By Lovemore Sondashi
Eleven women have been arrested in Kitwe after the Kitwe City Council uncovered what is suspected to be an illegal brothel operating under the guise of a massage parlour in the Parklands residential area.
The suspects, aged between 22 and 31, were picked up on Tuesday, 20th May 2025, during a joint operation by the Council’s Department of Public Health and Council Police, following numerous complaints from residents about suspicious activities at House Number 9, Mumbwa Close, off Chandamali Road.
Among those arrested is 28-year-old Kimberly Mbewe, believed to be the proprietor of the business trading as Divine Massage Spa. Kitwe City Council Director of Public Health Rodney Banda, who reported the matter to Kitwe Central Police Station, said the operation was launched after a resident complained that his young son had picked up a used condom believed to have been discarded from the premises.
When health inspectors and Council Police visited the house, they found the women indecently dressed and used condoms with semen disposed of in a bin on the property. Investigators suspect that the premises, although registered as a massage parlour, was in fact being used for sex work.
Further investigations by police revealed that the women were living at the house, which is a rented property owned by a Mr. Sydney Banda of Solwezi.
One room in the house was fitted with a massage bed, while the other two rooms contained ordinary beds and personal belongings, suggesting the premises was being used as both a residence and a place of illicit activity.
The women arrested include individuals from Kitwe, Ndola, Lusaka, Petauke, and Kabwe. They have been detained on charges related to living on the earnings of prostitution.
In a statement, Kitwe City Council Public Relations Manager Mwaka Nakweti said the Council had since closed the premises in the interest of public safety and is working closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure the matter is thoroughly investigated.
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