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Amanda Chikari, Midlands Bureau
A GWERU based pastor has been dragged to court by his former wife for defaulting paying maintenance until he was in arrears amounting to $1 000.

Pastor Clifford Kapofu (69) of number 6 Ransom Road, Southdowns suburb, Gweru appeared before Gweru magistrate Ms Mildred Matuvi facing one count of defaulting maintenance.

Pastor Kapofu of Pentecostal Fellowship Ministries, Gweru pleaded guilty.

He, however, denied that he owes $1000 stated in court papers saying it was too much.

Ms Matuvi remanded him out of custody on free bail to today to give the State time to respond to his claims that although he was in arrears, the money does not amount to $1000.

Pastor Kapofu in his defence told the court that instead of paying the maintenance for his child, he had been paying school fees.

“Your worship while I admit to defaulting paying maintenance, the figure on the state papers is too much.

“From 2012 I have been paying the money until 2015 when I started receiving invoices from the school which my child is enrolled at. From that time I started paying school fees up to now instead of paying maintenance,” he said.

Prosecuting, Mr Andrew Marimo said on October 23 in 2012 the pastor was ordered by the Gweru Civil Court to make a monthly payment of $40 for the upkeep of his child he has with his former wife, Ms Monica Kumira.

“The accused person then failed to comply with the court order and from August 2015 up to now he has not been paying the maintenance,” he said.
Mr Marimo said all in all the pastor must pay $1000 as he is in arrears.