A magistrate in Lusaka has given a 28-year-old maid a one-year simple imprisonment sentence for stealing household items valued at over K260,000. This ruling aims to send a serious warning to domestic workers throughout the city.
Magistrate Mutinta Mwenya showed great concern about the betrayal of trust by the maid, Mirriam Muntanga, who was responsible for taking care of her employer’s home. She was found guilty of theft by servant, a charge she admitted to in court.
“It’s really upsetting that someone would break such trust. Should people stop hiring maids now?” Magistrate Mwenya questioned. “Someone trusts you with their hard-earned belongings, and you choose to steal from them. How would you feel if it happened to you?”
The court learned that on September 9, 2024, the complainant, Mwewa Tembo, left his home in the care of Muntanga while his kids were at school. Later that day, Mr. Tembo got a call from his wife saying their children were stuck at the gate with no one to let them in.
When Mrs. Tembo returned home, she found the kitchen door open and the house empty. Muntanga had vanished and was not answering her phone.
A check of the house showed that many items were missing, including:
10 pots,
3 suitcases,
35 bedsheets,
A set of drinking glasses,
A toaster,
Several pairs of children’s shoes.
The total value of the stolen goods was estimated at K260,000. After investigations, Muntanga was found outside Lusaka, and property worth K210,000 was recovered from a friend named Mary Chirwa.
During her court hearing, Muntanga confessed to taking the items but said she didn’t know what happened to the other missing things.
In her defense, she showed regret, saying she had learned a hard lesson. “Stealing is not right. I could make my children suffer,” she said.
