Gibson Mhaka
A Bulawayo man left a court in shock with his claims that he fathered 25 children with three different women in an apparent bid to avoid paying more in maintenance for his four-year-old child.
Thembelihle Ngwenya revealed his bed-hopping antics at the Bulawayo Maintenance Court after one of his alleged mistresses Sheila Sibanda applied for an upward variation following countrywide price increases.
In a bid to evade an increase in maintenance from $50 to $400 per month towards the upkeep of his four-year-old child he had with Sibanda, Ngwenya who is employed by Brooklyn Express as a conductor claimed he was the most in-demand dad in Bulawayo with 25 other children he sired with three different women.
This was after Sibanda claimed the $50 per month that was granted in November 2017 was no longer sufficient to take care of the child’s needs.
“The respondent (Thembelihle Ngwenya) was on 8 November 2017 asked to make a monthly contribution of $50 towards the upkeep of the child we had together.
“The money is however no longer enough to take care of the child’s needs and I am therefore applying for an upward variation from $50 to $400 per month,” Ngwenya’s claim reads in part.
In response, Ngwenya pulled a shocker when he argued that he could not afford to pay more than $50 as he was no longer employed and had 25 other children to look after.
“I am unable to contribute that much. I have three wives and 25 other children. I am also no longer employed after my contract was terminated on 14 October 2019,” said Ngwenya before he offered to pay between $30 and $40 per month.
Sibanda, however, shot down her ex-lover’s claims saying he was still employed and that he didn’t have those children in question he claimed to have sired with his three wives.
That prompted Bulawayo provincial magistrate Enias Magate who presided over the case during its initial appearance on 29 October to postpone it to 5 November to allow Ngwenya to bring birth certificates of “his” children and proof that he was no longer employed by Brooklyn Express.
Fearing the humiliation of a trial, Ngwenya who had initially ranked his performance in the bedroom as incredible didn’t come to court leading the provincial magistrate to grant an order in his default which compels him to pay $100 per month with effect from the end of this month.
The ruling was also after Sibanda had obtained a letter from Brooklyn Express confirming that Ngwenya was still employed as a conductor and earning $70 per week.
