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Prosper Dembedza-Herald Correspondent 

Norton legislator Temba Mliswa, accused by the mother of his children of failing to pay school fees as ordered by a court, yesterday said he had cleared the fees in full, but had paid Hellenic School in local currency at the interbank rate rather than the black market rate. 

Through his lawyer, Mliswa told the court that he had paid all school fees for his children.

He submitted that Hellenic School had been paid $104 000 and denied allegations by Ms Cynthia Tendai Mzigwira that he owed the school $1 216 000.

Mliswa said he was wondering why he was in court as he had paid all school fees arrears.

He said he was billed in United States dollars and paid using the interbank prevailing rate in terms of Statutory Instrument 33/2019 that was gazetted by the President.

“I told the school authority that their rate was not consistent with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe exchange rate,” Mliswa said.

He further told the court that after submitting all evidence before the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) officials, they should have declined to prosecute the matter, but for reasons known to them, he was in court.

Mliswa said although paternity still had to be established through DNA tests, he was paying the fees in compliance with a court order.

Responding to a question from prosecutor Mandirasa Chigumira on the age of the children, Mliswa said he did not know since the mother did not allow him to come on their birthdays.

He said there was no evidence that the school said he refused to pay, saying it was only coming from Ms Mzigwira.

Mliswa told the court that he could not be forced to pay a black market rate as it was illegal, saying the court could not sit to deliberate his failure to pay a black market rate rather than the interbank official rate.