News24.com | Not paid maintenance? Watch out! NPA sets sights on deadbeat dads

National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi.

• The NPA launched its maintenance awareness webinar, which was presented by specialist advocates.
• Shamila Batohi said public awareness and education initiatives were critical in informing people of their rights.
• The initiative was part of the implementation of the national strategic plan on gender-based violence and femicide.

Maintenance absconders, beware – the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has launched a concerted effort to encourage parents to go after deadbeat dads who fail to do right by their children.

The living conditions of children, who are not being maintained, often lead to them resorting to crime, said National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi.

And this was one of the main drivers to improve the country's maintenance system, she said on Thursday, when the NPA launched its maintenance awareness webinar, presented by specialist advocates from across the country, covering everything from the process of applying for an order to who is liable for the payments.

The NPA has a duty to offer an effective service to those who seek maintenance, Batohi said.

"We should be alive to the fact that these persons are already vulnerable and we can't further exacerbate this issue when we don't attend to these issues with speed. It is important to simplify the processes of applying and receiving maintenance," she insisted.

The NPA's sexual offences and community affairs unit has made submissions to the South African Law Reform Commission to have the maintenance system strengthened and capacitated, Batohi said.

She added that maintenance payment systems by the justice department needed to be improved.

Public awareness and education initiatives, such as webinars, were critical in informing people of their rights in its efforts to improve the speed and accessibility of its maintenance service, Batohi said.

The initiative, she said, was part of the implementation of the national strategic plan on gender-based violence and femicide, which focused on economic power while also addressing women's "social position".

Eliminating the "impact of economic drivers" of this scourge is through strengthened child maintenance and related support systems to address the economic vulnerability of women, Batohi said.

During the session, seasoned prosecutors explained the process of obtaining a maintenance order, including what to do if you don't know where the absconding parent is.

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Maintenance investigators are based at all district courts and have the sole responsibility to trace those responsible for their offspring's upkeep, said advocate Maria Phalane.

Armed with any relevant information the applicant has at their disposal, whether a cellphone number, last-known address or even his/her social media account, investigators will make every effort to find the person, she said.

Mkhuseli Jokani, the deputy director of public prosecutions at the NPA's national sexual offences and community affairs unit, said it was "high time" for such an initiative.

"For quite a long time, child maintenance seemed to be right at the periphery of the criminal justice system."

The next webinar takes place in August.