Hubby sniffs daughter’s pants to inspect if they are sleeping around, wife tells court
A LUSAKA woman has accused her long time husband of drastically changing his behaviour after travelling to South Africa for greener pastures as a private chef to only return with weird habits that can even shock the devil.
From Matero, 51-year-old John Njekwa, left home for South Africa with hopes of bringing back ichola, but returned as poor as a church mouse with only an Ukwa bag filled his kitchen knives and clothes to his name.
Njekwa’s wife of 26 years, Catherine Chilete, 45, narrated before the Matero Local Court that he didn’t just come back with his kitchen utensils in the bag but with odd behaviours, becoming a self-styled law enforcer in his home, a man who inspected and sniffed his children’s underwear daily to satisfy his paranoid fears.
The couple have five children and four of them are female.
This was revealed yesterday in a divorce case at the Matero Local Court, where Chilete said she fears for her life, believing that Njekwa may one day treat her like a piece of butchery meat and slice the life out of her because he sleeps with knives under his bedroom pillow.
“He keeps knives under the pillow every night and when I ask why, he tells me (ndine wa catering) and it’s for safety. I no longer feel safe beside him,” she said.
She also revealed that while in South Africa, Njekwa began sending nude pictures to her mother and other relatives, until they started complaining.
When he finally returned home, he came carrying a big phone which had nothing but numerous nude images on it.
“This time around whenever our female children come back from school, he budges into their room without knocking, asking them to remove their pants then starts smelling them so he can know if they have been sleeping around with men or not. This behaviour really shocks me,” Chilete lamented.
“I once found him naked in my 16-year-old niece’s room in the night and when I asked him what he was doing, he said he wanted to sleep with her because he has seen some men comfortably deflowering their children, so who is he not to sleep with his niece? Sometimes, he often justifies himself by saying, ‘olo bazungu bamasamba nogona nabana bao (even whites bath and sleep with their children).”
Chilete further alleged that Njekwa has officially told their female tenants to stop paying rent in cash and instead, pay in kind by satisfying his reproductive third leg.
In his defense, Njekwa told the court that Chilete was twisting the truth and 90 percent of what she had said was a lie, as she only wanted to gain public sympathy.
“Yes, I keep knives in the room, not under the pillow, but in the wardrobe because when they’re left in the kitchen, my wife and children are careless and people end up stealing them.”
“This woman also drinks a lot and comes home around 01:00 hours; she drinks so badly that any man can take advantage of her. When drunk, she can even fall just by pointing at her,” Njekwa said in his defense.
Presiding over the case, senior magistrate Lewis Mumba couldn’t hide his shock, describing the 26-years union as a toxic marriage and questioning what kind of a Lozi man Njekwa is that he would attempt to abuse his own children.
“It’s a taboo to send your in-laws chintako. If you are tired of being with someone, leave them in peace instead of turning your partner into a kalulu (rabbit), forcing her to keep hiding in the ceiling board for safety,” he said.
Magistrate Mumba then granted the divorce, ordering Njekwa to maintain custody of the children with a monthly contribution of K1,000.
He further ruled that no compensation would be awarded to either party.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba October 28, 2025
