News / Local
Accused tells magistrate, 'You earn peanuts'
12 Dec 2013 at 02:38hrs | Views
AN ex-Ingwebu worker stunned a Bulawayo magistrate when he told him: "You earn peanuts and cannot afford the maintenance that you are asking me to pay".
Abineleki Sibanda from Nkulumane suburb told Victor Mpofu at the Maintenance Court that his judgment was ridiculous and he would not pay the $213 per month that the magistrate had ordered him to pay for the upkeep of his two minor children.
Sibanda had the court in stitches on Tuesday when he said he was prepared to go to jail than pay the "ridiculous" amount.
In any case, he said, even the presiding magistrate could not afford the amount since he also did not earn that much as a civil servant.
In a heated exchange, Mpofu quizzed him if he knew how much a magistrate earned, to which Sibanda said all civil servants earned "peanuts".
"I do not know your salary your worship but I have seen it written in the newspapers that civil servants do not earn much," said Sibanda as tempers threatened to boil over.
He accused the magistrate of taking sides with his ex-wife but Mpofu shot back: "This is not your house, Mr Sibanda. This is a court of law and I am your magistrate - you do not arm twist the court's order to suit your needs."
Sibanda had been brought to court by his ex-wife who had applied for a variation so that he stops buying the children groceries and pays the maintenance in monetary terms.
Mpofu had ordered Sibanda to pay his former wife Thulisani Ncube for the upkeep of their minor children.
"Your honour, Sibanda is a dealer, he buys and sells cars and also repairs fridges.
"He was not retrenched from work but he voluntarily left because he makes money. His problem is that he drinks too much," Ncube said.
She also told the court that her ex-husband was in the habit of boasting around with his friends as he would borrow money from loan sharks some of whom were now after him for isimbazo he took for their daughter's boarding school fees.
The magistrate advised him to transfer the girl to a cheaper school to reduce his expenses.
Sibanda later begged to be given custody of the children, to which the magistrate responded by telling him to approach the right court.
"She knows I love my children but things have not been going well for me which is why I have not been able to pay the school fees and other provisions. I never defaulted when I was still employed," he said.
Abineleki Sibanda from Nkulumane suburb told Victor Mpofu at the Maintenance Court that his judgment was ridiculous and he would not pay the $213 per month that the magistrate had ordered him to pay for the upkeep of his two minor children.
Sibanda had the court in stitches on Tuesday when he said he was prepared to go to jail than pay the "ridiculous" amount.
In any case, he said, even the presiding magistrate could not afford the amount since he also did not earn that much as a civil servant.
In a heated exchange, Mpofu quizzed him if he knew how much a magistrate earned, to which Sibanda said all civil servants earned "peanuts".
"I do not know your salary your worship but I have seen it written in the newspapers that civil servants do not earn much," said Sibanda as tempers threatened to boil over.
He accused the magistrate of taking sides with his ex-wife but Mpofu shot back: "This is not your house, Mr Sibanda. This is a court of law and I am your magistrate - you do not arm twist the court's order to suit your needs."
Sibanda had been brought to court by his ex-wife who had applied for a variation so that he stops buying the children groceries and pays the maintenance in monetary terms.
Mpofu had ordered Sibanda to pay his former wife Thulisani Ncube for the upkeep of their minor children.
"Your honour, Sibanda is a dealer, he buys and sells cars and also repairs fridges.
"He was not retrenched from work but he voluntarily left because he makes money. His problem is that he drinks too much," Ncube said.
She also told the court that her ex-husband was in the habit of boasting around with his friends as he would borrow money from loan sharks some of whom were now after him for isimbazo he took for their daughter's boarding school fees.
The magistrate advised him to transfer the girl to a cheaper school to reduce his expenses.
Sibanda later begged to be given custody of the children, to which the magistrate responded by telling him to approach the right court.
"She knows I love my children but things have not been going well for me which is why I have not been able to pay the school fees and other provisions. I never defaulted when I was still employed," he said.
Source - chronicle
