A Harare man who offered just US$30 per month to support his three children has been ordered by the court to pay US$120 in maintenance and contribute half of their school fees after their mother told the court she survives on vending and earns only US$50 a month.
Mavis Karonga appeared before the Harare Civil Court seeking US$500 per month from her former husband, David Mutambisi, for the upkeep of their three minor children.
She told the court the money was needed for rent, school fees, clothing, and other basic needs.
Karonga said the children each pay US$50 per term in school fees and that she shoulders the full burden of rent and daily expenses despite earning very little from vending.
“I earn about US$50 per month, and I am the one who pays rent. I struggle to provide for the children alone,” she said.
She further told the court that she and Mutambisi were married until he chased her and the children out of the matrimonial home and now only visits them occasionally.
In response, Mutambisi told the court that he was unemployed and could not afford the amount being claimed.
“I am not working. I survive on sewing hustling. Sometimes I get about US$5 a day, but it is not every day,” he said.
Mutambisi also told the court that he has five other children from another relationship and does not adequately provide for them either.
He proposed that the three children be transferred to a cheaper school where his other children are enrolled, but Karonga rejected the suggestion.
“Since my first child was born, he has never provided anything, not even 50 cents for diapers. He always says he does not have money,” she said.
In her ruling, the magistrate ordered Mutambisi to pay US$120 per month in maintenance and to cover 50 percent of the children’s school fees, with effect from January 31, 2026.
The magistrate stressed that both parents have a legal duty to support their children.
“No one else will take care of your children for you. Both parents are responsible. US$30 is not even enough to properly take care of three children,” she said.
