adminThubelihle Mabhena Court Reporter
A MAN and his son-in-law exchanged blows yesterday after a Maintenance Court hearing following a misunderstanding over a 50 cents contribution from each of them towards photocopying the latter’s daughter’s birth certificate
Josphat Gweme, a soldier, was ordered by magistrate Sheunesu Matova to pay his father-in-law Clever Nyanzira $40 every month for the upkeep of his 14-year-old daughter after the court heard he was neglecting his child.
Nyanzira had applied for $215 monthly maintenance payment, but Gweme said he could only manage $40 and proved to the court that he had seven other children, all with different mothers, by bringing their birth certificates.
After the hearing, the two men went to the maintenance clerk’s office to submit Nyanzira’s granddaughter’s birth certificate for filing.
The clerk told the soldier to pay R1 to photocopy it, but Gweme insisted that Nyanzira should contribute half the money.
“I am not going to pay for photocopying the birth certificate alone, we should split the cost between the two of us,” said Gweme.
Nyanziwa’s replied that he only had a $50 note, but Gweme said they should look for change for the $50.
A quarrel ensued and there was pandemonium as the two men started fighting and people in the office ran out shouting and screaming until the police officers came and led them outside.
The squabble resulted in Magistrate Matova adjourning a court session because of the noise from the two men.
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derick.khumalo