‘She is our daughter, she never died’

THE Ndola family which staked a second claim over a girl reported to have resurrected, has affirmed that she is their daughter with whom they have lived since birth and dismissed claims by the other family that she had risen from the dead.

Yesterday both families were summoned and appeared at Ndola central police, but results of the DNA tests were not released.

Aunt of the girl, Marion Gondwe, said in an interview yesterday that her family has been traumatised and insisted that the girl had a mental condition. She has lived in Mine Masala since birth.

She said the girl’s father is Richard Mwape, a businessman, while her mother is Irene Gondwe who worked for a Chinese firm.

Her mother has since been released by the company as she was constantly away to attend to the issue surrounding her daughter’s controversial parentage.

Ms Gondwe said the girl’s name is Mwaba Mwape, a 16-year-old, who was once at Chilengwa Primary School, but stopped her studies in grade six because of her mental condition.

Early last month, Ndola erupted into a mixture of excitement and confusion when word went round that a girl in Masala had resurrected from the dead after two years.

A family laid a firm claim that their daughter, Winnie Lufunja, who had died in November 2016 at the age of 15 had returned home.

Authorities were prompted to exhume the coffin at Mitengo cemetery where the remains were found to be intact. Samples were taken from the remains and from the two families for DNA tests but results have been delayed.

The Gondwes and the Lufunjas were most of the day at the police awaiting the DNA results, but were advised to submit more samples.

Ms Gondwe complained that the family has suffered trauma for almost two months and that their daughter had been kept away from them.

Police sources said that the girl has been admitted to the Ndola Teaching Hospital psychiatric ward and that the social welfare department has been taking care of her.

Neighbours of the Gondwe’s told the Daily Nation that they had known Mwaba for a long time and that the Lufunjas were just mislead by a pastor who kept praying with them with the hope that one day their daughter would come back to life.

Apparently, both the Lufunjas and Gondwes are residents of Mine Masala Township.

Ms Gondwe said the girl was initially looking so well but that her condition had deteriorated from the time she was taken to the psychiatric ward where they had been denied access.