Maravi

Irene Kunda in court over property grabbing

Irene Kunda in court over property grabbing
By Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Wed 27 July 2011, 14:00 CAT

VICE-President George Kunda’s wife, Irene, has been sued by her late brother’s widow for trying to grab the deceased’s house. Before Ndola local court principal presiding magistrate Jona Mwaba sitting with senior local court magistrate Mary Muke was Maria Malama, the widow of Mukuwa Mwize (Irene’s brother), of house number 1427 Ndeke Township.

Maria told court that Irene wanted to chase her from her “matrimonial” house and turn it into a museum.

“My husband died in 2003. So early this year, I started receiving my husband’s relatives trying to chase me from the house. First, my late husband’s niece came to the house and told me that she was instructed by her aunt, Mrs Kunda to chase me from the house because it did not belong to me,” she said.

“Even the two boys that I was keeping came and tried to remove me from house saying that Mrs Kunda asked them to remove me from the house. They claimed that the house belonged to their grandmother, my husband’s mother. But the truth is that my husband got a loan and paid for the house,” she said.

Maria also explained that Irene had instructed some people from the Ndola City Council to remove the house file.

She said that when she went to the council to check for the file, she was told that Irene wanted the same file.

“I went to the council and they couldn’t find the file, I was then asked if I was related to Mrs Kunda and I said that I was her sister-in-law. The officer at the council told me that she (Irene) was interested in the file and that the file was in the director’s office. When I went into the director’s office, he told me that Mrs Kunda wanted him to change the names on the title deed,” she said.

She explained that the director told her that he had not yet signed the document.

“I have put a caveat on the house. I was later told that Mrs Kunda wanted to put a caveat on the house as well,” she said.

And Irene explained that her mother, Rosaria Mwize, used to work for the council and that she was the sitting tenant.

She said she put the house in his late brother’s names after her mother’s death and that the offer letter came in his name.

“I am the one who paid for that house. It was my mother’s house and because we only had two brothers, I decided to buy each of them a house and I bought Mukuwa the Ndeke house,” she explained.

When examining Maria, Irene was immotional and she broke down.

“I used to help this women a lot, I gave her everything that she wanted. I used to feed her, but why should I want to get title deeds for that house, musebanya walikwata, Lesa akamikanda,” she cried but the court told her to control herself.

The court warned Irene to control herself failure to which she could be cited for contempt.

“No, this is hurting,” she responded and cried as she explained. “We have left everything to this woman, even the chairs that belonged to my parents, why should she be accusing me of getting the title deeds of the house I paid for?” she said.

Irene later told the court to give the house to Maria but the court told her that she had no right to direct the court on what to do.

The matter was later adjourned to August 29th for judgment.

Labels: COURTS, GEORGE KUNDA, NDOLA CITY COUNCIL

posted by MrK @ 5:46 PM