Man gets death threats from rival suitor, doubts paternity of child

A MAN from Bulawayo's Northend suburb told a magistrate that he doubted he was the father of his eight month old child after receiving death threats from a rival suitor.

Farayi Mwandura was dragged to the maintenance court by his estranged girlfriend Prediction Muswehaurai after he accrued $ 576 in arrears for defaulting on $48 monthly maintenance payments from May last year.

Muswehaurai was requesting for the maintenance to be increased from $48 to $70 to per month recover the debt.

Mwandura told magistrate Victor Mpofu that a man who phones him using a South African phone number started making threats on his life.

"Muswehaurai and I were living together in my mother's house but she had another boyfriend who works in South Africa. When she was pregnant she ran away to live with this man," said Mwandura.

"She came back and asked for forgiveness and I accepted her back into our home. To my surprise, a man with a South African number kept calling me on my phone, threatening to kill me. The man told me to leave his wife and child alone".

Mwandura professed ignorance on the alleged maintenance arrears saying Muswehaurai had since moved out to live with her lover and their child.

Muswehaurai however, told magistrate Mpofu that Mwandura was abusive and immature but if he reforms she was prepared to leave the man she is currently living with and settle with him.

"The reason I fled from his mother's house is because he used to beat me up. He needs to grow up and move out of his mother's house if he wants me to live with him," she said.

Magistrate Mpofu ordered Mwandura to pay $70 starting this month-end.