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A MUTARE man this week refused to pay maintenance arguing that he only came to know that he was the father of the child 14 years later.Donald Sachipara was dragged to court by Melody Marime with the latter claiming $160 maintenance for a teenager she claimed they sired together 14 years ago. Sachipara argued that he only came to know that he had a child with Marime last week when he was served with summons to appear in court by the messenger of court. Mutare magistrate, Mrs Yeukai Chigodora, who presided over the matter, granted Marime an interim $35 monthly maintenance until a paternity test is done to determine the teenager’s actual father. Sachipara argued that if the child was his, he should have been told about her existence long back.
“If the child is mine, why did she not inform me back then? I would have looked after my own blood. I only got to know of her existence after I was served with court summons that I was expected to pay maintenance for a 13-year-old child I never knew existed,” argued Sachipara.
In anger, he said what Marime was doing was inhuman and evil since they had last seen each other more than 10 years ago. Marime did not deny that she had never told him that he had fathered her child. She told the court that she could not inform him because he had disappeared when she discovered that she was pregnant.
“I thought he was dead, Your Worship, until my friend tipped me of his existence last month. My friend had spotted him in town.
I have been struggling to look after the child alone. Why would I lie that he is the father after 13 years?” questioned Marime.
Asked by Mrs Chigodora whether he had ever been in a sexual relationship with Marime 14 years ago, Sachipara admitted to have been in one. The admittance led the court to conclude that he was the possible father to the child and that only DNA tests would reveal the truth. The DNA tests are expected to be done by October 31, 2015.
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