News / National
Polygamist dragged to court for maintenance
11 Dec 2013 at 03:37hrs | Views
TWO Bulawayo women connived and dragged their polygamous husband to court accusing him of being irresponsible.
The women, Simangaliphi Ndlovu (first wife) and Shylet Tshuma, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Victor Mpofu complaining that their husband, Langton Mushamiri, was failing to support his children.
They said Mushamiri was already in love with a third woman.
Ndlovu pleaded with the magistrate to order Mushamiri to come back and stay with her in their matrimonial home, which he abandoned five years ago.
"Your Honour, it has been long since I saw this man who eloped and left us stranded with our three children. Ever since he remarried, he has never bothered to come home or give me money for the upkeep of the children," she said.
"Life has been difficult for us and I hope this court will grant me the $100 I am claiming for maintenance."
In response, Mushamiri told the court that he had decided to go back to his first wife and would only pay maintenance to his other two wives as he was no longer interested in them.
"I am a security guard who only earns $214 per month. Your worship, if the court orders me to pay $100 to my first wife and $40 to my second, how is my other child who I sired with my third wife going to survive?" he asked.
"I am ready to move back with my first wife and take care of our children. There is no need for me to pay maintenance."
The magistrate condemned Mushamiri's behaviour of using women and ordered him to pay maintenance to both women.
"There is no way this court can order you to live with any of your wives as we are only interested in the welfare of the children," he said adding,
"You decided to impregnate three women thus you have to come up with means to sustain all of them fairly. You are therefore ordered to pay $100 monthly to your wife Simangaliphi and $40 to Shylet with effective from December 2013."
The women, Simangaliphi Ndlovu (first wife) and Shylet Tshuma, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Victor Mpofu complaining that their husband, Langton Mushamiri, was failing to support his children.
They said Mushamiri was already in love with a third woman.
Ndlovu pleaded with the magistrate to order Mushamiri to come back and stay with her in their matrimonial home, which he abandoned five years ago.
"Your Honour, it has been long since I saw this man who eloped and left us stranded with our three children. Ever since he remarried, he has never bothered to come home or give me money for the upkeep of the children," she said.
"Life has been difficult for us and I hope this court will grant me the $100 I am claiming for maintenance."
In response, Mushamiri told the court that he had decided to go back to his first wife and would only pay maintenance to his other two wives as he was no longer interested in them.
"I am a security guard who only earns $214 per month. Your worship, if the court orders me to pay $100 to my first wife and $40 to my second, how is my other child who I sired with my third wife going to survive?" he asked.
"I am ready to move back with my first wife and take care of our children. There is no need for me to pay maintenance."
The magistrate condemned Mushamiri's behaviour of using women and ordered him to pay maintenance to both women.
"There is no way this court can order you to live with any of your wives as we are only interested in the welfare of the children," he said adding,
"You decided to impregnate three women thus you have to come up with means to sustain all of them fairly. You are therefore ordered to pay $100 monthly to your wife Simangaliphi and $40 to Shylet with effective from December 2013."
Source - chronicle
