‘I will not pay maintenance to a mad wife’

By Tendai Gukutikwa

MUTARE – A kombi operator who wanted to avoid paying maintenance brewed a shocker recently when he told a Mutare magistrate that his wife was a mental patient.

Nhamo Manzou and Vimbai Raineti appeared before Mrs Yeukai Chigodora with Raineti demanding $495 as monthly maintenance for her three children and the pregnancy she was carrying.

Raineti told the court that Manzou, who is a commuter omnibus owner, gets around $1000 on each of his four omnibuses which totals $4 000 on all vehicles.

She told the court that Manzou had dumped her at her mother’s residence in Honde Valley with their children because he claimed that she was mentally challenged.

“I am not mentally challenged Your Worship and I believe my being here and speaking for myself is evident enough that I am sane. The only sickness that I suffer from is eclampsia which only attacks me after giving birth. I don’t know why he is insisting that I am mentally challenged.”

Manzou who admitted to having dumped his wife and children at his in-laws’ place said his move was motivated by incessant mental attacks that were affecting his wife.

“She suffers from mental illness; she knows it and I wonder why she is denying. I did not dump her at her parents’ place but only took her there so that her family could look into the illness and maybe help her. When she gets better, I will go and get her.

“I love my wife but I will not pay maintenance to a mentally challenged wife.

“I am willing to give her $100 for her upkeep since she is challenged and nothing for the children, I want their custody,” he begged the court.

The court however ordered him to pay $100 as maintenance for his wife and $150 as maintenance for his three children pending his application for custody of the children.

The $250 is to be paid starting 31 May 2015. Manica Post