News / National
MDC-T's child neglecting MP in the dock again
16 Jul 2011 at 07:11hrs | Views
MAKONI WEST Member of Parliament Webber Chinyadza has returned to court once again. This time he is being accused of neglecting to cater for his child's medical care and he put the blame on his girlfriend. He alleged that she took the child to a private doctor instead of affordable public hospitals.
In his defence outline, through his defence counsel, Chinyadza indicated that the child would have been treated for free at a public hospital. "It is common that children below the age of five undergo free treatment at public hospitals and the child is nine-months old hence qualifies for free medication," he submitted.
He further castigated his wife's relatives for paying medical bills for the child saying that he was the one entitled to paying those bills as prescribed by the court order, a point which his wife Sheila Ruponga rejected. "No one should have contributed to the treatment of that child as the court order states that the accused (Chinyadza) should," he submitted.
"How can I wait for someone who stays in Rusape to come while the child is ill," Ruponga argued. Chinyadza insisted that he had a family doctor who caters for the treatment of the child. Ruponga told the court that Chinyadza neglected the payment of medical bills for his child. "I have been telling him the child is ill and showed him the receipts of the payments but he could not pay," she said.
She added that she once took the child to Chinyadza's family doctor who refused to attend to the child saying there were outstanding medical bills. She further indicated that she had no trust in the doctor as he is Chinyadza's friend. "The doctor tried doing something on me when I was pregnant and I refused, unfortunately I cannot reveal what he wanted to do," she said.
Chinyadza is accused of violating a court order for him to cater for medical expenses for his son resulting in them accruing to US$250. The legislator, 61, pleaded not guilty to the charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Archie Wochiunga. Chinyadza once grabbed headlines for offering US$1 for the upkeep of this very child. The matter was remanded to July 29 for trial continuation.
In his defence outline, through his defence counsel, Chinyadza indicated that the child would have been treated for free at a public hospital. "It is common that children below the age of five undergo free treatment at public hospitals and the child is nine-months old hence qualifies for free medication," he submitted.
He further castigated his wife's relatives for paying medical bills for the child saying that he was the one entitled to paying those bills as prescribed by the court order, a point which his wife Sheila Ruponga rejected. "No one should have contributed to the treatment of that child as the court order states that the accused (Chinyadza) should," he submitted.
She added that she once took the child to Chinyadza's family doctor who refused to attend to the child saying there were outstanding medical bills. She further indicated that she had no trust in the doctor as he is Chinyadza's friend. "The doctor tried doing something on me when I was pregnant and I refused, unfortunately I cannot reveal what he wanted to do," she said.
Chinyadza is accused of violating a court order for him to cater for medical expenses for his son resulting in them accruing to US$250. The legislator, 61, pleaded not guilty to the charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Archie Wochiunga. Chinyadza once grabbed headlines for offering US$1 for the upkeep of this very child. The matter was remanded to July 29 for trial continuation.
Source - HM
