Lusaka magistrate Greenwell Malumani has sentenced Zambia Association of Musicians president Njoya Tembo’s wife Brenda to five years simple imprisonment for assaulting her 13-year-old niece.

Facts before the court were that Brenda beat up her niece for using a pressing iron which she was prohibited from touching.

Magistrate Malumani convicted Brenda on Tuesday after finding her guilty as charged.

When the matter came up for sentencing yesterday, magistrate Malumani gave Brenda a five-year simple imprisonment sentence saying she had to be punished for the cruelty she exhibited on a vulnerable child.

“You can’t beat up a child like that just because you are a parent. Use of violence to settle emotions should have no place in Zambia. It is primitive. How I wish the law can also be enhanced on cases of assault involving adults,” said magistrate Malumani.

“Use of violence is getting out of hand in Zambia and the police are even beating up Copperbelt University Students like they are beating a dog, violence should be discouraged.”

He said a custodial sentence was inescapable and it was meant to send a message to society to avoid violence at all costs.

Brenda was composed throughout the court session but some of her relatives cried as they watched her being led to a holding cell.

Musician B-flow and a handful of others were in court for solidarity.

Facts before the court were that Brenda got angry after her niece burnt her uniform with her iron, making it dirty.

Brenda then beat her niece four times with a cooking stick until it was broken.

She also slapped her on her face as Njoya moved in to separate the two.

Brenda then plugged the iron in a socket which her niece claimed was not working and told her to touch it whilst it was hot but the girl resisted.

According to a medical doctor, the juvenile sustained bruises on her hands as a result of the blunt force trauma and said injuries could take about four weeks to heal.