By Esther Chisola
Two girls aged 11 and 12, have narrated before Lusaka Magistrate Mutinta Mwenya how a 61 year-old security guard threatened to kill them if they screamed for help while he was defiling them at his single roomed house.
The victims were testifying in a matter in which Binwell Mwansa 61, is facing two counts of defilement of a child contrary to the laws of Zambia.
Allegations are that Mwansa on dates unknown but between April 1, 2024 and April 26, 2024 in Lusaka had unlawful carnal knowledge of the girls under the age of 16 years.
When the matter came up for trial, one of the girls narrated to magistrate Mwenya how the accused gave them a K10 to share after defiling them.
She said she was coming from school when she met Mwansa who asked her to go to his house with her friend.
“We went to his house and left our shoes outside. He told me to undress and had carnal knowledge with me. My friend was sitting down in the sitting room. He gave us a K10 to share. He peeped outside if people were coming and upon noticing there was no one he asked us to leave,” she narrated.
The girl said she later told the sister who reported the matter to Chilanga police where they were referred to UTH (University Teaching Hospital).
She said the defilement happened on April 26 at the suspect’s one roomed house.
The girl said the incident happened four times since last year.
“We used to go to his house to clean and wash plates. I felt pain. He used to be our neighbour. He threatened to kill me,” she said.
During cross-examination, the victim was asked if the accused asked them to enter his house, one of them responded saying, “yes you told us to sit down after we finished cleaning.”
Further asked if they did have carnal knowledge with the accused in his house, the girl responded in the affirmative.
The other victim also narrated how she was defiled and how she saw her friend being defiled.
“He called me to his house to clean and made me sleep in his room, removed his manhood and had sex with me. I felt pain. After some days my friend came to pick me up and asked me to escort her to Mwansa’s house and I accompanied her,” she narrated.
The girls said Mwansa welcomed them to his house that was why they also cleaned the house and he gave them some drinks.
She said the suspect had sex with her friend whilst she was in the living room.
“I peeped in the room and saw him having sex with my friend. I had white discharge coming out from my vagina the time he had sex with me, it was very painful,” she narrated.
In cross-examination, the victim was asked why she did not shout so that the accused landlord sitting in the corridor could hear, she responded saying, “you stopped us and threatened us”.
Further asked how he threatened them, she responded saying, “you told us you would kill us and wouldn’t eat your things”.
The matter comes up on November 13, 2024 for continued trial.
