adminTendai Gukutikwa
A MUTARE woman recently approached the courts claiming money for maintenance of a child she had registered in another man’s name. The court heard that Chipo Hatipo (34), who was claiming maintenance from David Mudimbu (41), had registered the child they allegedly sired together using another man’s name on the antenatal and baby’s hospital cards.
Hatipo, who was claiming $200 as maintenance, was granted $60 by Mutare magistrate Mr Langton Mukwengi. Mudimbu would not have this since he was denying having fathered the child.
“If the child is mine, why did she write another man’s name on the child’s hospital card and on her antenatal card when she was still pregnant?
“Does the child have two fathers? She can’t register another man on the baby’s card and claim maintenance from another. That is evil and unheard of, Your Worship,” claimed Mudimbu.
Hatipo was given a chance to respond to Mudimbu’s claims, but to the court’s amazement she failed to produce the antenatal card claiming that she had misplaced it.
“He is lying though. This man honestly knows that the child is his. I never registered anyone else as the father of the child,” she tearfully said, to which Mudimbu told the court that she was shedding crocodile tears.
Mr Mukwengi advised him to do the right thing of having paternity tests done if he had doubts of having fathered the child.
“Since you are denying paternity, would you want to go for a DNA test so that we verify the truth and know the real father of the child?”
Mudimbu declined the DNA test saying that it was too expensive and could not afford it.
“I will just pay the $60 maintenance even though I am still convinced that I did not father that child,” he said.
Online Reporter