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Court Reporter
A Guruve-based Roman Catholic church priest was last week taken to the Harare Civil Courts by a woman who claimed to be his wife and demanded $250 for the upkeep of their child.Emma Mataka claimed Mathew Chonga was not contributing anything towards the upkeep of their child yet he owned commuter omnibuses.

“Chonga is a priest in the Roman Catholic Church and he earns about $800 per month in allowances,” she said.

Mataka told magistrate Mr Tafadzwa Muvhami that Chonga was failing to contribute money towards his child yet he is a businessman.

“I want him to at least pay $250 per month for his child because I had been suffering alone with the child,” said Mataka.

Mataka said she was dumped by Chonga soon after their marriage in August last year.

Responding to the claims, Chonga said he would not contribute anything towards the child since she was being taken care of by his sister.

“I am not willing to contribute anything because the child is staying with my sister and she is the one who is taking care of everything,” he said.

Chonga claimed he was no longer a Roman Catholic priest saying he was defrocked because Mataka was in the habit of visiting him at the church’s premises causing violence.

“I am now a subsistence farmer and all is not well for me because I do not have the capital to boost my business,” said Chonga.

Mr Muvhami deferred matter to January 14, and ordered Mataka to bring proof that Chonga was still a priest with the Roman Catholic Church and also to bring proof of his salary.