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Habagat to bring rain to some areas in Luzon

The southwest monsoon, locally known as habagat, will continue to bring rain over parts of Luzon on Saturday, said the state weather bureau.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in its latest forecast, habagat will continue to pour over Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, as well as Palawan.

‘As for Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, skies will be partly cloudy to cloudy, with a continued chance of localized thunderstorms,’ Pagasa weather specialist Veronica Torres said.

‘Expect a higher chance of thunderstorms in the western part of Luzon, including Metro Manila,’ she noted.

Meanwhile, habagat will likewise bring rain over Western Visayas, while the remaining parts of Visayas and Mindanao will experience relatively better weather, with partly cloudy to cloudy skies.

Thunderstorms are likewise more likely in the western parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

The temperature range in key cities/areas across the country for Saturday will be –

Metro Manila: 25 to 32 degrees Celsius

Baguio City: 17 to 25 degrees Celsius

Laoag City: 25 to 33 degrees Celsius

Tuguegarao: 25 to 33 degrees Celsius

Legazpi City: 25 to 32 degrees Celsius

Puerto Princesa City: 25 to 31 degrees Celsius

Tagaytay: 22 to 30 degrees Celsius

Kalayaan Islands: 26 to 31 degrees Celsius

Iloilo City: 24 to 31 degrees Celsius

Cebu: 25 to 32 degrees Celsius

Tacloban City: 25 to 33 degrees Celsius

Cagayan De Oro City: 26 to 32 degrees Celsius

Zamboanga City: 25 to 32 degrees Celsius

Davao City: 26 to 32 degrees Celsius

Asian Games 2026 begin, with Japan hosting for 1st time since 1994

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 began Saturday, with Japan hosting the continental summer games for the first time since 1994 and welcoming 45 countries and regions competing in 43 sports.

Qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is at stake in sports including hockey, surfing and squash at the games held in Nagoya and other cities in Aichi Prefecture, neighboring Shizuoka and Gifu prefectures, as well as Tokyo and Osaka.

Over 17,000 athletes and officials are taking part in the quadrennial games, according to the Olympic Council of Asia, with Japan sending its largest-ever contingent of 932 athletes, aiming to eclipse its record of 78 gold medals from 1966 in Bangkok.

Non-Olympic sports such as sepak takraw and kabaddi are on show along with esports, as Japan welcomes the games for the third time, after 1958 in Tokyo and Hiroshima 32 years ago.

Women’s Olympic wrestling gold medalist Akari Fujinami and freestyle BMX rider Rimu Nakamura carried the flag for Japan during the opening ceremony at the renovated Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.

Emperor Naruhito, in attendance with Empress Masako, declared the games open, with International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry also attending the ceremony.

The torch relay began on Aug. 22 and finished with hammer throw icon Koji Murofushi and his father Shigenobu lighting up the cauldron after Fujinami, as well as past Asian Games standouts Kosuke Kitajima, Koji Ito and Ayaka Takahashi, passed the flame inside the venue.

Cost increases and a larger number of sports and athletes have tested the local organizing committee after Aichi Prefecture and its capital Nagoya were named the 2026 host a decade ago.

Soaring prices have seen the original estimated cost of 100 billion yen ($637 million) for the Asian Games and Asian Para Games combined to go above 370 billion yen, with the government subsidizing 13.6 billion yen after enacting special measures.

The games also arrive on the back of three decades of economic decline in Japan, marking a contrast to the 1994 event, which took place after the country experienced its asset-inflated bubble economy.

Buratai: Military battles may be lost without timely information

Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (Rtd.), has warned that the military could lose battles if it fails to provide timely and credible information to the public.

He stressed that effective communication had become a critical component of modern warfare, urging the military to take control of the information space to counter terrorist propaganda and misinformation.

Buratai spoke in Abuja when he hosted the Conference and Award Committee of the Defence Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (DECAN).

‘In modern defence and security, if you don’t protect yourself, if you don’t get your information out as timely as possible, then be rest assured that even your battle will be lost,’ Buratai said.

‘Your strategy will be ineffective, which by implication, your operational execution will also be affected,’ he added.

He said timely dissemination of credible information was essential to the success of military strategies and operations, noting that terrorists and insurgents had continued to exploit the media and information space to propagate their ideology and demoralise troops and civilians.

‘The terrorists, the insurgents, use the media, use information very strongly to propagate their ideas, to demoralise the citizens and even demoralise the military,’ Buratai said.

The former Army Chief described defence journalism as a critical component of national security, saying journalists had an important role to play in communicating the challenges, prospects and achievements of the defence sector.

‘The importance of journalism, especially defence journalism, is that it is a very important tool in disseminating the challenges and, of course, even the prospects, the achievements of the defence sector,’ he said.

Buratai recalled that, as Army Chief, he deliberately opened up military operations to journalists by allowing defence correspondents to accompany troops to the battlefield as part of efforts to counter terrorist propaganda.

‘The best way to counter it, as we did, was to carry the press along and they report right on the scene,’ he said.

He said the policy helped to break what he described as the ‘jinx’ of not allowing journalists to report military operations while they were ongoing.

Buratai recalled an operation during which his convoy came under attack while troops were advancing towards Gamboru Ngala in Borno State.

‘As we started moving, they (terrorists) ambushed the convoy, the leading convoy and unfortunately they killed one soldier, injured one general and then injured another soldier,’ he said.

According to him, the troops nevertheless continued their advance, eventually capturing terrorists and linking up with troops that had already advanced towards the area.

Buratai said the presence of journalists during the operation ensured that the military’s account of events was reported promptly, preventing Boko Haram from controlling the narrative.

‘And those issues were reported live and we now broke the Boko Haram information and media propaganda, and so they could no longer have the monopoly to tell lies or to spread rumour,’ he said.

He said the experience demonstrated the strategic value of journalists embedded with troops during military operations.

‘That was a very important role of the journalists that we saw, we appreciate you,’ Buratai said.

The former Army Chief commended DECAN for its contribution to defence journalism and its efforts to promote a stronger relationship between the military and the media.

He urged journalists, particularly defence correspondents, to uphold professionalism while providing the public with accurate information on national security issues.

Buratai also called for greater confidence in the journalism profession and urged journalists to pay greater attention to defence and security reporting, stressing that the media had an important role to play in shaping public understanding of military operations and national security challenges.

He confirmed his readiness to attend the forthcoming DECAN conference, where he is expected to deliver the keynote address.

The conference, themed ‘Beyond Kinetic Warfare: Harnessing Technology and Intelligence-Led Operations for Nigeria’s National Security,’ is expected to focus on emerging technologies, intelligence-led operations and evolving approaches to national security.

PSE pushes criteria for ‘green equity’ label

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) is seeking market feedback on proposed rules that would allow qualified listed companies to carry a Green Equity Label, as the bourse moves to strengthen transparency around environmentally aligned investments.

Under the draft rules, which are open for comments until Oct. 2, the label may be granted to Philippine-listed companies that can show alignment with environmental objectives through their financials and business activities.

‘The Green Equity Label is the designation given to Philippine-listed companies that have proven alignment with environmental objectives, both in their financials and in their business activities,’ the PSE said.

The framework implements the Securities and Exchange Commission’s guidelines on Philippine Green Equity issued in 2025.

Qualifications

To qualify, more than 50 percent of a company’s revenues must come from green activities based on its latest audited annual financial statements.

More than 50 percent of its investments, comprising capital expenditure and operating expenditure, must likewise be channeled toward green activities.

Meanwhile, revenues derived from fossil fuels must be kept below 5 percent.

The company’s activities must also meet the eligibility criteria under the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy Guidelines or the Asean Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance.

Companies that seek the label need to submit an assessment report prepared by a PSE-accredited external review provider.

Once complete requirements are received, the PSE would have 45 calendar days to evaluate the application and notify the applicant of its decision.

Companies granted the label would remain subject to continuous monitoring.

They would need to submit an annual assessment report no later than 30 calendar days from the deadline for their audited financial statements, subject to a possible 15-day extension.

Any material changes involving activities in which a company is engaged or invested, as well as other material information relevant to the label, must also be disclosed to the PSE within 10 minutes in accordance with the consolidated listing and disclosure rules.

Cancelation

The PSE may cancel the use of the label after due notice and hearing in cases involving noncompliance, inconsistencies, incomplete disclosures, possible misrepresentation or other matters that could affect the label’s integrity or reputation.

The exchange also plans to maintain an online Green Equity registry that lists companies granted the label and accredited external reviewers.

Camera club of the Philippines celebrates 98 glorious years

The Camera Club of the Philippines (CCP), led by president Paul Resureccion, marked its 98th anniversary in distinguished and festive style at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati

City, with the theme ‘Through the Lens, One World: CCP at 98,’ inspiring members to don colorful costumes celebrating nations and cultures from around the globe. Adding prestige to

the elegant gathering were the organization’s newly inducted honorary fellows, Jollibee Group co-founder and executive chairman and Jollibee Group Foundation chairman emeritus Dr.

Tony Tan Caktiong and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent Christensen; lifetime member Tilak Hettige; and the glamorous Mutya ng Pilipinas queens.

Musical performances by the Peppermint Band and the husband-and-wife duo Thibault and Marga Momper brought lively cultural flair, while former CCP president and Informatics

Philippines founder Leonardo ‘Leo’ Riingen earned Best in Costume honors. Founded in 1928, the venerable organization continues to champion photographic excellence and camaraderie as it proudly looks ahead to its centennial in 2028.

A memorable day for Maruti

Radha Jewelry owner Wella Shah hosted a stylish Sail Away celebration for her husband, Maruti Shah, as he marked his 31st birthday aboard a luxurious multistory yacht docked at the

Manila Yacht Club in Roxas Boulevard, Manila. Guests enjoyed breathtaking views of the Manila Bay skyline and its world-famous sunset before indulging in a lavish buffet, free-flowing

drinks, and lively dancing to the music of an onboard DJ.

2027: Otu tasks Cross River youths to mobilise four million votes for Tinubu

Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has charged youths in the state to take the lead in mobilising support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the state must target four million votes for the President to strengthen its bargaining power at the national level.

Otu gave the charge on Saturday while addressing members and supporters of the Evidence Group, a youth movement established to mobilise young people and showcase the achievements of his administration.

The Governor, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon Sylvester Agabi, thanked the convener of the group for the initiative, stressing that the time had come for youths to be placed at the centre of political and governance activities.

‘It is time for the youth. That is why we are putting the youths first,’ the Governor said.

He urged the youths to mobilise support for President Tinubu, saying: ‘We must produce four million votes for the President in the state so that we can have proper negotiating power at the national.’

The group’s convener, Comrade Edem Dominic Bassey, Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State, stated that it is the time for youth engagement. He praised the President and Governor for their excellent performance, pointing to the large turnout as proof of their success.

Earlier, the Director-General of Evidence Group, Bassey Henry Eyoma, said the movement was created to harness the energy of young people and channel it towards productive engagement, civic participation and leadership.

Eyoma said the group was not established to compete with or undermine any existing organisation, but to provide a platform for youths to unite and contribute positively to society.

He said unemployed and disengaged youths could become vulnerable to social vices, stressing the need to provide them with opportunities for meaningful participation in governance and economic activities.

According to him, youths already have a place in the administration, noting that young people occupy positions in the state Executive Council and are increasingly participating in electoral politics.

Eyoma said Evidence Group would focus on presenting what he described as tangible evidence of the Otu administration’s activities in education, healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure.

‘That is why we want to show evidence. We are showing evidence, not making noise. That’s why our slogan is: ‘No Noise, Just Proof,” he said.

On translating social media activism into civic and economic action, Eyoma said the group was working with the State Planning Commission on the development of what he referred to as the ‘Yellow Economy’.

He explained that the initiative was intended to explore ways of converting young people’s social media activities and digital engagement into income-generating opportunities.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, Efa Effiong Nyong, said he joined other youths at the event to express solidarity with President Tinubu and Governor Otu.

Nyong described the Governor’s administration as having recorded significant achievements, saying supporters of the administration had come out to demonstrate their backing.

The Director-General of the Cross River State Geographic Information Agency, William Archibong, also said the name ‘Evidence Group’ was chosen to draw attention to projects and programmes of the Otu administration.

Archibong said the group was particularly focused on demonstrating what the administration had done over the past three years and highlighting its youth-oriented initiatives.

He urged Cross Riverians to support the administration for what he described as greater achievements.

S&P’s upgrade has particular weight amidst great uncertainty, FinMin says

The upgrade of the Republic of Cyprus’s credit rating by S and P, at a time of great instability and uncertainty, whilst conflicts and negative geopolitical developments continue, takes on particular weight and significance for the prospects of the Cypriot economy, Finance Minister Makis Keravnos says in a statement on Saturday.

Keravnos expresses his satisfaction at the decision by S and P Global Ratings to upgrade the Republic of Cyprus’s credit rating from ‘A-‘ to ‘A’ and to maintain a positive outlook.

‘Cyprus has moved up one notch in the investment grade category, and its credibility in international markets has been further strengthened,” he says.

“The upgrade of the Republic of Cyprus’s credit rating by S and P, at a time of great instability and uncertainty, whilst conflicts and negative geopolitical developments continue, takes on particular weight and significance for the prospects of the Cypriot economy’, Keravnos stresses, adding that the balanced and growth-oriented economic policy pursued by the government, which ensures resilience and strengthens the fundamentals of the Cypriot economy, is effectively recognised by the agency’s upgrade of the country’s credit rating.

He adds that the agency’s maintenance of a ‘positive outlook’ in its assessment of the Cypriot economy is particularly important and confirms forecasts for continued economic growth.

‘The government will continue to consistently implement its prudent, growth-oriented and socially sensitive economic policy, which most effectively ensures the economy’s resilience and growth, whilst maintaining budget surpluses and continuing to reduce public debt, thereby strengthening the state’s ability to challenges,” the Finance Minister adds.

“The government’s priority is to ensure that the benefits of the economy’s positive performance reach our households and businesses, and that our most vulnerable fellow citizens are effectively supported through a targeted social policy,’ Keravnos concludes.

S and P’s decision to upgrade the Republic of Cyprus’ rating from ‘A-‘ with a positive outlook to ‘A’, also with a positive outlook, reflects its confidence in the strong fundamentals of the Cypriot economy, as well as its resilience to the effects of the adverse international environment, the Ministry of Finance also says in a press release issued today.

According to the Ministry, this upgrade comes at a time when the international environment is characterised by significant geopolitical uncertainties, which are exerting considerable pressure on economies worldwide and causing serious economic and social repercussions.

As stated, the key points of S and P’s statement concern the expected continuation of economic growth – which is forecast to be 2.7%- unless there is a significant deterioration in the situation in the Middle East, whilst budget surpluses are also forecast to continue.

It is added that the sharp reduction in public debt is forecast to continue, with public debt projected to fall to just over 30% by 2029, whilst it is expected that the very positive situation in the labour market, as well as continued private investment (both foreign and domestic), will boost domestic demand, with positive effects on the economy.

According to the Ministry, the agency stated that the current account deficit is forecast to fluctuate around 7% for the period 2027-2029, which it considers manageable.

Among the key factors that could influence, positively or negatively, the future trajectory of the Republic of Cyprus’s credit rating, S and P lists a potential significant external shock (such as the spread of war in the Middle East), the trajectory of public finances, a further reduction in public debt, and the continued inflow of foreign direct investment into the economy.

‘In such a negative environment, not only has Cyprus been upgraded, but expectations of further upgrades remain strong as the positive outlook is maintained; this means that, should the agency’s forecasts materialise, there may well be an upgrade within the next 12 months, whilst the Republic of Cyprus has returned to the ‘A’ rating for the first time since 2010, having thus practically fully recovered from the consequences of the 2011- -2013, whilst it is now just one notch below its all-time highest rating (A+) from S and P’, it is noted.

Continued commitment to fiscal discipline and sound economic choices has already borne fruit and is expected to yield further benefits in the future, the Finance Ministry concludes.

Court of Appeal upholds dismissal of former TIE acting director over textbook errors

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by former Acting Director of the Research, Information and Publishing (RIP) Department at the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE), Dr Daudi Kajigili, after he failed to prove that there were legal or procedural flaws in the decision to dismiss him over allegations of negligence in supervising the preparation and publication of textbooks.

The court dismissed his appeal, saying evidence presented showed that the department he headed was responsible for overseeing the design and publication of 44 textbooks, including books that were found to contain errors and were distributed to schools.

Dr Kajigili was dismissed after an Inquiry Committee found him guilty of two counts of negligence, including failure to supervise the preparation of Standard Three and Form One to Four textbooks that were found to contain errors in content, language and illustrations. The allegations also involved a claimed Sh12.64 billion loss allegedly incurred by TIE as a result of the textbooks.

Following his dismissal, Dr Kajigili challenged the decision through various administrative channels, including the Public Service Commission and the President, who upheld the commission’s decision. He later challenged the decision before the High Court but was unsuccessful.

The appeal, Civil Appeal No. 290 of 2024, was filed against TIE, the Permanent Secretary and the Attorney General, challenging a High Court decision delivered on May 19, 2023.

The Court of Appeal ruling was delivered on September 16, 2026, by a three-judge panel comprising Justice Barke Sehel, Justice Omar Othman Makungu and Justice Isaa Maige.

How the dispute started

Dr Kajigili was appointed Acting Director of the department in February 2016. The department was responsible for overseeing some aspects of the preparation, design and publication of textbooks.

He was suspended on October 18, 2017, over allegations that he had failed to supervise the preparation and publication of Standard Three and Form One to Four textbooks.

On July 25, 2018, he was subsequently charged with two counts of serious negligence under the Public Service Regulations.

Dr Kajigili denied the allegations, but the Inquiry Committee found him guilty and he was dismissed from employment with effect from October 18, 2018. He appealed to the Public Service Commission, but his appeal was rejected.

Dr Kajigili later approached the High Court seeking judicial review of the decision after exhausting the available administrative processes. However, the court dismissed his application on May 19, 2023.

Grounds of appeal

Before the Court of Appeal, Dr Kajigili raised 10 grounds challenging the High Court decision, arguing that there were errors in the process used to take disciplinary action against him.

Among his arguments was that the Sh12.64 billion loss cited in the allegations differed from figures contained in some documents used during the disciplinary proceedings.

He also argued that some of the duties relied upon to find him guilty were not part of his responsibilities and that some of the events linked to the alleged loss occurred before he became Acting Director of RIP.

Dr Kajigili also challenged some of the documents used in the proceedings, alleging that certain pages were missing and that some contained handwritten entries.

In another ground, he argued that he had not been given a proper opportunity to be heard by the Public Service Commission and raised allegations of bias in the disciplinary process.

He therefore asked the Court of Appeal to overturn the High Court decision as well as the decision to dismiss him.

Court’s decision

After examining the proceedings and arguments presented by both sides, the judges rejected Dr Kajigili’s arguments and dismissed his appeal, saying the court’s role in judicial review was not to rehear the case or reassess the evidence against him, but to determine whether the process followed the law and applicable procedures.

‘The role of the court in judicial review is not to rehear the case and take the place of the authority that made the decision,’ the judges said.

On his responsibilities in supervising the textbooks, the judges considered evidence given by Dr Kajigili himself and documents submitted to the court.

‘The appellant himself gave evidence that his department was responsible for supervising the design of 44 textbooks,’ the judges said.

Regarding his argument that he was not personally summoned before the Public Service Commission, the judges said there was no mandatory requirement for an appellant to appear personally before the commission.

For those reasons, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and allowed the decision to dismiss Dr Kajigili from employment to stand, with each party ordered to bear its own costs.

Rivers oil community demand roles in Ogoni oil resumption talks

The people of Kegbara Dere in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State have demanded direct representation in ongoing efforts to resolve the controversy surrounding the proposed resumption of oil and gas operations in Ogoniland.

The community led by its Paramount Ruler, HRH Chief Donald Kpegemona Gberesuu, said no decision concerning Kegbara Dere’s oil and gas assets should be taken without the participation of its duly constituted leadership and institutions.

In an open letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and copied to relevant Federal Government agencies, the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, MOSOP, KAGOTE and other stakeholders, the community declared: ‘No decision about Kegbara Dere without Kegbara Dere.’

The community said it was not opposed to responsible petroleum resumption, but insisted that any return to oil production must be accompanied by comprehensive environmental remediation, community participation, transparency, accountability, safety and tangible economic benefits.

Kegbara Dere also demanded the immediate inclusion of Gberesuu and representatives nominated through the community’s legitimate institutions in all strategic and stakeholders’ meetings on the proposed resumption.

It said: ‘Government engagement must follow this lawful leadership, not personality-based representation.’

The community based its claim to legitimate representation on a series of court judgments, which it said culminated in the June 29, 2026 judgment of the Bori Division of the Rivers State High Court affirming Gberesuu as the lawful Paramount Ruler of Kegbara Dere and restraining interference.

Beyond representation, the community called for independent verification and publication of petroleum assets, infrastructure and environmental liabilities associated with Kegbara Dere.

It also urged the Federal Government and other stakeholders to formally retrieve and review its Kegbara Dere Engagement Master Plan and Development Blueprint, which it said was submitted to the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2025.

According to the community, the blueprint proposes a broad economic framework for petroleum operations, including community participation, employment, local content, infrastructure, healthcare, education, environmental monitoring, technology and investment.

The blueprint also demanded the establishment of an oil and gas development institute in Kegbara Dere, equity participation in the petroleum value chain and representation on the management and directorate boards of companies, joint ventures and regulatory bodies involved in oil and gas operations.

The community also demanded the location of operators’ headquarters in Kegbara Dere, the establishment of petrochemical and LNG facilities, large-scale refineries and a community-based GMoU framework.

On the environmental front, it demanded the complete decommissioning of obsolete facilities and ‘holistic restoration’ of contaminated soil and groundwater.

It further called for compensation and settlement of families who, it alleged, suffered fatalities and permanent deformities during the repression of the Ogoni struggle.

The community said the proposed petroleum resumption must go beyond extraction to establish a transparent host-community economic and development compact.

‘No exclusion. No tokenism. No representation without mandate. No petroleum resumption without environmental responsibility. No extraction without meaningful host-community participation,’ it declared.

Kegbara Dere also maintained that its petroleum assets required authoritative verification, while asserting that the community had historically played a significant role in Nigeria’s oil industry.

According to the statement, Kegbara Dere Well 1 was drilled and completed in 1958 and produced what the community described as the first commercial volume of crude oil lifted from the area.

It listed numerous wells, flow stations, pipelines, gathering infrastructure, marine bases, tank farm and manifold sites and other petroleum facilities said to be located within the community.

The community, however, acknowledged that precise petroleum statistics should be confirmed through authoritative petroleum records and independent technical verification.

It also warned individuals and groups against making representations in its name without express authorisation from its recognised institutions.

‘While we appreciate the fact that several persons are Ogoni leaders born in Kegbara Dere and may be eligible if authorised to speak for Ogoni, at this time and in this instant case, nobody has the mandate to discuss on behalf of Kegbara Dere except this legal authority,’ the statement said.

The community said it was dissociating itself from positions attributed to individuals or groups without its mandate, insisting that its Master Plan and Development Blueprint remained its official framework for engagement on oil and gas resumption.

It further reaffirmed its support for the constitutional process for the creation of an Ogoni State, also known as Bori State, with a minimum of two local government areas for Kegbara Dere.

The statement was endorsed by Gberesuu and other members of the Kegbara Dere Contact Group on Oil and Gas Resumption, including the Chairman of the Kegbara Dere Town Governing Council, Chief Elder Enoch T. Gbarabe; Chairman, Community Development Committee, Capt. Rogers Dum Mbaka; Women Leader, Mrs Eunice Deenor; Youth President, Comrade Jerusalem Dumka; and spokesperson, Chief John T. Gaage.

Court denies woman child’s custody, order her to pay ex-husband US$200 monthly maintenance

A Zimbabwean woman based in Australia has lost a High Court bid to take custody of her 9-year-old daughter from her ex-husband in Zimbabwe and has instead been ordered to pay US$200 per month in maintenance.

Justice Fatima Maxwell of the High Court sitting in Harare, Zimbabwe, awarded sole custody of the minor child, A.R., to the father, Brian Sunguro, and granted the mother, Abigal Manyati, access during alternate school holidays and through regular virtual contact.

The couple married under the then Marriage Act and later separated.

They have no shared property.

According to Zambia Observer, the dispute centred on custody, access and maintenance of their daughter.

Abigal relocated to Australia in 2017 to pursue nursing studies and is now employed there, earning between 50,000 and 70,000 Australian dollars (US$32 500 to US$42 500) per year.

She proposed that she be awarded sole custody, with the child joining her in Australia, and offered to pay US$100 per month in maintenance.

Brian opposed the application and sought custody, arguing that he had cared for the child in Zimbabwe since January 2017 and that the child was settled in school and in his household.

The court found that while Abigal’s relocation was aimed at building a better future for the family, she has been physically absent from the child’s life for about nine years.

The judge noted that the child has been raised in Zimbabwe by the father and extended family and that uprooting her to Australia would cause instability.

Compounding this, Abigal conceded under cross-examination that she does not hold permanent residency in Australia and that her visa expires in October 2027, making it subject to renewal.

The court held that the best interests of the child, as provided for in section 81(2) of the Constitution, required that she remain in the stable environment she knows.

On access, the court ordered that Abigal have physical access during alternate school holidays provided she bears all travel costs.

However, any travel of the child to Australia is conditional upon Abigal providing verifiable proof that her Australian visa has been renewed beyond October 2027.

The court also ordered structured virtual access via WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom or other agreed platforms to help rebuild the mother-daughter bond.

On maintenance, the court rejected both Abigal’s offer of US$100 and Brian’s claim for US$650 as either too low or excessive.

Balancing the child’s needs against the parents’ means, Justice Maxwell ordered Abigal to pay US$200 per month, 50 per cent of school fees directly to the school, and all school uniforms.

Both parents must contribute equally to casual clothing.

Brian was ordered to pay medical aid and meet the child’s day-to-day living expenses and accommodation.

The court further ordered that neither parent may remove the child from Zimbabwe without the prior written and notarised consent of the other, and that the child must remain at her current school unless both parents agree otherwise.

Each party was ordered to bear its own costs.