A SECURITY guard in Bulawayo yesterday stunned a magistrate when he offered to pay $30 in monthly maintenance for his 10-year-old daughter.
Mr Maxwell Murandi of Entumbane Suburb appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya and begged the court to review downwards his maintenance payments from $80 to $30.
“I humbly request this court to review my child maintenance downward because I can no longer afford to pay $80 demanded by my ex-wife. I have since remarried and have another child with my new wife to take care of,” said Mr Murandi.
“My second child was born on the 21st of April this year and I earn $206 per month.”
Ms Manyara Matumbike, his ex-wife, rubbished his request and told Mr Tashaya that her daughter could not survive on $1 per day.
“I won’t accept his $1 per day maintenance offer Your Worship. Debt collectors have been haunting me since the $80 he is already paying is not enough to cater for all our needs and expenses,” said Ms Matumbike.
“I cannot accept that he wants to give us a measly $30 for our child. Just because he has remarried does not mean he should forsake his first child.”
Magistrate Tashaya ordered Mr Murandi to pay $50 per month saying his offer was too little.
“Now that there is another child, contributing $80 to each child would mean that the respondent will only be left with about $88 to himself and that would not motivate him to go to work.”-state media