Do not use violence, take the legal route

A 34-year-old man who endured the pain of paying thousands of rands in maintenance for a child, who later turned out to be not his, said he was relieved that it had been proven beyond doubt that the child was not his.

Tests conducted through the Mutale Magistrate’s Court came back negative and now he can continue with his life again.

Mr Rofhiwa Musalafu of Mulodi outside Thohoyandou is now an ambassador of peace and is spreading the good news that there is still hope in the justice system of the country. He is urging men not to resort to violence when they have domestic challenges, but to approach the courts for justice.

Musalafu said it all started in 2014 after meeting a woman in his area and they started a relationship. "It was just a week after we started with the relationship that I called her, only to find a man on the other side. The man warned me not to call his wife again," he said.

He further indicated that their relationship slowed down, but after only a month she told him she was pregnant. He added that a baby boy was born, and he named him Orifha. Rumours started to spread in the village, however, that the child was not his.

Musalafu said he continued supporting the child but was burdened by the rumour. He said he lost his job and could not pay maintenance for the child and the woman reported him to the maintenance court.

"I was ordered by the court to pay maintenance of R400 each month and R800 each December. During the court proceedings, I requested a blood test to ascertain the paternity of the child, which was granted. The results came back at the end of January, and they were negative.”

He said that he was not surprised, “because I always had doubts about the child." According to him he lost more than R30 000 through maintenance and other expenses for the baby.

"As men we always think that the courts favour women, and many resort to violence, sometimes killing the mother and child and then committing suicide. I am appealing to men to go the legal route. I have seen and experienced that there is justice in our courts," he said.

Musalafu said he would not leave the matter there but would demand a refund to teach the woman a lesson.

Date:18 February 2018

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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