adminHarare Bureau
A HARARE woman, who claims to be customarily married to businessman Phillip Chiyangwa, filed summons at the High Court on Tuesday claiming $13,087,50 monthly maintenance for the upkeep of the couple’s two children. Pamela Rusere, who said she was Chiyangwa’s girlfriend since 1998, said the businessman finally paid lobola for her last year.
She attached birth certificates of the two children — Trevor, 7, and Jayden, 1, — which show Chiyangwa and Rusere as the parents.
Rusere also attached a copy of a document labelled “Kuroorwa KwaPamela Rusere” dated June 8, 2013 in a bid to convince the court that she was indeed customarily married to Chiyangwa.
Rusere, who is being represented by Walter Bherebhende of Bherebhende Law Chambers, indicated in her papers that when she first fell in love with the businessman, she left her good job at Zimoco.
“When I fell in love with the respondent, I was employed by Zimoco Motors where I had a good job,” she said. “Respondent, who clearly disapproved seeing me going to work, persuaded me to leave my employment when I fell pregnant with the first child.
“As a girlfriend of a very rich person respondent did not want to see me being employed by anyone and he promised to look after me, my family and my children as well.”
Ever since leaving employment in 1998, Rusere said Chiyangwa had been taking care of her to the extent of giving her $10,000 monthly for the upkeep of the children.
She said the family had been accustomed to a life of the most famous and rich.
“Every holiday I and the children would go on holiday in South Africa, China, Dubai or Singapore where on average the respondent would provide plus or minus $14,000 per trip,” said Rusere.
She said Chiyangwa looked after the family until June last year when she filed for a protection order at the Harare Civil Court.
She alleged physical and emotional abuse by Chiyangwa.
Rusere indicated in the maintenance application that she had to drop the protection order application after Chiyangwa and his relatives intervened and pleaded with her.
She argued in the papers that Chiyangwa was in a position to pay the $13,000 monthly as he owned a host of properties worth millions of dollars.
Rusere said real estate property administrators CR Richard Ellis carried out an audit of the Chiyangwa Estate in 2008 and compiled a list of properties valued at $356 million.
The woman said she believed the value by now, should have doubled.
She listed various properties, some of which appeared in the list filed before the same court by Chiyangwa’s estranged wife Elizabeth Chiyangwa, who is seeking divorce at the High Court.
Rusere said Chiyangwa once sent the police to harass her when she filed previous applications at the court.
She now fears that Chiyangwa might do the same to frustrate the $13,000 maintenance case.
Online Reporter