Unki worker defaults maintenance for 4 years, tells court he didn’t have wife’s account number.

By Kelvin Kasiwulaya in Shurugwi.

A Unki mine -worker who defaulted to pay maintenance for four good years has told a local Magistrate that he did not have his wife’s account number neither did he have her Eco-cash usable mobile number.

Sifelani Mandinyenya (32) of Chanaiwa Village under Chief Nhema appeared before Shurugwi Resident Magistrate Sangster Tavengwa for contravening section 23(1) of the Maintenance Act Chapter 5:06(failure to pay maintenance).

It is in the state’s case that, on February 28 2014 and at Shurugwi Magistrate’s court Sifelani Mandinyenya was ordered to pay US$30-00 per month as maintenance for his one minor child with effect from February 28 2014.

Mandinyenya did not pay anything for the monthly maintenance for a period extending from February 28, 2014 to September 2018 and is in total arrears of US$1975-00.

When asked by the Magistrate as to why he did not pay the maintenance, in his defence Mandinyenye said he did not have his wife’s account number and his ex-wife had given him a Netone number making it impossible to send money via Eco- cash.

However, all his defense crumbled when Magistrate Tavengwa asked if Mandinyenye had kept the maintenance money, so that he would give it to the wife since she now has an account.

Magistrate Tavengwa ordered Mandinyenye to pay the outstanding US$1975-00 on Monday, October 30, 2018 by 8:00 AM,failure to pay the outstanding amount would attract a jail time until the amount is paid in full.