Isha Nkhoma, a 20 year old lady from Chilobwe Township in Blantyre who was severely beaten up by her husband on Valentine’s day for dancing with ‘other men’, shocked the Blantyre Magistrate’s court today when she pleaded with the presiding Magistrate to free the husband.
The plea prompted Senior Resident Magistrate (SRM) Viva Nyimba to defer sentencing of the husband, Wezi Mhango 23, to Wednesday, February 17 2016.
The court heard that on Valentine’s Day, Mhango found his wife, Nkhoma, dancing with other men at a nearby bottle stole in Chilobwe Township.
According to court records, this annoyed him and started beating the wife until she was rescued by well wishers while unconscious.
Nkhoma sustained multiple cuts on the forehead and other parts of the body.
Court records also indicate that residents from the area got angry with Mhango’s behaviour and roughed him up, but was rescued by police.
Mhango pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding his wife, and was convicted by the Blantyre Magistrate’s court on his own plea.
Prosecutor Victor Nachuma asked the court to give Mhango a custodial sentence to teach him a lesson and to send a warning to others.
SRM Nyimba then asked Isha to explain to the court how she was feeling and what she would wish the court to do.
“In cases like these, we sometimes take consideration of the views of the victim,” he said.
Ironically, Isha while showing the court the wounds she sustained from the injury, pleaded with the Magistrate to release Mhango, saying he was a bread winner and her child would suffer if he goes to prison.
SRM Nyimba, visibly surprised, asked the prosecutor to have time with the victim and also urged the police to give the accused time with his relatives for counseling.
SRM Nyimba then adjourned the case to Wednesday morning.
In an interview after the adjournment, Isha said nobody has pushed her to ask for the release of her husband, but that she was only thinking of her child
