Harare man offers US$5 maintenance

A HARARE man has been provisionally ordered to pay US$30 maintenance per month pending the outcome of a DNA test to confirm if he is the biological father of the child he is maintaining.

Norest Karimatsenga was ordered to pay the US$30 by Harare Civil Court Magistrate Ms Hannah Fazilamed after Ruvarashe Yobe took him to court seeking US$100 for the upkeep of their seven-month-old child.

Yobe, a vendor, argued that her earnings from vending were insufficient to provide for the child.

Karimatsenga offered US$5 per month, claiming that he was unemployed and entirely dependent on his parents, who lived in the rural areas.

He also formally requested a DNA test after stating that he was not sure if he was the child’s father.

Yobe, however, dismissed his claims of being unemployed and pleaded with the court to make him pay US$30.

Karimatsenga then increased his offer to US$10. After weighing both offers, Magistrate Fazilamed ordered Karimatsenga to pay US$30 per month in maintenance with immediate effect.

The magistrate said the ruling was provisional pending the outcome of the DNA test. Should the test confirm Karimatsenga’s paternity, the US$30 order will likely stand. If he is excluded as the father, the maintenance order would be rescinded.

Herald