By Tendai Gukutikwa
A Marange woman found out that her baby daddy whom she had believed to be a teacher for nine years was in fact a cattle herder.
Chipo Maonese had dragged Timothy Kanjanda to the civil courts applying for $999 as maintenance for their minor child when all was revealed. Maonese had told the court that Kanjanda was a private teacher who earned $9 000 monthly, when all hell broke loose.
Maonese had also told the court that in his spare time, Kanjanda was a builder and so he could afford the amount she had applied for.
“He is a teacher but he practises the profession privately as he gets more money that way. He told me when we were still together that he did not teach in public schools because the salary is too low and currently he gets close to $10 000 since he teaches at a private college,” she told the court.
Maonese, however, received the shock of her life when Kanjanda denied ever having gone to college to train as a teacher. She was left mouth agape when he said he had even been summoned by the Messenger of Court for the court hearing while he was at his job — herding cattle.
“Your Worship, even if you ask the Messenger of Court who summoned me for this court. I was at work herding cattle when he came with the summons. He had to follow me to the grazing lands because that is the only place that I can be found during working hours.
“I am a herdboy not a qualified teacher like she was made to believe during our days in love. I am also not a part-time builder as she claims but I herd cattle for a living and as my part-time job, I do vending,” said Kanjanda.
He told the court that his employer paid him $300 monthly for herding the cattle, so he offered to part with $70 for the minor child.
Kanjanda, however, told the court that back in 2012, when he was still married to Maonese, he had at times given extra lessons to Grade Seven pupils who were sitting for their ZIMSEC exams.
“I think that is where she got the idea that I was a teacher but I never trained at any college to become a teacher. I also stopped giving those extra lessons back then because I was not good at it,” he told the court much to Maonese’s surprise.
He further told the court that he could bring witnesses to testify on his behalf if Maonese still had questions on his employment.
Magistrate Ms Nyasha Kuture presided over the matter. She ordered Kanjanda to fork out $150 monthly for the upkeep of his one minor child with Maonese. The Manica Post
