PROMINENT Bulawayo businessman and acting Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) president Gift Banda has been dragged to maintenance court for allegedly defaulting on paying maintenance for the child he sired with Kholiwe Sitshoni.
According to Sitshoni’s application she was granted a maintenance order in January 2020 and Banda was ordered to pay US$ 200 a month. However, from January 2020 up to the end of June this year he failed to observe the court order and ran into arrears amounting to US$8 400.
Sitshoni also applied for an upward variation from US$200 to US$300 claiming US$200 was no longer enough since the cost of living was rising.
Banda who was supposed to initially appear in court on 26 June could not attend as he was said to be travelling to China on a business trip.
He appeared on Wednesday before Bulawayo magistrate Makelo Ncube.
He told the magistrate that he could not afford US$300 being sought by his baby mama and could only afford US$150.
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The magistrate asked the pair to go outside the courtroom to deliberate and consent on the amount.
When they came back they agreed that Banda would pay US$150 and the magistrate granted Sitshoni the maintenance order.
The US$150 will cater for school related expenses which are school fees, school uniforms and other school sundries like school trips.
Sitshoni will take care of other expenses. Banda will pay US$150 per month starting from 31 July and the money will be paid on the last day of every month via the applicant’s bank account.
