Jennifer Dube
31 May 2008
A senior government official risks being named in a messy child wrangle between a Harare woman and the family of a Zimbabwean in the United Kingdom.
In court papers filed at the Civil Court on 6 May this year, Amos Mapengo's family intends to name a prominent politician and senior government official, among other boyfriends of Amos's estranged girlfriend, Elizabeth Kambasha.
Kambasha is seeking an interdict to stop Mapengo's mother, Nyevero and his sister, Charity from unlawfully robbing her of her right of custody over her four-year-old son.
She states in her submissions the two had tried to forcibly take the child from her, disregarding the fact she was never married to Mapengo and he had never helped her to care for the child.
She says at one time she allowed them to take her son away "under duress", after they threatened to expose her private life, which she alleges Mapengo repeats in his telephone calls to her.
In their opposing papers, the Mapengos argue that Kambasha, who works for a law firm, agreed to surrender the child to them after they had raised concern over her lack of care for him.
They accuse her of excessive drinking and "improperly associating with other men, particularly a prominent politician and married senior government official" whom they are prepared to name in court.
Mapengo says he talked to the government official on both his mobile phone and the landline at his farm in Goromonzi.
He claims at one time the politician reportedly promised to leave Kambasha alone.
He says his estranged girlfriend also admitted she had an affair with the politician and promised to repent.
But he says he established through private investigators last March that Kambasha was still seeing the politician under the pretext of attending prayer meetings.
Kambasha had allegedly informed Mapengo that she would be going home late since she would join a prayer meeting for violence-free elections. But private investigators acting on his instructions told him she would, in fact, be meeting the politician.
He says at one time he called her at midnight to confirm that she was indeed attending a prayer meeting but after realising her phone was off, he then called the politician who allowed him to talk to Kambasha from his phone. She allegedly hung up on him after recognising his voice.
Although Kambasha denies being married to Mapengo, the family says they regard her as the Diasporan's second wife after she allegedly consented to the arrangement in 2003, which led to them introducing each other to relatives, including Amos' first wife who is living with her husband in the UK.
While Mapengo says the son at the centre of the dispute came as an agreement to cement their love, Kambasha argues the child was a result of "a brief encounter with him sometime in 2004".
Mapengo says he sent two cousins to Kambasha's aunt in the rural areas to discuss lobola for her in 2005. But he says he was yet to pay.
The case, postponed last week to allow both parties to file closing papers, is expected to be heard on Friday, 6 June.
Kambasha is represented by Matipano & Associates Legal Practitioners while Mutezo, Mushangwe & Partners represent the Mapengos.
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