The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa : Weekender Correspondent
A BITTER Chigodora woman is up in arms with her son-in-law whom she accuses of neglecting his minor child, leaving her to look after him.Harriet Gombakomba dragged Gift Muchidzwa to the civil court claiming $70 monthly maintenance for the upkeep of her four-year-old grandchild.
Gift Muchidzwa
Presiding over the matter was Mutare magistrate, Miss Nyasha Kuture.
The emotional Gombakomba who could not contain her anger towards Muchidzwa had to be warned by the court to put aside her differences with her son-in-law and focus on the child support application.
“My daughter died when the child was just a year old and I have been looking after my grandchild ever since. Muchidzwa has completely ignored that he has a child with my late daughter and to date he has not contributed anything whatsoever towards the upkeep of the child,” she explained to the court.
In anger, she also told the court that Muchidzwa was no longer respecting her despite the fact that he was once married to her late daughter.
She said: “This is the problem with the so-called new generation children. They no longer respect their elders. This man does not even greet me. In fact, he just walks past me when we meet and does not even ask about the welfare of his child.”
Muchidzwa who said he earns $100 monthly told the court that he was prepared to pay $25 towards the upkeep of his child as he has two wives and five other children to look after.
However, Gombakomba disputed that.
“Why did he sire all those children and marry two wives if he cannot look after them? Your Worship, I pray that he increases the amount because he is a foreman at a farm. He is able-bodied and even operates a company motor bike,” she said.
Miss Kuture, however, told her that the $25 Muchidzwa was offering was reasonable as he also needed to take care of his other five children and two wives.
Muchidzwa was therefore ordered to pay $25 with effect from September 30, 2016.
