The lockdown has hit maintenance payments, with normally reliable fathers seemingly being turned into delinquent dads. Many fathers are defaulting on maintenance payments, and with the courts in shutdown mode anxious mothers have little recourse.

Founder of Child Maintenance Difficulties South Africa, Felicity Guest reportedly told Weekend Argus this was a challenge faced by many parents, particularly women.

‘We understand that everyone is going through a hard time not knowing if they will get a salary at the end of the month, but the challenges that come with missed payment fall on the primary parent, who is almost always the mother,’ she said.

‘There have been numerous complaints from women around non-payment, and this is at times from people who are already in arrears and are facing hearings on this matter. There are parents not receiving payments ... and this means post the lockdown, they will return to a court system that has already been underperforming and overburdened even under normal circumstances.'

She added: ‘If you currently have a court date that falls within this time, then you face your hearing being pushed back an additional two months. So those who can pay, even a portion, must pay for the sake of the children.’

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