By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –

THE Lusaka Magistrate Court has ordered that former information minister Newstead Zimba’s ex-wife Naomi Mbewe be given 25 per cent share of the house in Woodlands that the couple has been fighting over in court.
Magistrate Irene Wushimanga ordered that the house, number 41 Nalikwanda Road in Woodlands, be valued and if sold, Naomi should get 25 per cent of the total amount while Mr Zimba should get the remaining 75 per cent.
Ms Wushimanga said that in an event that the house was not sold, Mr Zimba should pay Ms Mbewe 25 per cent of the total amount of the value of the house based on its valuation.
She ordered that Ms Mbewe keeps the X-Trail motor vehicle which she has been using.
Ms Mbewe had appealed against the Lusaka local court’s decision to grant Mr Zimba the house after their divorce.
Ms Mbewe contended that she equally contributed to the purchase of the house while in marriage as such, she should also benefit from it.
Mr Zimba, who is a former diplomat, has also appealed against the local court’s decision to give Naomi one of the two vehicles claiming the vehicle was his.
But Ms Wushimanga said in her judgment yesterday that the house should be valued and that Ms Mbewe gets a quarter of the valued amount for the house.
Ms Wushimanga further ordered that the household goods should be shared equally between the two and that their youngest child should be in the custody of Ms Mbewe.
As shareholders in the Cosmetology Consultancy Limited each one of them could sell the shares they held in the company.
The older children as adults could decide whom they wanted to stay with.
Ms Wushimanga said the appeal has succeeded in part for both Mr Zimba and Ms Mbewe.
Bur Mr Zimba has indicated that he would appeal against Ms Wushimanga’s decision because he was not happy.
During trial, Mr Zimba had told the court that the Nalikwanda road house which Ms Mbewe was claiming was the only house remaining for him and his children.