KALULUSHI-(MaraviPost)-A 46-year-old woman in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province has been arrested after allegedly assaulting her two sons for eating a meal she had told them they were forbidden to touch.
According to Copperbelt Police Commissioner Rae Hamoonga, the incident happened Wednesday evening in Magum Compound, Kalulushi.
Police say the mother had ordered her 11-year-old and 7-year-old boys to fetch water and imposed a “no food” punishment on them if they don’t fetch the water.
The two young boys did not fetch the water but went on to eat the nshima.
When she returned home, she reportedly discovered they had eaten nshima — the country’s staple maize meal — that she had cooked and set aside for their father.
Hamoonga said the woman then picked up a kettle and struck both children. The 11-year-old sustained injuries to his eye, head and right hand. His 7-year-old brother was hurt on the forehead and nose.
A member of the public who witnessed the incident alerted police. Officers issued medical forms and took the boys to hospital for treatment.
The suspect has since been detained at Kalulushi Police Station and charged with assault on a child. Investigations are continuing.
The case has sparked discussion online in Zambia about discipline, poverty and child welfare, with many calling for support services for struggling families.
Police have withheld the names of the children to protect their identities.
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