Chipata couple gave some dog meat to 8 children says Witness in court

A WITNESS  told the fully packed Chipata Magistrate Court
that a couple gave some parts of the dog meat which they had claimed
to be goat meat to eight children and some people who were drinking
beer.
This is in a case in which Ruth Mwanza, meat seller and her husband
Charles Mwanza both of Munga Township are charged with common nuisance
contrary to section 172(1) of the Penal Code 87 as read with section
79 of the public health Act Chapter 295 of the Laws of Zambia.
It is alleged that the two on January 6th, 2017 jointly and whilst
acting together offered to sell dog meat purporting it to be goat
meat.
Fridah Jere 22, of Munga Township told Resident Magistrate Boniface
Mwala on Thursday that the couple on the material day around 08:00
hours came to her mother’s place with a dish which contained some meat.
She told the court that the meat was covered with a table cloth and
the woman asked her mother to buy some goat meat.
“When they came with meat and asked my mother (Amake Mpundu) to buy
some goat meat which they had. The meat was covered with a table cloth
but my mother replied that she had no money to buy the (dog) meat,”
she said.
She revealed that after her mother failed to buy some pieces of the
meat which was in the range of K1 to K4, the two sets of twins, her
two children and two children of her brother started crying which
prompted the accused (Ruth) to give them some pieces of cooked dog
meat which the woman was selling.
Ms Jere said after the eight children were given the pieces of meat,
some of the people who were drinking beer also took turns to buy the
meat.
“It was at that particular time that the people who bought the meat
started saying these is not a genuine meat but should be dog meat. At
that time the couple had already left and the  children had already eaten the
meat, “she said.
She said around 14:00 hours, the couple return back to her mother’s
drinking place and it was that moment when the two were apprehended by
the people who ate the meat in question.
Ms Jere said the appearance of the meat was not okay adding that it
had bad smell.
During the cross examination by the two accused persons, the witness
maintained that it was not a good meat adding that the smell had
proven enough that it was a dog meat.
And Magistrate Mwala directed that the prosecution team should bring
all the three witnesses remaining by February 10th  to
conclude with the trial.
The matter had since been adjourned to February 10, 2017