Mother narrates in court how husband defiled their vulnerable 19-year-old daughter

Another case of incest and abuse has unfolded in a Lusaka Magistrates’ Court,as a mother took the stand to testify against her husband, accused of defiling their 19-year-old daughter with a disability.

The woman, who has been married to the accused, Bright Musonda, for 23 years, recounted the horrific events that led to her daughter’s revelation.

She explained that her daughter had been living with a disability since birth, having suffered from meningitis at the age of two months.

Read more: Mother testifies, accuses husband of defiling her 14-year-old daughter

The mother testified that her daughter had confided in her about the abuse, stating that the accused had touched her breasts and had canal knowledge of her on two occasions.

The daughter had allegedly been warned by the accused not to disclose the abuse, or he would kill her.

“She said that it happened on two occasions. She said on the second occasion, he had sent the others to buy jiggies. When she told the father that what he was doing was bad, he replied that he did that because he loved her. When it happened, I had gone to town, that’s whereI sell from. My daughter revealed this to me between July and August, 2024,”

The mother’s testimony revealed that she had not reported the incident to the police immediately, instead choosing to wait for her mother-in-law to arrive from the Copperbelt.

However, her daughter had taken matters into her own hands and reported the abuse to the police, leading to the accused’s arrest.
“My husband followed my daughter whilst she was in the house so that he could take advantage of her. He did not succeed in having sex with her. She said she was sleeping in the chair and felt him touching her breasts.
She said he asked her if she wanted to repeat what they had done and that’s how she went outside the house.
“She went to the lady who owns a makeshift store and explained to her. That’s how he was reported to the police,” she explained.

She further narrated this: “She told me that she had reported her father to the police. I asked her what would follow next? This was the time she told me that it was because I wasn’t doing anything about it. She said the police would come to arrest him,”.

During cross-examination, the mother admitted that she had not taken action against her husband after her daughter’s revelation, citing that she was waiting for her mother-in-law’s guidance.

She also acknowledged that her daughter’s disability made her more vulnerable to abuse.
The accused, faces two counts of incest and two counts of indecent assault.

The trial continues on April 22, 2025 before Magistrate Amy Masoja.

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