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Mpumelelo Nyoni Court Reporter
A FOUNDATION College teacher was yesterday ordered to pay his “small house” $20 for the upkeep of their one-year-old child, after he said that is all he could afford due to his meagre salary. Simbarashe Moyo, a married father of eight, appeared at the Maintenance Court yesterday and said he can only afford to pay Tendayi Moyo $20 as he was earning a net salary of $178 per month.

“I can only afford to pay $20 a month because I only earn $178 after loan deductions. I am a married man with eight children and I even had to send five of them to the rural areas as I couldn’t afford to take them to school,” said Moyo.

Tendayi, who was requesting for the money to be varied upwards to $70, said the money was too little as she had to pay debt collectors after she incurred expenses at Mpilo Central Hospital where their son was admitted after he fell sick.

However, magistrate Marilyn Mutshina granted Simbarashe’s request to pay $20.
“It’s not plausible for me to order this man to pay $70 a month for maintenance. His other children need to be taken care of as well. You saw his pay slip, didn’t you?” said Mutshina.

The magistrate ordered Moyo to pay $20 a month for maintenance starting on August 31.