Harare bartender Gerald Gahadzikwa caused a scene at the maintenance court after he was ordered to pay US$60 in child support to his ex Maude Mandemwa.
Gerald argued that he could only afford US$20 “after hustling around” to make ends meet. But Maude told the court that Gerald was “lying”, claiming he had told her he would lie in court and say he was unemployed just to avoid paying.
Magistrate Ayanda Dhlamini sided with Maude and ordered Gerald to pay the US$60. That’s when Gerald lost it, yelling 0bscenities in the courtroom.
“I will pay what I can afford and if she wants US$60 then she will get it here at the court,” Gahadzikwa fumed.
Gerald’s outburst shows the extreme emotions that can flare up in child support disputes, even resulting in public meltdowns in the courthouse. But at the end of the day, children deserve financial support from both parents. So the real question is: will cool-headed Gerald calm down and do the right thing? Or will his anger get in the way? Only time – and more court dates – will tell…
