THE widow accused of causing the d£ath of her husband, whose skeleton was found in her house, told a judge that her ailing spouse refused to seek medical attention as he hoped to heal through prayer.
Sylvia Mutaba, 52, told Lusaka High Court Judge Anne Malata-Ononuju that her husband, George Kalaba, had faith that he would be healed from his ailment through prayers.
The court heard that Ms Mutaba, her five daughters and her friend used to pray for Mr Kalaba when he started “losing strength” in October 2023.
“…we used to pray so that he could recover. Even him, he used to pray. But when I advised him to visit the hospital, he would say, “No, I will be healed’.”
Ms Mutaba is accused of unlawfully causing the death of Mr Kalaba, 51, whose skeleton was found in his house in January this year.
The widow, of Lusaka’s Luangwa-Garden, denied the charge but was found with a case to answer.
In defence, she said she had been married to Mr Kalaba for three decades and had five children.
“I used to stay with him. I loved him and he loved me. His illness started in June 2023. He complained of headaches and chest pains. But he used to move around, he used to visit his friends,” Ms Mutaba said.
She said she had alerted Mr Kalaba’s relatives, including his elder brother, about his illness.
“When I told them that he was unwell, they would respond that when he got his pension money from Zanaco [Bank] he ‘ate’ it alone.”
-ZDM