Pastor wants to pay $30 for two kids
THE founder and leader of Bread of Life Ministries in Bulawayo who disobeyed a court order to pay maintenance is in arrears of $1 858 and has dragged his ex-wife to the Maintenance Court seeking a downward variation from $250 to $30.
Last year when Pastor Muvirimi was ordered to pay $250 for the upkeep of two minor children he refused saying he was poor and could not afford the amount. He left the court in a huff without collecting bank account details for his ex-wife, Ms Dudzai Kurehwandishe, to deposit the money.
Pastor Muvirimi appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Sheunesu Matova seeking a downward variation from $250 to $30 a month.
“You worship, I don’t have a fixed salary. I rely on tithes and offerings from the congregants. The problem is that there are a few congregants in my church. If you ask the congregants to pay tithes and offerings they run away from the church because times are hard and money is difficult to come by. These days offerings are hard to come by. I rely on the church and I don’t have any other source of income. I cannot afford $250, if the money is reduced to $30 I will be able to pay it,” he said. His ex-wife Ms Kurehwandishe rejected the offer of $30. “He gets a lot of money from tithes, offerings and the pastor’s basket. The last time we were before this honourable court he said he did not have any money and I conducted investigations only to find out he was lying. $30 is insufficient for two children, I know he can afford $250 and he is lying in court. He recently travelled to Nigeria and he has re-married which is proof he can afford the money I am claiming,” she said.
e court papers show that Pastor Muvirimi is in arrears of $1 858 as he has been defaulting since March 2017 and the couple agreed out of court that he will pay $30 towards the arrears.
“I agree that I am in arrears of $1 858 and I have agreed with Ms Kurehwandishe that I will pay $30 a month towards the arrears from March 2018,” read the court papers.
He said he wanted the money for the upkeep of his children to be reduced to $30 to allow him to pay up the arrears.
Mr Matova varied the money from $250 to $200 a month and ordered Pastor Muvirimi to clear the arrears. —@ YUshamba