A musician of Katete will continue to spend his life in a correctional facility after the Court of Appeal upheld the death sentence imposed on him for murdering his mother over money.

John Daka, of Malewera at the border of Zambia and Mozambique, murdered his mother, Fadalesi Phiri, on June 21, 2019 and three days later he opened a shop. According to the prosecution evidence, Ms Phiri and her children lived in a village located near the Mozambican border in Katete.

It was heard that early in the morning on June 21, 2019, Ms Phiri left home to go to the garden, leaving her children, Daka and his siblings, at home.

Shortly afterwards, Daka also left home heading in the direction of the village and returned three hours later. When their mother did not return in the evening, Daka and his siblings followed their mother to the garden, where they found her dead.

Three days after burial, Daka opened a shop in Katete, prompting his other siblings to question him on how and where he acquired the money for the business.

According to his siblings, Daka confessed to having killed his mother so that he could get the money to open the said shop.
However, Daka denied the allegation and accused his siblings of wanting to implicate him in the death of their mother.

He also stated that he started running the shop with his wife in 2016. Daka further stated in his defence that on the material day, he went to put up posters to advertise his show in Mozambique as he was a musician.

In a ruling passed during the current session in Ndola, the Court of Appeal admitted the confession statement which he made to his siblings. The court stated that there was no motive as to why his siblings would implicate him in the death of their mother.

Zambia Daily Mail
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