45 year old Sraj Umar Banda from Zambia was hailed as a fantastic multicultural venture by the state-owned mining company LKAB – but at the same time he committed hundreds of systematic abuses of his daughters which consisted of oral, vaginal and anal rapes that began when the daughters were eleven and twelve years old.

One of the daughters was forced to have two abortions after she became pregnant.

Banda has now been sentenced to a maximum of 14 years in prison.

The extremely serious and extensive crimes were discovered at the beginning of the year when one of the girls, now in her late teens, started telling friends and then the social services about the abuse she and her sister had been subjected to for several years.

The perpetrator in question is their father, the 45-year-old immigrant Sraj Umar Banda who moved to Sweden from Zambia because he was granted state money to do a doctorate in rock mechanics at Luleå University of Technology.

He then came to work for the state mining company LKAB in Svappavaara, where he was hailed as a fantastic multicultural venture.

But even when he was arrested, he could admit in the first interrogations that he had raped the two sisters since they were eleven and twelve years old and that there were so many rapes that he could not even state a clear number himself.

“I’m not here to save my own skin, but I admit the damage I caused,” he said in the first police interrogation.

Now the incestuous child rapist has been sentenced to the highest possible punishment for the systematic rapes of his own daughters.

Hundreds of brutal rapes – one of the girls was forced into two abortions.

The abuse lasted between 2013 and until this spring.

For one girl, it is from the time she was 11 until she was 14 years old and according to Banda herself has touched “almost 100 intercourses”.

The other girl was exposed when she was twelve years old and several years ahead and, according to Banda, was about “well over 100 intercourses”.

Estimates that according to the girls themselves are the tip of the iceberg of rapes that have occurred several times a week.

According to one of the girls, she remembered how the first rape took place:

“He was naked and I was scared, he closed the door and closed it again so no one would see. I tried to stop him, I shouted at him, kind of stop. I knew what [he] was going to do. He took Vaseline on my vagina and on his penis. It hurt and blood came.”

But Banda not only contented herself with raping one of the girls but also started raping her sister.

Sometimes he forced himself on both of them at the same time as they lay next to each other in one of the beds in the home.

He also took pictures and filmed his rapes and assaults – materials that became important evidence in the trial.

The Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection through the Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company had dispatched quality surveillance team to thoroughly investigate the source of the suspected contamination in order to institute the necessary corrective measures.

This follows the report on the suspected water contamination in Section B of Mtendere Compound in Lusaka.

Minister responsible Dr Jonas Chanda says it has preliminary been established that the suspected affected area is localized to Section B of Mtendere Compound, consisting of about 26 households.

Dr Chanda said the water supply to the affected area was isolated and the residents are being supplied with treated water using water bowsers.

He said in a statement that Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company has heightened investigations in order to establish the actual source of the problem and take remedial action.

“In the meantime, I wish to appeal to the affected residents to exercise patience and cooperate with Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company as they conclude their investigations. I also wish to assure the rest of the residents of Mtendere Compound and surrounding communities that the treated water being supplied to their areas is consistently checked for quality and remains fit for consumption”, he said.

Dr Chanda says Government attaches great importance to the supply of clean treated water to all the residents in the country and will therefore endeavor to ensure that water companies enhance their quality surveillance so that the water being supplied meets the quality standards required.

“this is why Government, in line with the Vision 2030, the Seventh National Development Plan and Sustainable Development Goals which aim to provide universal access to clean and safe water and sanitation services for all by the year 2030, without leaving anyone behind has embarked on major water supply and sanitation projects namely Kafue Bulk Water Supply Project, Lusaka Water Supply, Sanitation and Drainage Project and Lusaka Sanitation Project, Emergency Water Supply Improvement Project to selected Peri – Urban areas in Lusaka” he added.

He said other projects include Zambia Water Supply and Sanitation Project under Mulonga Water Supply and Sanitation Company in Mufulira, Chingola and Chililabombwe, Kafubu Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project, Kafulafuta Water Supply System Project, Nkana Water Supply and Sanitation Project Phase II, Integrated Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project, covering Western, Luapula, Muchinga and Northern Provinces and Transforming Rural Livelihoods in Western Zambia Project in Western Province covering all 16 districts.

Dr Chanda said these projects are supported by Cooperating Partners in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Zambia.

He said because of these major efforts that Government is taking, there has been significant improvement in the national coverage of water supply from 65 per cent in 2014 to 72 per cent currently. There has also been significant improvement in the national coverage of sanitation services from 25 per cent in 2014 to 54 per cent at present.

Dr Chanda said with the conclusion of all these major water supply and sanitation projects, we expect that the country will be on its way to achieving universal access to water supply and sanitation by the year 2030.

Lusaka Mayor Miles Sampa says the water contamination in Mtendere Township has been caused by the bursting of two water pipes underground causing faecal matter to mix with the commodity.

Mr Sampa said it was established during a site visit he undertook with the Lusaka Water and Sanitation Company that one or two water pipes have busted underground and mixing with faecal matter as evidenced by the foul smell of the water.

Mr Sampa said he also inspected the reported water contamination at Chainama golf club.

He said the Lusaka Water and Sanitation Company has since sent their 10,000 litres Water Bowser to the area so that residents can draw clean Water for their domestic usage.

He said he had a phone conversation with Lusaka Water and Sanitation Company Managing Director Jonathan Kampata who assured him that underground pipes in the affected area will be repaired as soon as possible.

He reiterated his call on residents in the affected areas to avoid tap water for and draw from the bowser until repairs are completed.

The Lusaka Water and Sanitation Company recently advised Mtendere residents to avoid tap water after they received water contamination reports from the area.

Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Patrick Matibini has commended the Law Association of Zambia for its renewed commitment in collaborating with the National Assembly on matters of governance.

Speaking when the newly elected President of the Association Abyudi Shonga, SC, paid a courtesy call on him, Dr Matibini stressed the need for the Association to get more involved in the work of Parliament.

Dr Matibini said enhanced engagement and contribution to the work of Parliament is cardinal in fostering the relationship between the two institutions.

He however, noted that, critical governance related matters ought to be resolved through engagement, as opposed to initiating legal actions as a first resort.

Dr Matibini said Legal actions should if need be invoked as a last resort.

He noted that it was wise of the LAZ leadership to trace its birthplace.

“The Association is in fact established through an Act of Parliament. Thus the institution should be professional and focused on its statutory mandate and mission. And ensure that it transacts its business in an apolitical manner or fashion”, he said.

Dr Matibini indicated to the Association that he was open and amenable to dialogue whenever necessary.

Meanwhile, President of the Law Association of Zambia Abyudi Shonga, SC, pledged to collaborate and interface with the National Assembly of Zambia as mandated, especially in the area of promoting the reform of the law, both by the amendment of and the removal of imperfections in existing law, and by the re-formulation, codification or restatement of particular branches of the law.

Mr Shonga expressed gratitude for the invitations to participate in making submissions on bills that were under consideration by the National Assembly.

He however implored the National Assembly to consider increasing the notice period that the Association is given to make submissions before the relevant committees in order to make significant contributions.

Mr Shonga further expressed concern that, in some cases, well researched contributions by LAZ were glossed over and therefore, urged the National Assembly to apply much more consideration to the submissions.

Mr Shonga, SC, was accompanied by two other Council Members namely Sokwani Chilembo and Kampamba Kombe.

This is according to a statement issued to the media by Clerk of the National Assembly Cecilia Mbewe.