Former Education minister Aeneas Chigwedere has approached
the High Court, seeking a 30-day jail term against his son, Mangwiza, in order
to compel him to undergo paternity tests as the witchcraft saga between the two
took another twist.
Chigwedere, who is also a renowned historian, successfully
obtained a court order in July last year which compelled Mangwiza to undergo
DNA paternity testing following a protracted family dispute over witchcraft
claims.
Mangwiza has been accusing his father of causing several
deaths in the Chigwedere clan as well as causing misfortunes to his own
children, an allegation that prompted the former minister to doubt having
fathered him.
“I obtained a judgment on July 31, 2018 under case number
HC1029/18 where the respondent (Mangwiza) was ordered to submit himself to DNA
tests for the purpose of determining the respondent’s paternity,” Chigwedere
said in his founding affidavit.
“I booked and paid for a paternity test on April 15, 2019
at AiBST DNA Testing Centre at Wilkins Hospital and at Lancet Clinical
Laboratories and notified the respondent of the same. The respondent, however,
did not show up for the test. I have tried before to make him comply with the
court order, but he still continues to be in defiance of the order.
“The respondent, therefore, wilfully failed to comply with
a lawful court order and is, thus, in contempt of court and I, accordingly,
pray for an order in terms of the draft.”
In his earlier affidavit, the former Mashonaland East
governor said, among the various reasons that prompted him to approach the
court for such relief, was the fact that Mangwiza’s birth, childhood and adulthood
had always been clouded by “issues which always cast suspicion and doubt on
whether or not he is my biological son”.
“Sadly, it has now become critical that the issue be
resolved as we both now have competing rights and interests regarding the devolution
of my estate in the event of my demise,” he added. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment