Charma Gal, Leshman Custody Battle Intensifies
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday July 23, 2018 13:20
Lobatse High court judge Justice Godfrey Nthomiwa has ordered that Matenge be arrested if he failed to comply with a court order issued by the Gaborone high court relating to the custody of their child. The two are embroiled in a bitter court battle for the custody of their two-year-old son.
The high-profile businessman was in May granted temporary custody of the little boy by Gaborone High Court judge, Michael Mothobi pending the final determination of the custody issue in October 2018. Mothobi had issued an interim ruling that the minor should continue living with his father whilst a social worker was roped in to assess the two parents’ respective lifestyles to determine who was better suited to live with the child.
Although Mothobi gave Matenge temporary custody of the minor, he ordered that the Sekuta hitmaker be allowed access to the child on alternate weekends, school and Christmas holidays. He also ordered that both parents should take the child for medical attention and agree on a suitable caregiver for their child.
However this week, Justice Nthomiwa ordered that Matenge be imprisoned for contempt of court after the 33-year-old Charma Gal lodged an urgent application through her lawyer, Uyapo Ndadi. Ndadi argued that Matenge had failed to comply with the court order. He said that the refusal by Matenge to allow the child’s mother access has meant that the child missed a scheduled appointment with the doctor.
“It is ordered that the Respondent be held in contempt of the order of this court dated May 28 2018, in particular, that he has refused and continues to refuse the Applicant access and violation of the minor child as directed by the court order. “The Respondent be committed to prison for a period of 30 days for violating the court order and that such committal be suspended on condition that there is strict compliance with the order of Mothobi J,” ruled Nthomiwa.
The court further ordered that Matenge keep the interim custody of the minor child pending final determination of the matter, but Charma Gal should have access and visitation rights over the child as Justice Mothobi determined it. The celebrity couple has been in the limelight after they split early this year after allegations of infidelity and death threats surfaced.
Charma Gal has also said in the court papers that she did not want her son to be raised by the current maid at her former boyfriend’s house as she said they once had a fight and the maid did not allow her to see her son.
She said that she has a WhatsApp communication, which is proof of the insults hurled at her by Matenge every time she demanded to see her son.