The ManicaPost
Tinashe Mlambo
Weekender Reporter
A MUTARE tout brewed a shocker in court when he allegedly faked his parents’ death in a bid to circumvent an upwards variation of the monthly maintenance for his child.
He had been directed by the court to pay US$35 over the last two years.
Misheck Mangwana wanted a downward variation of the maintenance money to US$25.
His baby mama, Precious Gombakomba, argued that the US$35 that Mangwana is paying is too little.
The couple appeared before Mr Xavier Chipato at Mutare Civil Court last Friday.
Mangwana told the court that he cannot afford to pay the US$35 since he is now taking care of his two siblings following the death of his parents last year.
Gombakomba said the US$35 she gets from Mangwana was not enough, given the inflationary environment where the prices of basic commodities have significantly sored.
“He gets paid in US$, but at one point he was paying the maintenance in the local currency. Each time I ask him for help, he tells me to find a solution on my own, yet the child belongs to the two of us.
“He is lying through the teeth that his parents are now late. His parents are alive as I met them recently in January.
“I have been providing for our child more than him. At one point I had him arrested since he was depositing insufficient RTGS in my bank account. The money was not equivalent to the US$ this court directed him to pay.
“The burden is too much for me. He should pull up his socks, and this court must compel him to chip in and support his child. The US$35 is no longer sufficient since the child is growing up,” she said.
Gombakomba said Mangwana is gainfully employed and able to pay for the child’s upkeep.
Mangwana, however, said he only gets US$50 per month.
He further said he can only spare US$25 for his child with Gombakomba as he has two little brothers he is also taking care of.
He failed to produce a phone number for the court to call and confirm his parent’s death.
He argued that his relatives at home did not have cellphones.
Mr Chipato ruled that Mangwana should continue paying US$35 for the maintenance of his child.
