I Cannot Sustain 2 Homes, Lusaka Man Tells Court

By KAPALA CHISUNKA
A MARRIED man of Mandevu begged the Lusaka Boma Court to grant him custody of his six-year-old daughter from his former lover because he could no longer manage to sustain two homes on his meagre salary.
Patrick Chiti, 35, told senior court magistrates Mable Mwaba and Mary Namangala that he wanted his daughter under his care because he did not want to burden his former lover’s boyfriend with the responsibility of providing for his child when he was still alive.
This was heard in a case in which Chiti sued Abigail Ilumbela, 25, of Ng’ombe for custody of the child.
But Abigail told the court that she would not consent to another woman taking care of her child, especially that she was not in good terms with her former lover’s wife.
Passing judgment, the court refused to give Chiti full custody of the child because she was below seven years.
Chiti in his statement told the court that he was ready to take his daughter and provide for her in a stable environment.
“I want my daughter to live with me because I cannot continue to provide for two homes; I am just a taxi driver. My wife is also ready to look after my child except Abigail always seems to take a confrontational approach like they are rivals,” he said.
But in her statement, Abigail said their daughter was too young to live with her father and step-mother. She acknowledged that Chiti was the girl’s biological father and therefore had visitation rights.
“He knows he can visit his daughter whenever he wants but he never comes. Actually, my parents told him he could come and get her during the holidays but he still does not come because he knows he has not paid for damages.
Your honour that is the other major reason we cannot give him the child. He has to pay my parents for damages,” she said.
Passing judgment, the court after talking to the child in the chambers gave custody of the child to his mother noting that she was below seven years old. The court also advised Chiti to first establish a relationship with his daughter before he can think of being given custody.

Posted by Editor on April 13, 2013. Filed under LIFE & STYLE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry