Widow Seeks Justice After Refusing Controversial ‘Cleansing Ritual’

In a significant legal case, a 34-year-old widow from Chingwere in Lusaka has brought her in-laws to court, claiming they retaliated against her for declining to partake in a ‘widow cleansing’ ritual that involved a sexual encounter with an elderly man in his 70s.

Violet Nankamba, a dedicated businesswoman and mother of two, shared her experience at the Matero Local Court, revealing that following her husband’s passing, her in-laws pressured her to engage in sexual relations with a senior man as mandated by Lenje traditional customs. The ritual was to be held on the very bed where her late husband had passed away.

Nankamba recounted that upon refusing this demand, her late husband’s family took severe actions, including moving the funeral to their rural village and seizing possessions accumulated during her marriage.

“They insisted that unless I engaged with the man, I would remain unclean. They even took a piece of cloth from the coffin and made me wear it, disregarding my circumstances,” she recounted.

Alongside the disturbing request to sleep with the elderly man on her marital bed, Nankamba also faced threats of exclusion from the family, emphasizing that rejecting the ritual would mean she could not return to them in times of need.

Esther Chisulo, 38, Nankamba’s sister-in-law and a defendant in the case, distanced herself from the ritual, stating she merely observed and directed the court to her father for additional details.

When questioned, the deceased’s father, Ernest Chisulo, 60, recognized that the demands on Nankamba aligned with Lenje tradition but expressed that he personally would not engage in such practices if in her situation.

Magistrate Harriet Mulenga, overseeing the proceedings, has adjourned the case until May 15, 2025, and mandated that all parties involved in the alleged ritual, including the elderly man, present themselves in court for further examination.