Child Maintenance Saga: How a mother forced the father of her child to pay child maintenance after battling for 5 years
Maintenance Saga: When Jill was 17 years old, she met Jack. He was much older than her, working, and very charming. Jill was in her final year of high school and in love with Jack. One thing led to another, and Jill fell pregnant with his child. When she told Jack the good news, he asked her to have an abortion. She refused. Jack was then out of the picture and nowhere to be found. She did not know where he stayed, nor did she have his work details. All she had was his mobile number. This number was useless as he blocked her. The furthest thing from her mind at the time was the issue of child maintenance.
Parents finding out
Needless to say, things did not go well for Jill. Other than having to keep the fact of her pregnancy from her parents, she also had to deal with morning sickness and weight gain. After the first trimester, her parents knew something was wrong and confronted her. She told them she was pregnant. Things then just got worse. Jill’s parents took her out of school, and she was kept out of the public eye. To them, she disgraced them. What made it even worse was that Jill could not provide much information about the father of her child. Her parents, already struggling to make ends meet, had an additional burden to pay for Jill’s gynaecological visits and medication. The child was born, and Jack was still nowhere to be found. Jill named her baby James.
Realities of life
Life moved on for Jill and her child. Jill’s mother gave up her job to care for the child and Jill had to go to work. With no matric or any special skills, Jill had to get a job in retail, working the late shifts. What she earned was not enough for her and the child’s expenses. Her parents were complaining and putting pressure on her to find the father of the child to help support him. This was not the life her parents, nor she, envisaged for her.
The Shock – He was married
Jill called around, spoke to some people and found out where the father lived. It turned out, that Jack was married, since before he met Jill and has three children with his wife. When she met with Jack, he wanted nothing to do with her and said that it is not his child. He also told her that should she take him to the maintenance court, he will deny paternity. This left her despondent and she did not know what to do. He did not even want to meet the child.
Jill could not leave it at that. She had to find a way to get Jack to support his child. It is unfair that he supports his other 3 children and gives nothing towards James. She finally found out what Jack did for a living. He was a self-employed graphic designer, working from home. Nonetheless, she wanted him to pay. She, however, did not know what to do.
The Maintenance Court
Two years passed and things were not getting better financially. Jill’s mother was getting old, and her father was soon to retire. With inflation, she earned about the same as she did when she first started working. Jill then spoke to some people who advised her to approach the maintenance court for assistance and advise. She then went to the Maintenance Court. She completed the Application Form and provided all relevant information. This included the home address of Jack. She then waited. Three months later, she received a letter in the post advising her of the date she needs to appear in court for the maintenance enquiry. The Court date was a month later. She then appeared at Court, and Jack was not there. The maintenance officer had no proof that Jack knew about the court date, so she had to issue a subpoena. Jill was told to leave and that she would be notified of the next date in due course. James just turned 3.
The Blood tests
Four months later, Jill, this time received a subpoena to appear in the same maintenance court. This time, she had to appear two weeks later as they took some time to get the subpoena to her. When she entered the court, she saw Jack walking with a lady wearing a suit and holding a briefcase. He did not even greet her. Jill waited outside the maintenance officer’s office and when her name was called, she entered the office where she saw Jack and his lawyer sitting. She was the same lady she saw him walking with earlier. Before Jill could say anything, the maintenance officer told Jill that Jack is disputing paternity and that she would have to go for a blood test with the child. Obviously, if Jack is not the father of James, then Jill has no right to make the application. Everything had to be kept on hold until the results were confirmed.
The paternity outcome
The first time Jack met his son James was when the blood samples were taken. Jack still wanted nothing to do with him. When they appeared back at the maintenance court 3 months later, the results were announced. Jack was 99.99999 percent the father of James. Neither Jack nor Jill was surprised with the results. But Jack’s lawyer was. She then withdrew as his lawyer. She could not represent a client who was dishonest to her. The matter, therefore, had to be postponed for legal representation.
The Maintenance Court Delays
Three months later, Jack and Jill again appeared before the maintenance officer. This time, Jack came with his wife. She, however, had to sit outside the office when the maintenance enquiry took place. Jack said he could not afford a lawyer and neither could Jill. When asked to produce his income and expenses, he said he did not have any. He also said that all monies he gets paid go into his banking account. But for the past 6 (six) months, he did not earn any money. The case was then postponed for Jack to bring copies of the last 6-months bank statements and for the maintenance investigator to look into the matter. The matter was then postponed for another 3 months. James was turning 4.
The paternal grandparents
When the parties appeared before the maintenance officer, Jack provided his bank statements. It depicted that he did not earn anything for the past 3 months. The maintenance investigator also could not find anything of value to show that James had money. Jill knew that Jack was lying about his income, but because he got paid in cash, there was no proof of the fact. It was then decided that they will call in the paternal grandparents to contribute towards James’s maintenance. This made Jack very nervous as his parents did not know that he had a son. Nonetheless, they were subpoenaed to Court. The matter was then again postponed for 3 months.
The maintenance settlement
When the parents of James and his grandparents appeared at the Maintenance Court, they were distraught. Never would they have thought they would ever have to visit a Court. What made it worse was that they were there because their son did not want to pay child support for his child. Embarrassed with the situation, Jack agreed to pay child support to James, on condition that his parents are kept out of the settlement. Jill agreed, and a maintenance order was granted.
Moral of the story
Never give up on claiming child maintenance for your child. Even if it takes you almost 5 years.
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Child Maintenance Saga: How a mother forced the father of her child to pay child maintenance after battling for 5 years Maintenance Saga: When Jill was 17 years old, she met Jack. He was much older than her, working, and very charming. Jill was in her final year of high school and in love with Jack. One thing led to another, and Jill fell pregnant with his child. When she told Jack the good news, he asked her to have an abortion. She refused. Jack was then out of the picture and nowhere to be found. She did not know where he stayed, nor did she have his work details. All she had was his mobile number. This number was useless as he blocked her. The furthest thing from her mind at the time was the issue of child maintenance. Parents finding out Needless to say, things did not go well for Jill. Other than having to keep the fact of her pregnancy from her parents, she also had to deal with morning sickness and weight gain. After the first trimester, her parents knew something was wrong and confronted her. She told them she was pregnant. Things then just got ...
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Support – Frequently Asked Questions on Child Maintenance Support and Child Maintenance: We proud ourselves on our knowledge on family law matters in South Africa. This includes issues and questions surrounding child maintenance. Feel free to browse through the this or question and answers below. Should you not find the answer to a child maintenance question you are look for, feel free to post your divorce question here. Child Maintenance links How to Apply for Child Maintenance at Court – Step by Step Guide and Advice Child Maintenance Question. How much should I pay or contribute as a parent? Child Support or maintenance claims. Does an unemployed father pay? Non-compliance with Maintenance Orders — Civil and Criminal Remedies Tricks and tips on how to win your child maintenance case How much is the average child support a parent must pay Cape Town? There is no average. It all depends on the needs of the child and the income of the parents. How much do you get for child support in Cape Town? It depends on the income of the parents and the needs of the child. How do you determine the amount of child support? You look at the needs ...
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Tricks and tips on how to win your child maintenance case Connect with Legal Group – Click here. Advocate Muhammad Abduroaf – Advocate of the High Court of South Africa Child maintenance legal issues might sound simple, compare to, for example, a criminal case of fraud. However, a child maintenance case could be much more complicated, challenging and exhausting. That, however, does not have to be the case. At least not always. Find out some of the tips and tricks provided by Advocate Muhammad Abduroaf, a family law expert with more than a decade of experience in family law, and child maintenance matters. Read on to find out some tips and tricks of the trade. Valuable advice is given on what to do through the maintenance court process. Download your Child Maintenance Calculator, click here. 0870735800 Child Maintenance and Applications – How does it work? The focus of this article is not to explain how child maintenance work, or how to apply for child maintenance. There are many articles written on that topic. But in short, parents must pay according to their means. So, if a child’s expense the month is R 60 (obviously this is a fictitious example) and ...
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How much child support should you claim or pay? Advocate Muhammad Abduroaf – Advocate of the High Court of South Africa It is not only mothers who want to know how much maintenance they should claim. Fathers are very much interested in wanting to know how much they should pay. It is my view that there is nothing wrong with a father wanting to know whether or not he is paying too much maintenance. This is so as it is both parent’s responsibilities to maintain a child according to their means. However, what I do have the issue with is when fathers try to avoid their maintenance obligations. Even if you are unemployed, you can still pay maintenance depending on your means. And then you have mothers who want to exploit the fathers. The same applies when the roles are reversed. This is when the father is the primary caregiver and the mother pays him child support. – Adv. Muhammad Abduroaf LL.B LL.M – Advocate of the High Court of South Africa. Purchase a Consultation with us from our Online Shop, by clicking here. Common child maintenance questions How much child support should I claim for my child? How much ...
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I have a maintenance order for my children – but the father of my children does not pay. Is this allowed? What can I do? Non-compliance with Maintenance Orders — Civil and Criminal Remedies [Updated on 17 October 2018] Many mothers (and sometimes fathers) go through great lengths to obtain a maintenance order against the other parent. This the mother found necessary as the father either did not want to pay child support at all, or not an adequate amount. The mother then had to approach the maintenance court, for assistance. The process could have taken many months and sometimes, over a year to finalise. But now that she has the Order, he still does not pay. Can she do anything? Or does she only have in her possession a useless piece of paper with the word “Order” written on it? Before we tackle the above scenario, this blog post does not only deal with non-compliance with maintenance orders originating in the maintenance court. Most divorce orders made, where there were minor children involved have in it child maintenance provisions. The divorce court (High Court or Family Court) would not divorce the couple unless it is satisfied that the child’s ...
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What is child maintenance / child support? The terms “child maintenance” or “child support” is pretty much self-explanatory. To put it simply, it is when both parents sees to the needs and well-being of their child / children. Needs can be classified as food, clothes, education, medical expenses and other general maintenance of the child’s living costs. Child Maintenance Law This is where the guidance and help of a family law legal professional comes in handy. To understand the rules and regulations that govern child maintenance/child support, expert legal advice is required from a professional. The Child Support Act is there to ensure that both parents fulfill their legal obligations towards their child/children. In other words, the Act ensures that parents continue taking care of their children even after divorce. Child Maintenance includes the basic necessities such as: Shelter Clothing Medical Care Schooling Food Any legal executions regarding maintenance shall be carried out in accordance with the Child Maintenance Act. Maintenance Court Procedure Find out where about is the closest magistrates’ court in your area and pay them a visit. It is however, important to bring along the necessary documents such as: Birth certificate of your child/children. Your identity document ...
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the father of my kids does want to want to give any money because he is saying he will not support me but the kids lives with me in my mothers backyard in a wendy that is leaking with no window no safety gates no wiring and this happen last week wednesday without thinking twice to put me out on the street with my kids and now he is saying the socail worker said that i should pay half of everything wirh our childrends child support grant and he now dont want the kids to live with me but with him what should i do please i need hlp