'Demon possessed' daughters protest Dad's decision to marry a second wife

A BULAWAYO man claimed his three daughters were possessed by demons after they dragged him to court for maintenance, protesting his decision to marry a second wife.

Lovemore Phuti, a teacher at Christian Brothers College, labelled his daughters, Tsibo, 23, Sithandazile 21, and Slindile, 19, of Matsheumhlope as "evil", claiming they wanted to destroy his second marriage after he divorced their mother.

The three, all college and university students, demanded $883 in maintenance from their father. "They have brought me to court because they don't want me to marry a second wife after separating with their mother," Phuti told magistrate Victor Mpofu yesterday.

"I will not pay fees for them because they don't respect me and my new wife. They should apologise for their behaviour."

Phuti said he was angry at his daughters and accused them of being wasteful and refusing to eat food prepared by their step mother.

"I'm sanctioning them because they don't like their step mother and it has been seven weeks since they last spoke to her while we stay under the same roof," he blasted. "I can only pay their fees if they apologise for their disrespectful behaviour."

The daughters broke into tears when they narrated their story to the magistrate. Sithandazile, a law student at Unisa, had no kind words for her father. "Ever since our father married a second wife, he neglects us and has since stopped paying our fees. I need $480 from him every month," she said.

Sithandazile apologised to her father and was granted $180 monthly maintenance. Tsibo, a student at Bulawayo Polytechnic, demanded $266 saying her father also abused her emotionally.

"He said he would throw us out of the house soon after this court (appearance). He eats all the food with his wife while we sleep on empty stomachs. He takes all the groceries to their bedroom and we're left with nothing to eat," she charged.

Tsibo left the court in stitches when she said her stepmother liked chicken so much that she consumes all the pieces and leaves them with nothing.

She was granted $100 as maintenance every month. The youngest daughter, Slindile, a pupil at Hamilton High School, said her father abused her mother.

"He once abused my mother physically and has also abused me emotionally by telling my teachers that I'm disrespecting my stepmother," she said, sobbing. "He said our mother had demons and now he's saying we've demons too."

Mpofu granted her $95 per month. The stepmother, Taridzo Dakwa, said the three daughters hated her.

"They don't respect me because I replaced their mother. Slindile is better because sometimes she greets me," she said.

"They buy their own groceries, which they eat in their bedroom and when I prepare food for them, they throw it into the dustbin."

Magistrate Mpofu counselled the family to stop washing their dirty linen in public.

"I advise you girls to accept that your father has divorced your mother. This is not the first divorce nor is it the last, so you must accept fate and respect his decision," he said.

Mpofu ordered Phuti to pay the girls $377 in total for maintenance starting this month end.