Man chops wife’s hand in Kasungu
April 15, 2020 is a day that 35-year-old woman, Matinesi Kajani, will never forget as her husband chopped her hand following a disagreement that ensued between the two.
Kajani, who hails from Mankhangala Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mnyanja, Kasungu District, becomes a recent victim of the cruel Gender Based Violence (GBV).
During our visit to Kajani’s home village, we established that she got married to her husband last year.
According to Bernard Kajani, an uncle to the victim, his niece had been complaining of GBV after she got married, and family members advised her to return to her home until they could settle their differences.
He said the two have been on separation and the suspect kept coming to the victim’s house over possibility of reconciliation, a thing which did not work out.
“On April 15, 2020 her husband came to our village on a mission to take their child. My niece refused to let him to take the child, a thing which did not go well with the husband, it was this time that he produced a Panga knife which he used to chop off the right hand of my niece and he escaped,” Kajani said.
The uncle said his niece had blocked the husband’s attempts to take the child on the basis that the child is still young and therefore needed to complete her under five clinic sessions.
Kajani’s hand has since been amputated at Kasungu District Hospital.
Kasungu Police Public Relations Officer Harry Namwaza confirmed the development, saying the suspect, Bernard Mwale, was arrested and is in police custody.
“I can confirm that we arrested a man identified as Bernard Mwale who comes from Chaola Village in Traditional Authority Chulu’s area for allegedly hacking his wife’s hand, leaving her in such a horrific condition that doctors had no choice but to amputate the hand,” he said.
According to Namwaza, the suspect is remanded at Kasungu Prison as the state is waiting for full medical report at Kasungu District Hospital.
Meanwhile, Gender Coordination Network GCN Executive Director Barbara Banda has condemned the incident, saying they will do everything possible to ensure that the man is held answerable.
“As an organisation, we will follow up this matter against such barbaric acts of gender based violence against a woman, such acts are perpetrated by cowards who fear independent women, and in turn resort to physical violence against them,” Banda said.
In 2006, the country also witnessed a terrible and unprecedented incident to do with GBV after Marieta Samuel, a woman from Dowa District, had both her hands maimed by her husband Herbert Mankwala, who accused her of infidelity.
Mankhwala was arrested and jailed for 14 years.
