Kidnappers Sentenced To Life Imprisonment In Landmark Case Against GBV

Zambian prosecutors sent out a clear message against gender-based violence and trafficking yesterday, as the National Prosecutions Authority (NPA) secured life imprisonment sentences against two men found guilty of abducting 13 women.

James Bwalya Mulenga and Mathews Sikaongo were sentenced by the Lusaka High Court to over 800 years’ imprisonment, combined, on a number of charges, including abduction, rape, aggravated assault with intent to steal, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and grievous bodily harm.

The victims were 13 women, one of them pregnant, and were held captive for more than 7 months until the Zambian Police Service’s investigation led to their rescue. The police located the house where the abducted were being held, in the Chalala area of Lusaka, after investigating the disappearance of Pamela Chisumpa. Five individuals were detained in connection to the case, with three being arrested in Lusaka and two in Kaoma, Western Province.

Sikaonga and Bwalya were apprehended while attempting to cross the border into Angola; a video was widely shared on social media, in which one of the men expressed remorse, explained that the crimes were financially motivated, and apologised to the families of the victims. The suspect suggested that the pair intended to leave the country with the money they were hoping to collect.

After their rescue, the thirteen women were put under the care of the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services. The women were sheltered in safe houses and were medically assessed. Although relieved to have escaped their ordeal, some of the victims showed physical evidence of abuse; all thirteen underwent therapy for the trauma they had sustained. Social workers and psychologists from Chainama Hospital, together with the government’s gender services and NGOs, offered the women support while they recovered.

The women’s identities remained anonymous throughout the trial for their safety. The prosecution’s use of ‘victim impact statements’ in the trail was crucial to the milestone sentence of more than 800 years handed to the two perpetrators. The case is being considered a landmark event in Zambian legislation, with the successful police investigation, rescue and reintegration of the victims, arrest of suspects and severe sentences sending a message that Zambia’s legal system protects women and is determined to end gender-based violence.