‘Promiscuous’ Lusaka Clergyman Divorced

By NOMSA NKANA
A CLERGYMAN who infected his wife with a sexually transmitted disease was divorced from his wife by a Lusaka boma local court.
Reverend David Sakala, 55, of John Howard was divorced last week by wife Christine, 53, and fined KR10,000 (K10 million).
Earlier, Christine told justices Mable Mwaba and Mary Namangala that the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church pastor is too promiscuous and that she had been through many problems since they married in 1995.
But Rev Sakala said Christine is a jealous woman who suspects him of having affairs with every woman in his church.
Christine told the court when Rev Sakala had no money, he was all over her but when his wheels of fortune changed, he dropped her like a bad habit.
“I think the money got to his head because after that, he became promiscuous,” she said.
Christine further narrated that one day around 22:00hrs Rev Sakala was away from home when she heard noise in her neighbour’s residence and when she went to check, she found him with another woman.
And in 2009, she said, she observed the clergyman used to go out at about 21:00hrs everyday pretending to buy drugs yet he was fraternising with his best friend’s wife.
“Whenever church members would call, he would answer from the house but other times, he would run outside to speak and when that happened, I knew it was a woman,” she said.
Christine said one night when they were in bed, the phone rang. He failed to answer it and when she forced him to pick it up, he claimed it was the women’s church chairlady who had called.
Later she followed him and discovered the woman he was involved with was her best friend, Bana Maureen.
She decided to end their marriage but Rev Sakala apologised and offered her a village chicken, KR5, a traditional way of conceding his misdeeds and asking for forgiveness.
She thought the gesture would put an end to their problems but instead, the clergyman started another affair with a woman called Irene.
When she asked him why he always treated her that way, he said he had no use for her as he preferred a fair complexioned woman and not one who has fistula.
Christine said at the time, she refused to leave him because he had infected her with gonorrhea [a sexually transmitted disease].
She then reported the reverend to the Human Rights Commission, who summoned and questioned him but he denied having extra-marital affairs.
“But while there, a pregnant woman, ‘ba make Godi’, walked in and claimed she was his wife who lived elsewhere where my husband rented a house for her,” she said.
She later left their home and sued the pastor for divorce.
In his statement, Reverend Sakala said he did not understand why his wife sued for divorce when they were no longer together.
According to him, their marriage had long ended because of Christine’s jealousy.
He denied having affairs saying the women in question were his church members and neighbours.
“She’s just been suspicious of me because we haven’t had sex in years,” he said.
Reverend Sakala, who is also a plumber, said the two have had no sex since 2008 because Christine complained that he broke her back.
He said Christine had destroyed his career because she had been to his church accusing him of infidelity before the church board.
The clergyman said he has now been dropped from his pastoral office and is standing in for someone who is yet to take over from him.