MATERO Local Court has advised a 56-year-old man to pay dowry to the family of a woman he claims is his wife before seeking reconciliation with her.
Appearing before magistrate Lewis Mumba was Chanda Mwansa, a security guard of Lusaka’s Matero Township, who sued Sylvia Mulomba, of Kabanana Township, for marriage reconciliation.
Mwansa told the court that he married Mulomba, a sales assistant at Zambia State Insurance Corporation (ZISC), in December 2020.
He said Mulomba had since left their matrimonial home without giving any reason.
Mulomba, however, disputed Mwansa’s claim, arguing that he could not call himself her husband because he had never paid dowry.
She insisted that without dowry, there was no valid marriage under customary law.
Mwansa admitted that he had not paid dowry, explaining that Mulomba’s parents had told him the bride price would only be determined once relatives from the village came to Lusaka.
“Your honour, I only paid when asking for my wife’s hand in marriage and then her parents said they would charge me the bride price once people from the village come to Lusaka,” he said.
Magistrate Mumba dismissed the case, ruling that there was no marriage between the two since dowry had not been paid.
He advised Mwansa to first fulfil the traditional requirements before seeking reconciliation.
“Make a solid foundation for your marriage because for as long as you don’t resolve that, the issues you currently have will persist,” magistrate Mumba said.
-ZDM