The Victim Support Unit (VUS) has encouraged citizens to familiarize themselves with the law on bigamy which forbids a person who is married under statutory law to get into another marriage.
VSU Deputy Division Coordinator Chief Inspector Tom Ngululu says that when an individual who is married under customary law marries another under statutory law, he or she commits an offence of bigamy which can see one imprisoned up to five years.
He was speaking on UNZA radio’s Lusaka Star programme.
Mr Ngululu stated that while customary marriages allow polygamous union, statutory marriage forbids polygamous marriages and that one can be prosecuted for bigamy if he or she marries another person while still legally married.
“If the second partner can also be prosecuted and sent to prison for up to five years as it is an offence under the laws of Zambia.” He said.
Mr Ngululu said ignorance is no defense and that people need to get to know the laws pertaining to marriage and their partners and find out their backgrounds in order to avoid committing such offences.
“Under the marriage Act section 34 cap 50 of the laws of Zambia; any person who is married under this act shall be incapable of marrying under African customary law during the subsistence of that marriage ‘’, he explained.
Chief Inspector Ngululu further explained that VSU has an open door policy and can offer counsel to couples both under statutory and customary marriages unions.
He further added that no one has been arrested from the video circulating on social media of a woman stopping her husband from marrying another woman in a named church saying the matter has not been reported to the police.
So that Abyssinian has fled because she knows she is complicit with some comedian calling himself a politician. Tiye nayo! Munzi uzapya apa! Waziletelela weka cabe so…
Go arrest chiefs Chitimukulu, Mpezeni and Mukuni.
Zambia is a schizophrenic country. On one hand they shout about preserving ‘traditional values’ but keep a foreign colonial law which forbids bigamy. On the other hand they cry against gays citing ‘traditional values’ and yet their colonial masters have moved on and decriminalised gays. On one hand they say, ‘Zambia is a Christian country’ but it is full of all sorts of moral evils even engaged in by the same people that make, interpret and execute the laws. Hands up anyone who has never had a s e x u a l encounter with someone they were never married to!
Let people enjoy their lives please.
Ati african customary law,as if we are under colonial rule,it should be changed to common law and statutory law..
And legalise gay marriage ? The lacunas which needs amendments . The is need to come up with good laws than this mess we hear.
TAYALI
We don’t need this NONSENSE of STATUTORY and CUSTOMARY law. This is OUR country and we should have only ONE law governing marriage, which law is based on the cultures and traditions of ZAMBIANS, that’s ALL.
@Hikavula is that practical?
So then just keep a mistress…