adminMashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
A Bulawayo man yesterday exchanged harsh words with the magistrate and stormed out of the dock in anger before a ruling was made. The man, however, courted the ire of the magistrate, who quickly ordered prison officers to apprehend and detain him in the cells.
He was detained from about 9AM until 1PM when the magistrate ordered his release. Edwin Taruvinga, 38, a bouncer at a local nightclub, caused a stir in court when he stormed out of the dock much to the anger of Western Commonage magistrate Tancy Dube.
This was after the magistrate had ordered Taruvinga to pay his ex-wife, Nyadzai Loice Chacha, an amount of $150 a month as monetary relief for the upkeep of the couple’s children.
“I am ordering you to pay the applicant $150 a month for your children’s school fees and their upkeep. You must take care of your children. They belong to you because you sired them,” said Dube
Taruvinga hit back: “I don’t have money to give this woman. I can’t raise $150 that she is demanding because I am performing community service and I am in this predicament because of her,” he said before storming out of the dock.
The magistrate shot back: “You don’t have to direct your anger at me. I am not the one who brought you to court?
“You don’t come to my court with such an attitude. Do you understand? I will not condone such an attitude and I am sending you to the cells for disrespecting the court,” said Dube before quickly ordering prison officers to take Taruvinga to the cells.
“I am sorry Your Worship, I am really sorry I didn’t do it deliberately. I left the dock because I thought you had ordered me to stand down, please forgive me,” pleaded Taruvinga as prison officers whisked him away.
Taruvinga was appearing in court following an application by his ex-wife for a protection order. In her affidavit, Chacha, who operates a flea market said: “Edwin, who is my ex-husband, is in the habit of visiting my home and harassing me. We separated in September 2013, but the respondent continues to physically abuse me and threaten me. He is very violent and recently he came and took my household property without my consent.
“I am therefore applying to the court for a protection order because I am now living in fear because of his threats.”
Chacha told the court that her ex-husband was no longer giving her money for the upkeep of their two children aged five and nine months.
“I want the court to order the applicant to give me $150 per month for school fees and daily upkeep of our children and he should also stop coming to my house and workplace,” she said.
In her ruling, Dube granted Chacha an interim protection order.
“The respondent should stop insulting and physically abusing the applicant as well as issuing threats and visiting her at home and work. He should also pay the monetary relief of $150 per month for the upkeep of his children for six months after which the applicant can then open a proper maintenance case against the applicant,” said the magistrate.
Online Reporter