By 
Like a lamb to the slaughter, Mildred Mwila Kasase, an Assistant Director and economist at the Ministry of Finance, walked quietly beside her son as they were led away to begin serving prison sentences for causing the death of her husband, Alex Zulu.
Kasase, 49, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment effective from the date of her arrest in August 2023, while her 22-year-old son, Madiba Alex Zulu Junior, received a three-year custodial sentence.
Lusaka High Court Judge, Ireen Mbewe, reduced their charge from murder to manslaughter, finding that although the two unlawfully caused Zulu’s death, the prosecution failed to prove malice aforethought—especially in Madiba’s case.
Evidence presented in court showed that the fatal incident occurred around midnight after Zulu returned home intoxicated.
As was reportedly his routine, he became violent, causing confusion and physically assaulting his wife. During the altercation, Kasase and her son retaliated—acts the court described as “ganging up” on the deceased.
A WhatsApp message allegedly sent by Madiba to a cousin in Russia detailed the sequence of events. Although Madiba denied sending it, the court found it implausible that the cousin could have known such details without hearing them from someone present at the scene.
A medical report confirmed that Zulu died from cardiac arrest following surgery at the Italian Hospital.
However, a postmortem conducted by a forensic pathologist revealed internal blood clots and blunt force trauma consistent with assault. The injuries were determined to have likely triggered the fatal heart failure.
In mitigation, Kasase’s lawyers pleaded for leniency, noting that she had already lost her long-standing public service career along with all associated benefits.
For Madiba, the defence described him as a remorseful university student whose life had been derailed by the tragedy.
The court was told he had visited his father in hospital and remained deeply traumatised by the events.
In her sentencing remarks, Judge Mbewe stated that Kasase, as a senior professional, had other options and could have sought counselling or simply walked away from what she described as a toxic marriage.
“Now it has ended in tragedy,” she observed.
Judge Mbewe also raised concern over the rising incidence of gender-based violence (GBV) in society, lamenting the decline of traditional support systems such as family interventions and church counselling.
“There are no winners or losers in this case,” she said. “The result of physical abuse is death, broken families, and shattered lives.”
Despite acknowledging the mitigating factors, Judge Mbewe ruled that the seriousness of the offence warranted custodial sentences for both mother and son.
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