adminHlabile Dube Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO granny’s appeal for her daughter-in-law to pay her $300 maintenance for the upkeep of her three minor children has been turned down. The woman who brought the rare appeal to court, Winfrieder Dube, accused her South Africa-based daughter-in-law Sibonokuhle Mthembo, of neglecting her children after her son’s death.
“She does not support her children. She just left them with me after my son’s death and went to South Africa,” said Dube.
“I need $300 from her for the upkeep of these children failure to that I will evict them from my house.”
A group of relatives who accompanied Dube supported her and verbally attacked Mthembo and the magistrate had to intervene and ordered them to go out of the courtroom.
Mthembo denied neglecting her children and accused her in-laws of having a vendetta against her.
“What they are saying is not true. I can take care of my children. I am tired with this family and I don’t know what they want from me,” she said.
Magistrate Vimbai Mtukwa dismissed Dube’s application saying she had no legal ground to make such an application.
“You are not the parent of the children but just a third party. You have to be a legal guardian to make such an application,” said Mtukwa.
She ordered them to go to the juvenile court for guidance on guardianship issues.
Online Reporter