HARARE - Sungura ace Alick Macheso’s estranged wife Tafadzwa Fortunate Mapako has filed a $7 000 maintenance claim against the musician, saying she is ready for paternity tests for their two children.
In the maintenance application seen by the Daily News yesterday, Tafadzwa claims Macheso has been neglecting her and the children since December last year.
She is demanding $7 130 every month towards her upkeep and their children Alick (Junior) and Manisha.
In her maintenance list, Tafadzwa is demanding $700 for rent, $1 500 for groceries, $300 for the house maid, $300 for the gardener, $600 for motor vehicle service and allowance, $450 for the driver, $600 for the children’s medical aid, $400 for water and electricity, $200 for telephone allowance, $400 for children’s clothing, $80 for DStv, $300 for fuel and $400 for extra-curricular activities.
She is also demanding $150 for her medical aid, $400 for hair and beauty therapy, $200 for her clothing and $150 for extra-curricular activities.
She said Macheso was in a position to foot all the demands, claiming he was financially stable as a musician.
The matter has been provisionally set for May 13 for a hearing.
This follows a letter written by Macheso’s lawyer Norman Mugiya, claiming Tafadzwa had failed to turn up for a paternity test.
Tafadzwa’s lawyer David Ngwerume from Hamunakwadi, Nyandoro and Nyambuya Legal Practitioners said there was no agreed venue for the paternity test and that Mugiya had communicated to him a day before the day of the said test.
Ngwerume said Tafadzwa was in Mutare at that material time.
“Following your letter dated the 2nd of May 2014, our client was in Mutare when we had a tele-conversation on the 1st of May 2014 at 8:00pm,” Ngwerume said in response to Mugiya’s letter.
“We were unable to communicate with her on the 2nd (of May) as she was already in Mutare.
“However, our client instructs us that she is willing and more than ready to go for DNA tests. She prefers the DNA tests to be done through the Blood Transfusion Service of Zimbabwe as she stated in our earlier meeting.”
Responding to claims that Tafadzwa was peddling lies and issuing highly defamatory statements against Macheso, Ngwerume told the Daily News that her client reserved the right to sue as well.
He said that there were a lot of things that had been said by Macheso against Tafadzwa, adding the musician was the one who initiated the divorce proceedings.
Ngwerume said they would wait for the outcome of the court proceedings.
Macheso has offered to pay $200 per week as maintenance pending the paternity tests.
In addition, he said he is willing to pay $350 every month for rentals and $100 for medical bills.
Tafadzwa has turned down the offer, which she said was not in line with the kind of life Macheso had exposed her to. This has prompted her to file a maintenance application.
“Following your letter dated Wednesday 23rd of April, 2014, our client instructs us as follows, that she is not accepting your interim maintenance proposal as it does not meet the needs thereof,” reads Tafadzwa’s letter to Macheso’s lawyer dated April 25.
The letter further claims that negotiations were not yielding anything and there was no settlement.