Phillip Chiyangwa in paternity tests storm

By PHYLLIS MBANJE

FLAMBOYANT businessman Phillip Chiyangwa has been caught up in a nasty domestic spat involving paternity tests of his two minor children with a Harare woman Pamela Rusere.

Rusere, who hogged the headlines a few months back after claiming a whopping $13 million as maintenance for the children Trevor (7) and Jayden (1), is claiming that Chiyangwa might use his business and political influence to frustrate the process.

The tests, which are being done upon his insistence, are now hanging in the balance as Rusere is convinced that if they are done locally, Chiyangwa will interfere since he has “money and wields power” over many people.

In her affidavit accompanying her High Court application seeking to restrain Chiyangwa from interfering, Rusere said the businessman refused to have the tests conducted by independent laboratories in South Africa.

She said this was raising her suspicions that Chiyangwa wanted to manipulate the local results.

“There being no reasonable ground to deny this convenient option, the only reason for this refusal is that it denies him the opportunity to manipulate the process,” she said.

Rusere, who has previously claimed that she is customarily married to Chiyangwa, also made sensational claims that Chiyangwa threatened to have her arrested if she allowed the children to call him and yet they used to do so previously.

She accused Chiyangwa of neglecting their two minor children.

“He neglected caring for the children’s medical needs, including refusing to assist in the emergency surgery of Trevor and school fees,” her affidavit reads.
However, in his opposing affidavit, Chiyangwa dismissed Rusere’s fears as “a figment of her imagination”.

“I have no influence in the said laboratories. Her vivid imagination made that up,” he said.

Chiyangwa also said Rusere should not be taken seriously as she has the tendency of misleading the court.

“She once told the media I was HIV positive and infected her with the same virus after which I disproved this by producing proof that I was HIV negative and still am,” he said.

Rusere said she was Chiyangwa’s girlfriend since 1998 until the property developer paid lobola to her family last year.

Rusere said she was employed at a top Harare vehicle dealer when she started dating Chiyangwa, but left after he put her under pressure to quit the job.

However, the two have had an explosive relationship since June last year after she sought a protection order against the businessman at the Harare Civil Court alleging physical and emotional abuse. NewsDay