In a shocking twist of fate, a Chiredzi pastor, Vhetu, finds himself embroiled in a dramatic family scandal after he officiated the wedding of Eunice Mururi and Farai Hatirarami, only to later confess that he is the biological father of Mururi’s two children.
Following the collapse of Hatirarami’s marriage to Mururi, DNA tests revealed that he was not the biological father of the children he had raised, prompting Mururi to seek child maintenance from the pastor.
In court, Mururi demanded a monthly payment of US$700 for the upbringing of her children, aged 8 and 4, but Vhetu, underrepresented by his attorney Farai Chauke, argued that his pastoral income is modest, largely derived from tithes and offerings, often in the form of food hampers.
Vhetu’s maintenance offer amounted to a mere 150 ZiG per child, claiming his financial situation was stretched thin as a farmer with eight other children to support.
He further claimed to have no traditional bank account, relying instead on an EcoCash account for transactions.
Magistrate Diana Musiiwa was unconvinced by Vhetu’s rationale, labeling his maintenance proposal as insincere and inadequate given the children’s needs.
In a decisive ruling, she ordered him to pay $175 per month for the care of his two children, a significant increase above his initial offer.
Vhetu’s comments about only being able to buy clothes for the children twice a year, equating their needs to that of wealthy individuals, were met with skepticism by the court.
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