{"id":49593,"date":"2026-02-10T12:05:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=49593"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:05:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:05:14","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignpodcaster-penuel-addresses-deadbeat-dad-label-and-opens-up-about-co-parenting-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/02\/10\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignpodcaster-penuel-addresses-deadbeat-dad-label-and-opens-up-about-co-parenting-struggles\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcaster Penuel addresses \u2018deadbeat dad\u2019 label and opens up about co-parenting struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"mvp-content-main\">&#13;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_168337\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168337\" class=\"wp-image-168337 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Podcaster-Penuel-shares-personal-experience-of-abuse-by-multiple-women.jpg?resize=600%2C368&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Podcaster-Penuel-shares-personal-experience-of-abuse-by-multiple-women.jpg 600w, https:\/\/fakazanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Penuel-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fakazanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Penuel-360x220.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-168337\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Penuel Mlotshwa<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Podcaster Penuel has spoken out about being labelled a \u201cdeadbeat father,\u201d using social media to share his side of a deeply personal co-parenting dispute that unfolded two years ago.<\/p>\n<p>In a lengthy post on X, Penuel reflected on a period when he publicly announced that he was stepping away from two of his children after, according to him, their mother repeatedly denied him access to them.<\/p>\n<p>He explained that the decision followed two failed mediations at the family court and an unsuccessful visitation attempt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo years ago, I declared that I\u2019m choosing to be a deadbeat for two of my kids coz their mom was infringing on my rights for access,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI stated that I\u2019ll walk away &amp; withhold maintenance, until I can see my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Penuel said he made the announcement publicly and even gave a media interview, which quickly went viral.<\/p>\n<p>In the same posts, he noted that he praised the mothers of his other children with whom he said he co-parents peacefully.<\/p>\n<p>However, he revealed that just three months later, the situation with the mother in question improved and they resumed healthy co-parenting, which continues to this day.<\/p>\n<p>He said he also shared this update publicly, but it received little attention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat short period now still has me branded as a deadbeat when I\u2019m not,\u201d he said, adding that repeated explanations have done little to change public perception.<\/p>\n<p>Penuel said his reason for revisiting the issue was to highlight what he believes are broader societal and systemic problems facing fathers.<\/p>\n<p>He argued that toxic co-parenting dynamics, biased courts and harsh public judgment often work against men who are trying to be present in their children\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany men don\u2019t get to see their kids coz of toxic moms. No one calls these mothers out,\u201d he wrote. \u201cWhen a man cries out\u2026 he gets attacked &amp; branded forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also criticised how men who withhold maintenance due to lack of access to their children are often automatically vilified, while their grievances are dismissed.<\/p>\n<p>Concluding his post, Penuel stressed that he loves his children, provides for them and remains as involved as possible.<\/p>\n<p>He warned that careless online criticism has real consequences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour uninformed words hurt\u2026 they hurt us &amp; they hurt our children,\u201d he said, urging the public to show more empathy and fairness when engaging with such sensitive issues.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 4 -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Podcaster #Penuel #addresses #deadbeat #dad #label #opens #coparenting #struggles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#13; Penuel Mlotshwa Podcaster Penuel has spoken out about being labelled a \u201cdeadbeat father,\u201d using social media to share his&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49593"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49594,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49593\/revisions\/49594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}