Single mothers who have gone for months without receiving child maintenance payouts from the courts and are struggling to put food on the table have accused the Department of Justice of violating their children’s rights, notes a Sunday Tribune report.

The mothers said they had heard enough excuses from officials and wanted monies owed to them paid out since garnishee orders on their ex-partners salaries were carried out monthly without fail.

A Pinetown mother of four, who is struggling to feed her children, said she had approached the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court to no avail and had escalated the matter to the Human Right Commission.

‘I have had to stop paying creditors in order to put a roof over our heads and keep the lights on. My ex-husband cannot afford to help us because the money he has for the children is taken by the courts. He can’t pay twice.’

In an attempt to get the court to release the money, her ex-husband threatened the court with a case of theft and fraud and, to her surprise, their response was that the money had not left his employer.

‘They came with that clever response to silence me. They said with Covid-19 my ex-husband’s employer had closed and payments were suspended,’ she said.

‘They are passing the buck.’

Full Sunday Tribune report (subscription needed)