The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Correspondent
A 33-YEAR-OLD Mutare man who has 13 children wants to be exempted from paying child support for three of his children.
When he appeared in court on Tuesday, Phibeon Makina said he could not afford the $11 000 that Rudo Gwidibira was seeking for the upkeep of their three children.
He begged the court to be exempted from paying the maintenance, saying he has 10 other children to look after.
Mutare magistrate, Mr Xavier Chipato presided over the matter.
“Is it possible for me to be exempted as I am a poor father? Your Worship, I am failing to take care of all my children because I am unemployed and the children are just too many. For her to claim that much money for just three children is unreasonable, $11 000 is a lot of money and I do not even get that much in a month,” said Makina.
He offered to pay $5 000 for the three children who are 15, 11 and a year-old.
Asked on whether he thought the amount would be enough for the older two children’s school fees, Makina said there was nothing else he could do due to poverty.
“Maybe the children should be enrolled at a cheaper school in the rural areas because I cannot afford anything more than what I have offered. In fact, it will be hard for me to raise the $5 000 and that is why I want to be exempted from paying maintenance. I am unemployed, yet all my 13 children expect something from me,” he said.
In an effort to get the maintenance order to be struck off the court’s roll, Makina suggested that he could stay with the minor children.
However, Gwidibira told the court that Makina is a negligent father.
“He has a lot of children and is struggling to take care of them. Why should I hand them over to him? They will suffer in his custody as he is negligent. We suffered a lot when we were staying with him. He should stop siring more children as looking after them is proving to be a tall order for him,” she said.
Mr Chipato ordered Makina to pay $5 000 monthly maintenance for the three children as well as school fees every term.
