Sex with daughters for riches goes awry

Living with the naked truth that her husband was sleeping with their three daughters as a ritual to propel him to riches and prosperity was too much for Lizzie Kaunda.

But little did Kaunda, who lives in Tunduya Village, T/A Kabunduli in Nkhata Bay, know that reporting her husband’s missteps would be the beginning of agony for her and her children.

Her husband’s family banished her from the matrimonial home for reporting the matter that led to the jailing of the man.

Not even her parents accepted her back home. As a result, Kaunda, 39, now lives in a small shack with six of her children.

A torn mosquito net, strands of blankets and pieces of clothing cover the sides of the structure which has grass roofing and is anchored by hip high unbaked bricks.

Six wooden poles support the house which sits on land belonging to Kaunda’s brother.

A gaping space between the bricks and roof makes for an uncomfortable living for the seven occupants of the shack.

It all began when poverty took its toll on the family as they struggled to feed their eight children.

“My husband resorted to traditional doctors who advised him to sleep with our three daughters as a ritual to fulfil his longstanding desire for prosperity,” said Kaunda.

She said the husband, Kavuta Kaunda, 62, was initially  sleeping with their two daughters aged 11 and 13 years.

“I knew about it, but I could not report him because our culture demands that marriage issues be handled with secrecy. I tried to convince him to stop all this, but to no avail,” said Kaunda.

She said she could not ascertain how many times the man slept with the girls.

But in 2009, her patience ran out when she caught her husband sleeping with their six-year-old daughter, now 10.

“He forced himself on her. My little daughter bled profusely in her private parts. She couldn’t walk.

“I reported the matter to my husband’s parents, but they shouted at me, saying it was a family affair that should be resolved within the confines of the matrimonial home,” said Kaunda.

Her other option was to reveal the traumatising experience to her parents, but they were no different from her in-laws.

“They told me to shut up and keep the issue to myself. I thought they would understand me being their daughter, but I was wrong,” said Kaunda.

But the burden was too much for her. She confided in Judith Viyuyi, a member of Kabunduli Women Forum, who took the defiled girl to Mzuzu Central Hospital for medical attention.

Kaunda was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 26 years imprisonment, which was reduced to nine years.

Magistrate Sophie Chimaliro confirmed presiding over the case at Nkhata Bay Magistrate’s Court.

“The police were not willing to arrest the person. I ordered them to arrest him so that he should face the hand of the law. But they could not comply. I threatened that if they don’t bring the person, I will not preside over any other cases. That’s when they complied,” said Chimaliro.

Genesis of agony

Life became a nightmare for Kaunda and her children immediately after her husband was arrested. She could not return to her husband’s family because they were all up in arms against her and the three daughters for sending their father to prison.

In 2012, after being spurned by her own parents, her brother lent her a piece of land where she built the house and settled.

“ My nephews are threatening to set my shelter on fire, saying they do not want me around their home,” said Kaunda.

One of the defiled daughters, now 17, appears to have given up on life.

“I can’t go to school anymore because my friends make fun of me for sleeping with my father,” she said.

By contrast, her siblings, who are now 15 and 10 years old, still go to school.

T/A Kabunduli confirmed Kaunda’s ordeal on Wednesday. He said chiefs in the area are ready to give her land elsewhere if she decides to leave her brother’s compound.

Kaunda’s brother, Suzgika Mhone, confirmed that she is living on his land but denied that the family banished her from their father’s land.

Her parents and the husband’s could not be reached to comment on the matter.

The Church and Society Programme of the Livingstonia Synod took up the issue.

Project officer Carlo Gondwe said the project has engaged the Department of Social Welfare in the district to help the family.

Gondwe said discussions are underway with St John of God Centre in Mzuzu for psych-socio support to the three defiled girls.

“We have also set up an income generating activity for Lizzie and other survivors of gender-based violence as a way of empowering them economically. In addition, she will be linked to a village savings loan group in the area which will increase her income level and enable her to support her family,” she said.