Rutendo Gomwe
Court Correspondent
A Harare man who was taken to court for failing to fend for his three-year-old child yesterday offered to pay a monthly maintenance fee of US$30.
Tafadzwa Mudzengerere was brought before Harare Civil Court Magistrate Ayanda Dhlamini by his ex-wife Rutendo Katsumbe.
Katsumbe, who is living with the three-year-old child, had demanded a maintenance fee of US$200 for the upkeep of the child.
“I am proposing that he pays $200 for the upkeep of the child. It will cover food, groceries, my child’s medical expenses and the rest will cover clothing and footwear,” she said.
Katsumbe told the court that Mudzengerere was a welder, who on average, earned about US$1 000 per month.
She said her former husband was running a company where he employed four workers, including his younger brothers.
Katsumbe claimed that Mudzengerere was even taking care of his relatives’ children but was refusing to take care of his own.
Mudzengerere however insisted on his US$30 offer, saying he could not afford US$200 and denied owning a company.
“I can afford to pay US$30. My other child is going to school and I pay school fees. Sometimes I earn US$5 per day and some days US$50 or US$150, if I am lucky,” he said.
Magistrate Dhlamini ordered Mudzengerere to pay US$30 a month with effect from September 30.