Sex challenge for wife is a bet on the side

DOROTHY MAPANI is under a lot of pressure. She has until 22 February to fall pregnant or she must pay her husband, Effas Ondya, pounds 170. But he claims the bet is fair because it allows her to have sex with anyone.

This rare test of whether it be more lucrative to be faithful or fertile came to light yesterday in Zambia where Mr Ondya, 56, told a court he was sick and tired of his wife accusing him of being infertile.

"We bet half a million Kwacha (pounds 170) and I am ready to give her the money if she conceives. We made the bet on 22 November and if she is not pregnant by 22 February next year, then she should give me the money," he told a court in the capital, Lusaka.

According to The Times of Zambia, the legally separated couple appeared before Justices Sainet Chitambo and Joseph Mumba after Ms Mapani, 37, sought a reconciliation.

She reportedly told the court that Mr Ondya has spent more time at home with her since the separation than before it, but that he has not been paying his share of the household running costs.

The newspaper, which did not disclose how long the couple had been married, reported that the bet had been Ms Mapani's idea.

Her husband reportedly told the court that the couple had originally separated because Ms Mapani had denied him sexual intercourse.

Reconciling the couple, Justices Chitambo and Mumba ruled that the bet could nevertheless stand. "There is a clear indication that you have allowed your wife to have sex with other men to let her fulfil her challenge, and as such the bet remains a bet," they said.