Online Reporter
Takudzwa Mangrozah-Herald Reporter
A HARARE man has been ordered to pay US$50 monthly child maintenance after a court ruled that both parents have a shared legal responsibility to provide for the welfare of their child, regardless of personal disputes or income levels.
The case was brought before the court by Esther Mpofu, who sought US$150 per month in maintenance for their 10-year-old child.
The child’s father, Tobias Makumbirofa, opposed the application, telling the court that he could only afford US$20 per month, citing his low income as a bus conductor earning about US$4 per day.
He further argued that he had two other children with another wife, whom he was also supporting.
He denied neglecting the child, saying his earnings were channelled towards the child’s welfare.
Makumbirofa also told the court that the child lived with his mother in the rural areas and only stayed with Mpofu during school holidays.
Mpofu, however, disputed the respondent’s claims, telling the court that she had lived with the child from birth and only sent the child to her in-laws temporarily due to the demands of her job, which required her to work late hours.
She further alleged that Makumbirofa had never contributed materially to the child’s upkeep, including the purchase of basic necessities such as clothing.
“He has never bought anything for the child, even clothes, and when I collect the child for holidays, the child cries and says they want to stay with me,” Mpofu told the court.
In her ruling, Magistrate Hannah Fazilahmed ordered Makumbirofa to pay US$50 per month in child maintenance and to meet 50 percent of all school-related expenses.
