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A Harare man yesterday claimed that his wife was depriving their daughter of her right to an education by taking her to Apostolic Church services during school days.
School authorities who testified in the child custody battle at the Harare Magistrates’ Civil Court said the same thing.
Arthur Chikoto approached the Civil Court seeking custody of the daughter he sired with his ex-wife Ngonidzashe Munaki.
He told the court that Munaki was not paying their daughter’s school fees despite the fact that he was giving her the money.
In his founding affidavit Chikoto states, “I received a complaint from the school authorities where the child in question was attending to the effect that the child had gone for a year without paying school fees despite the fact that I was giving her the money for the child’s school fees.
“The school authorities also complained that there were times when the child was not attending school because she would take her to Masowe for weeks.
“After realising that the minor child was being deprived of such an essential and basic need like education, I decided to transfer her to a boarding school but I am still getting such kind of complaints,” he said.
Chikoto said it was clear “from the foregoing that Munaki is not a fit and proper person to have custody” of their daughter.
The headmaster of the school the child used to attend, identified as Mr W Chuma, deposited a letter with the court saying: “She was in Grade three. She was always absent from school especially on Thursdays and Fridays. The mother took her to Masowe and she did not pay the levies and tuition.”
However, Munaki denied the allegations arguing that Chikoto was lying to the court.
In her notice of opposition, she states: “The applicant is not being truthful with this court when he said that he gives me money every month for the child welfare’s.
“I have never taken the child from school for any ritual purposes.”
Magistrate Ms Barbra Chimboza heard the matter and deferred it to February 21 for the headmaster of the school the child currently attends to come and testify. — CR.