY PHIRI writes A 60-year-old man of Mwange settlement in Ndola has sued five women of the same area for accusing him of being a wizard. Emmanuel Mwale 62, sued Brenda Chipisha 27, Mulenga Lizzy26, Sekela Mulenga 25, Naomi Changwe26, and Kabwela Mallisa 26 all from the same settlement for defamation of character. “They told me that they were seeing me in their dreams bewitching them, I was surprised. Since then everyone thinks I am a witch because my name has been destroyed,” he said. He contends that the five had defamed his character after accusing him of being a wizard. Mwale told the Kabushi Local Court that the five accused him of bewitching them so that they would not get married. “These are like my grandchildren, and for them to accuse me of bewitching them it’s disappointing. I want them to tell me where they saw me practicing witchcraft,” he said. He said that the five women were known in the area for beer drinking, adding that he took them as grandchildren because they were his neighbours. Mwale told the court that last year they came to his house to insult him and accused him of bewitching them so that they remain single. In their defence, Brenda and the four others said they were seeing the man in their dreams and were convinced that he was behind their predicament. They said from the time they started seeing him in their dreams, no man has come their way to propose marriage. They denied ever insulting him, insisting that they only told him to stop tormenting them in their dreams When the case came up for judgment, senior magistrate Agness Mulenga sitting with Mildred Namwizye and Evelyn Nalwizya ordered the defendants to pay K500 each, in monthly instalments of k250. The Sun