Zambia's President Urges to Stop Snooping & 'Be Tolerant' Amid 'Unfortunate' Divorce Statistics

Previously, in many African countries divorce was perceived as a taboo or something uncultured, particularly among women. However, in modern conditions, it is far from a rare outcome of marriage. Zambia, in particular, has recorded many divorce cases, with the figures surging from 20,818 divorces in 2019 to over 25,000 in 2020.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has reportedly called for married couples to be tolerant of each other and stop checking their spouses’ phones, as it ruins marriages.

“We marry for love, we don’t marry to go and check each other out, or to go and point a finger, ‘why you are different from me.’ Husband pointing finger at wife that she doesn’t cook well. Who said our mothers were the best cooks? But we took their food," Hichilema said, as cited by media.

He delivered his comments on the issue during a meeting with traditional leaders, Paramount chief Mpezeni and chief Maguya of the Ngoni-speaking people, at the Community House.

"Freedom means responsibility to limit our freedom, not to tamper with the freedom of others. Be tolerant, be understanding," he added.

His advice comes amid a bid to curb surging divorce rates in the country. Last year, Zambia recorded over 22,000 divorce cases. The president described the recent statistics as "unfortunate."

According to the figures, the average age of couples seeking divorce was between 20 and 45 years, reportedly as they got married at an early age. Major causes of divorce included gender-based violence, insults, cruelty between spouses, lack of employment due to company closures arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as lack of conjugal rights and adultery.