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CCJ Helps Client Obtain Child Maintenance

2011/09/25 06:50:38 PM

Plessislaer Office Resolves Blocked Maintenance Order

In June 2011 a 33 year old woman visited Plessislaer Support Centre to enquire about a maintenance order that she had been receiving from the father of her five year old child. The order, for R350 a month, had been approved by the maintenance court in 2010. After a few months, the amount increased to R1000 for no obvious reason. The mother received the money until June, when the court stopped the payment and told her that she owed R4000 to the court and should pay this back before receiving any more money.

Paralegal Fisani Ngcobo (right) asked the client to get a written statement from the court explaining why money was owed. The court replied that a mistake had been made, no money was owed, and the woman should reapply for the maintenance order. She did this, requesting R500 a month. When no payment was received by September, Fisani visited the court in Pietermaritzburg and spoke to the head of the family law section, who promised to investigate. Later that month, the mother began to receive the R500 maintenance, including the arrears for June, July and August.

The woman, who is HIV positive and has difficulty working owing to ill health, depends financially on this maintenance payment. Fisani also wrote to a doctor asking him to help the client apply for a disability grant.