Hairdresser narrates torture in Spax trial

A 32-YEAR-OLD hair dresser has testified in the Kitwe High Court how she was detained and tortured after it was discovered that she was living with a nephew who was on the police wanted list and accused of murder last year. Ms Queen Namusokwe of Solwezi told the court that her nephew, Jimmy Chibuye Bwembya went to her house on December 6, last year with the idea of getting himself a job at Kalumbila mine. This is a case involving Boyd Kamizhi 24, Maclean Kamizhi 22, Gilbert Zimba 22, Syvio Kwibisa 22, Jimmy Bwembya 23 and 29-year- old Kabaso Mulenga popularly known as “Spax.” They are appearing before Kitwe High Court judge, Abha Patel, for attempted murder, rape and murder. Details are that between January 22 and 23, 2020, the accused murdered Emmanuel Maponda of Chingola. In count two, the accused persons on dates unknown but between January 22 and 23 attempted to murder Billy Maponda in Chingola. In the third count, they allegedly attempted to murder Sheila Bwembya while in the fourth they attempted to murder Stanley Maponda in Chingola. In the last count and on the same date the four raped a woman. Ms Namusokwe said that while at the police station, police officers arrived around 03:00 hours the following morning and told her that her nephew, Jimmy was apprehended. She told the court that from that point, she remained in detention up to January 28, 2020. "I was told that they detained me for having been living with a criminal. I was tortured and beaten while in detention to the point of losing the sense of hearing on my left ear," she testified. And Alfred Chilufya, a police officer at Solwezi Central police testified that he arrested the accused at his friend's house in Zambia compound after being led by his sister, Mumba.