Man takes back estranged wife to avoid maintenance

A Bulawayo man has told the Maintenance Court that he is reconciling with his wife in a bid to avoid paying maintenance for his four-month-old child.

Thulani Ncube told the Bulawayo magistrate Vivian Ndlovu that he is willing to take his wife Sindiso Nxumalo and child whom he had chased from home, back.

"Your Worship, we discussed with my wife that if I take her back home she will withdraw the maintenance application. Now that she is coming back home there is no need for me to pay the money since I will be taking care of them," he said.

However, Nxumalo told the magistrate that she still wants her husband to pay the money.

"Even if I move back in with my husband, I still want him to pay me the money. Moving back does not guarantee that he will be taking care of his child. I am doing this so that if he chases me out of his house again I will have no problems," she said.

Ncube insisted that there was no need for an order to be made against him as he would give his wife the necessary bank details so that she would be the one withdrawing his salary.

"I will give her my ATM card so that she gets my salary herself. She will give me transport money, other expenses I might need and the rest of the money she will use on her own," said Ncube.

Magistrate Ndlovu advised Nxumalo that demanding maintenance would strain her marriage.

Said the magistrate: "If your husband is willing to take you back and you continue to demand money from him, will it not cause a strain in your marriage again? Why don't you first see the outcome after you move back in and then start from there?"

Ndlovu then withdrew the maintenance application on condition that Ncube takes care of his child.

She however, warned that if her husband does not keep his promise, she would approach the court again.