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Gabrielle Gede Manicaland Correspondent
A MUTARE man, who had accrued a $4 400 debt in maintenance fees for his four children since 2014, was spared from a three-month jail term after Magistrate Nortilda Muchineripi set it aside on condition that he settles the fees on or before July 31 this year.

Christopher Mautsa (36) had been taken to court by his former wife Lorraine Mwasungeni, who complained that her former husband was failing to pay for the upkeep of his children.

Mautsa was initially ordered by the Mutare Civil Court to pay $80 for the upkeep of his children.  Mautsa told the court that he was failing to pay because he was currently unemployed and was realising $50 per month.

“I only managed to pay for two months before I lost my job. The fact that I got sick also affected my obligation as I could not go to work so that I can look after my children,” he said. His former wife, Mwasungani, told the court that her ex-husband was never committed to looking after the kids.

“I work as a vendor and it is from that business where I get money for the upkeep of my children and paying off the bills,” she said.

Prosecutor Perseverance Musukutu told the court that Mautsa, who resides in Chinyausunzi in Sakubva, has not been paying his maintenance bills since September 2014.