The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A TAXI driver who allegedly gets US$600 every month is being accused of neglecting his children, including one with special care requirements.
Robert Bingadade was dragged to Mutare Civil Court by his ex-wife, Beatrice Chindudzi, as she was claiming maintenance for the couple’s three children.
They appeared before Mr Xavier Chipato on Tuesday.
Chindudzi was applying for US$300 monthly maintenance, most of which she said was meant for their eldest child who needs special care as she has a disability.
In her application, Chindudzi said due to her child’s disability, she is at a special boarding school where she gets constant and adequate care from trained practitioners.
She said she also enrolled her second child at the same boarding school to keep her sister company.
Both children pay US$280 school fees every term.
“If he pays US$300 as maintenance for his children, he will be left with enough money to take care of himself and his new family if he already has it. I cannot have my children suffer when their father is leading a comfortable life.
“The boarding school is the best option for the handicapped child because they offer her physiotherapy support there and it costs me an extra US$20.
“I am shouldering this burden alone as Bingadade has completely ignored the children’s welfare ever since he moved out. It looks as if he has also divorced the children.
“This is not fair to the children because they remain his blood,” she said.
Chindudzi said she will contribute US$60 towards the upkeep of the three children.
She said she is not employed and survives on hand-outs from relatives.
She, however, promised to pay school fees for one of the children enrolled at the boarding school.
Bingadade, however, denied being a taxi driver, claiming that he was laid off during the lockdown.
“I used to be a taxi driver but my employer sold the car during the national lockdown. I was left jobless and l am now surviving on piece jobs. I only get US$15 a month and it will take me more than a year to raise the money she is claiming,” he said.
He offered to pay US$50 for the three children.
“I will have to look for other avenues of making money so that I can contribute US$50 monthly towards the upkeep of my children because the US$15 I am getting won’t be enough,” he said.
Bingadade, however, ended up offering to pay school fees for his first child.
“I will do all I can to pay that child’s school fees even though I cannot afford it,” he said.
Mr Chipato ordered him to pay the school fees for the child without fail or risk being prosecuted.
He also advised the couple to enrol their children at a school they can afford to avoid being burdened with a lot of expenses.
