AWARD winning veteran journalist Maureen Nkandu has asked the Lusaka High Court to dissolve her six-year marriage with former diplomat Cosmas Chileshe.

Even though she did not give details of how her marriage cannot work, the Television host says the union has broken down irretrievably.
“The parties have lived apart for a continuous period of at least two years immediately preceding the presentation of this petition”.
The former ZNBC employee submits in court that on June 6, 2018, as a divorcee, she lawfully wed Mr Chileshe, a journalist.
Ms Nkandu, the Under-Secretary-General Public Relations and Engagement Organisation of Southern Cooperation, says in court documents that her 2018 wedding ceremony was celebrated before the registrar of marriages at the Lusaka civic centre.
“The petitioner and the respondent [Mr Chileshe] last lived together as husband and wife at plot 609/E/77/A/158: Foxdale, Chamber Valley, Lusaka.
“The petitioner is domiciled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia whilst the respondent is domiciled in Zambia.
“The petitioner’ is an under- Secretary General for public relations, an international diplomat with inter-governmental organisation, and the respondent is a former journalist and former diplomat at the Zambian High commission in Washington DC,US”.
She says the couple has no children between them but she has three of her own borne before she wed Mr Chileshe, who also has six of his own children.
“There are other children now living born to the respondent[Mr Chileshe] before the marriage so far as is known to the petitioner , six children”.
The petitioner adds that there are no active proceedings in any country outside Zambia in respect of the marriage or capable of affecting its validity.
“No agreement or arrangement has been made or proposed to be made between the petitioner and the respondent for the support of either of the parties or the children”.
She prays that her marriage to Mr Chileshe be dissolved.
“Custody of the children belonging to the petitioner be granted to the petitioner and that custody of the children belonging to the respondent be granted to the respondent respectively”.
Court documents indicate that Mr Chilese has consented to the divorce, as the couple will be among the over 30,000 divorce petitions filed countrywide last year.
(seblif, Thursday, 12th December, 2024)