SANFROSSA MANYINDA writes A MAN who was badly beaten for refusing to remarry another man’s younger sister has complained of police inertia on his assault case. Peter Malama, 26, explained that on April 10 he was assaulted by his former brother-in-law, Fackson Chambwe a Lusaka City Council police officer for refusing to remarry his younger sister, Memory Chambwe.
Mr Malama complained to the Sun in an interview despite reporting the matter to the police, they have refused to apprehend Mr Chambwe who assaulted him in Garden Compound.
He explained that he received a call from Mr. Chambwe around 21:00 hours on the material date so that he should go and pick up his one year old child. Mr Mambwe was allegedly said he could not continue living with his nephew in his house. Mr Malama said that he did not hesitate to go and fetch his son as he quickly hired a cab and rushed to his brother-in-law’s place. “When I got there, he told me that I did not have to say anything and told me to pick my child up as well as his mother so that we can start living together. “I refused to do so and made it clear that I did not want to live with his sister who almost killed me with hot porridge when we were living together,” he said. He said on hearing this, Mr Mambwe started beating him like someone who had committed a crime. He said that after a few minutes, Mr Mambwe went outside and picked a big stone with which he wanted to hit him on his head but his sister at that point rushed in and stopped him from doing so. Mr. Malama said that good Samaritans helped him and took him to report the matter to Emmasdale police station where he was given a medical report and went to Chipata clinic to get his treatment. He said that he later took back the medical report to the police and went to Mr Chambwe’s house with the police so that he could be apprehended but that he was not at home. He said that the following day, he went to Garden police and as usual went to Chambwe’s house but that he was not there again. “After some time, I went back to the police and I was told to go so that they could apprehend the suspect but all was in vain. The police officers I found on duty told me to pay them K50 for transport because police do not operate without money. “Police simayenda olo kusebenza kulibe ndalama so come when you have money for fuel and we will help you, they said’,” Mr. Malama explained. He further called on commanding officers in the police service to help him apprehend the suspect, stressing that he wanted nothing but justice to prevail. He said that the law should take its course and prosecute the suspect who was proudly moving freely and frequenting drinking places in his council police uniform like someone who had not committed an offence. But Mr Chambwe denied all the allegations labeled against him and said that Mr Malama was the one that went to attack him at his home on grounds that he wanted his child.
Mr Chambwe said that Malama went banging on his door while shouting telling him that he wanted to get his child.
He narrated that Mr. Malama started the fight in his drunken state and that he only reacted when he tried to stab him with a knife. “I tried by all means to avoid him but to no avail as he kept fighting me. He later grabbed a knife and tried to stab me. It was at this point that I failed to control myself and hit him back because he would have hurt me if I let him,” Mr Chambwe said. He further confirmed that Mr Malama and his sister were having marital disputes and that she at some point burnt him with boiling porridge. He stressed that the only solution to end the fights was to separate the two for good on grounds that they may end up killing each other together.
Police could not be immediately reached for a comment.
