By EPHESTUS SIAZIYU –
A THIRTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD man of Ngwenya Township in Livingstone has been fined K3,600 for impregnating his neighbour’s daughter and refusing to pay the amount which was demanded from him since 2009.
Mostane Mutema was sued for impregnating the daughter of Elvis Sitali, 42, of Siandavu Village of Chief Sipatunyana.
Facts before the court were that Mutema impregnated the girl in question in 2009 and was told to pay two cows but never fulfilled the demand or paid any amount of money ordered from him as damage.
Sitali told the court that Mutema was told to bring either two cows or an amount equivalent to the cost of the two animals but did not bring anything up to January 2016.
“Just think about the period without giving us anything! This means that he did not want and even plan to do that,” he said.
Sitali told the court that he demanded K6,000 as damage and said that Mutema delayed in settling the amount and he could not wait for him any longer. Thus he decided to sue him demanding that he pays the money.
In his defence, Mutema said that he did not ignore the demand to settle the amount in issue but was trying hard to find the money and was ready to pay any time.
“I’m ready to pay but what hindered me is that my wife has been experiencing a medical problem, so most of the time I have had to look for money for her treatment,” he said.
Mutema told the court that he was going to work hard and pay Sitali in the shortest period possible.
“Since the case has been brought here, I am going to work hard and pay him, but you should just give me chance,” he said.
In passing judgment, principle magistrate Harrison Kabwenga told Mutema to pay Sitali K3,600 to be settled in two installments starting in March with K800 and K1,800 in June.