A wealthy father, who spent millions on online gambling and insisted on still driving his luxury BMW, but claims to be too ‘poor’ to pay maintenance for his two children, is a hair’s breadth from jail, according to a report in The Mercury.

A Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg) judge gave the father until tomorrow to make his first instalment – of R30 000 a month in arrears – to the mother of his children.

The payments should continue until he had paid the full arrears amount of nearly R538 000.

This is apart from the amount which a Maintenance Court is due to set as a monthly sum. The father is disputing the current amount he has to pay.

Also, in a step to avoid jail for a month, due to contempt of court, the father has to submit a report from a psychologist setting out to what extent, if any, he suffers from a gambling addiction.

The judge ruled that the mother could, at any time, approach the court to have her former husband committed to jail if he did not deliver on the above orders.

The court made it clear that in paying his arrears, the father was by no means off the hook for any monthly payments regarding maintenance.

The mother turned to court to have him held in contempt of a maintenance order, in which he had to pay R7 500 per child a month. This is apart from contributing to their school fees and other expenses. The father paid for a few months and then simply stopped. His excuse was that he could simply not afford it, despite earning nearly R150 000 a month.

Full report in The Mercury (subscription needed)