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Midlands Correspondent
THE losing MDC National Assembly candidate for Mkoba, Kudakwashe Munengiwa, has been arrested for failing to pay $50 monthly maintenance fees towards the upkeep of his child. Munengiwa of the Professor Welshman Ncube led faction allegedly sired the child with a 23-year-old Gweru woman, Ms Tendai Manyiti.

Munengiwa (34), who lost the Mkoba seat to Mr Amos Chibaya of the MDC-T during the 31 July harmonised elections, was reported to the police after he defaulted in paying maintenance fees for seven months.

According to court records, Munengiwa last paid the maintenance fees in March.
Yesterday he appeared before Gweru magistrate Ms Sithembiso Ncube facing a charge of contravening a section of the Maintenance Act, Chapter 5:06.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a wholly suspended three months in prison.
Ms Ncube suspended Munengiwa’s sentence on condition that he pays the $350 maintenance arrears to the clerk of court.

In his defence, Munengiwa, who was employed by the now defunct Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (Jomic) said he was no longer gainfully employed and was struggling to raise the money.

For the State, Mr Ernest Muzembe told the court that on 14 May this year, Munengiwa was dragged to the Maintenance Court by his ex-girlfriend, Ms Manyiti.

Mr Muzembe said the Maintenance Court ruled that Munengiwa pay a monthly sum of $50 to Ms Manyiti as maintenance for the upkeep of their child.

The court was told that Munengiwa never paid anything since the issuance of the order by the  court.
The matter was later reported to the police leading to Munengiwa’s arrest.