Chief Kabamba of the Lala people of Serenje District in Central Province has dissolved marriages of the ten pupils from Teta Primary School who were married off by their parents.
The traditional leader said he does not want early marriages in his chiefdom, saying that was the reason he dissolved the marriages of the ten pupils of Teta Primary School who were married off by their parents recently.
Chief Kabamba said he has taken the pupils back to school because he would like to foster development by educating the children in his chiefdom and he has since punished the parents with community work.
The traditional leader warned that he will not sit back and watch children that are supposed to be in school to be spoiled by forcing them in marriages.
He said: “Marriage is not an idol for somebody who is not matured to start worshiping but it has to be given time.”
Chief Kabamba has since called on his subjects to refrain from such activities, adding that anyone found wanting will be punished accordingly.
And head teacher at Teta Primary School, Fernardy Mumba, thanked the traditional leader for the stance he has taken to dissolve the marriages of the ten girls, saying it has assisted the school administration to settle the impasse with the parents.
Mr Mumba called on the parents to work together and bring back all the pupils who have left school for different reasons so that literacy levels in the area are uplifted.
I just hope that the chief will sponsor these kids and keep them fenced off so that their ‘husbands’ don’t snatch them during the night for illicit sexual activities. The best answer to the problem of early marriages, in my opinion, lies in educating these parents of the need to have their children educated so that a better future can be guaranteed for them.
I never slept with anyone until I was 20. They should make it a law that sex before 20 is illegal and women should be allowed to get married when they are at least 24 years old.
Anything less arrest the culprits.
Thanks
Mmmmmmh after abaice babumfwa ifyo bumfwika, ifyobwingila and ifyo bucita awe mwandi katwishi.
Good for you Chief. The problem is that our government has not criminalised early marriages. Surely sex with an underage child is crime? Carnal knowledge of a minor is a crime. This is the same thing only done under the guise of marriage.
@ Zambian Namayo you’re right.
In fact if all the legal formalities were followed according to customary law, these marriages are still legally intact.
Only a competent court of law can nullify a legally constituted marriage and not a chief.
The solution is to provide for a law that declares such marriages void ab initial.
I guess we can say it’s better than nothing. One progressive thinking chief among hundreds of dunderheads.