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Man who can't afford to pay school fees for his kids, hires lawyer to defend his case
2 hrs ago |
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A HARARE man has admitted in court that he has never paid school fees for his two children, despite being represented by a lawyer in a maintenance dispute brought by his ex-wife.
Tidings Nyandowe was taken to the Harare Civil Court by his former wife, Vimbai Zariro, who sought an upward variation of maintenance for their two children, aged 14 and 16.
Zariro wanted the US$90 monthly maintenance order increased to US$330, arguing that the children were now in secondary school, unlike in 2024 when the original order was granted.
She told magistrate Janemary Makonye that Nyandowe had never paid school fees for the children.
"I even tried to have him arrested, but the police claimed that they cannot find him," she said.
Nyandowe, who was represented by a lawyer, initially claimed through his legal representative that he had been paying the fees directly into the school account. However, no evidence was presented to support the claim.
When asked about the payments after taking an oath, Nyandowe admitted that he had never paid school fees for his children.
His lawyer argued that he could not afford the amount requested, telling the court that he was a civil servant earning US$150 and 4,600 ZiG monthly.
The lawyer also submitted that Nyandowe had five other children to support and that his circumstances had changed since the original maintenance order was granted in 2024.
"The respondent now has a new baby, who was born this year, and the fourth-born was not yet going to school at the time the order was granted in 2024," she said.
After hearing submissions from both parties, Makonye ordered Nyandowe to pay US$240 towards the children's school fees, with the money to be deposited into Zariro's account.
Tidings Nyandowe was taken to the Harare Civil Court by his former wife, Vimbai Zariro, who sought an upward variation of maintenance for their two children, aged 14 and 16.
Zariro wanted the US$90 monthly maintenance order increased to US$330, arguing that the children were now in secondary school, unlike in 2024 when the original order was granted.
She told magistrate Janemary Makonye that Nyandowe had never paid school fees for the children.
"I even tried to have him arrested, but the police claimed that they cannot find him," she said.
When asked about the payments after taking an oath, Nyandowe admitted that he had never paid school fees for his children.
His lawyer argued that he could not afford the amount requested, telling the court that he was a civil servant earning US$150 and 4,600 ZiG monthly.
The lawyer also submitted that Nyandowe had five other children to support and that his circumstances had changed since the original maintenance order was granted in 2024.
"The respondent now has a new baby, who was born this year, and the fourth-born was not yet going to school at the time the order was granted in 2024," she said.
After hearing submissions from both parties, Makonye ordered Nyandowe to pay US$240 towards the children's school fees, with the money to be deposited into Zariro's account.
Source - HMetro
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