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I never saw my child for months – How do I Obtain Urgent Access to Your Children Without the Services of a Lawyer?

The Court Procedure

What is the Notice of Motion?

• Condoning the Applicant’s non-compliance with forms and service and time periods provided in the Uniform Rules of this Honourable Court and permitting this Application to be entertained as a matter of urgency in terms of Rule 6(12) of the Rules of Court;
• That a Rule Nisi be issued, calling upon the Respondent to appear before Court on ____________________ 2026 at 10:00, in order to show cause why an Interim Order should not be confirmed in the following terms:-
  • That the Applicant shall have unsupervised contact to the minor child as follows:
  • Every alternative weekend commencing from Friday 18:00 to Sunday at 18:00.
• That the provisions above shall operate as an Interim Order, with immediate effect, pending the return date of the Rule Nisi;

What is the Founding Affidavit?

How do I Issue and serve the Urgent Application on the other side?

What happens if there is Opposition?

What happens at teh Urgent Hearing at the High Court?

Non Compliance with Court Order Divorce

Looking for Family Legal Services in Llandudno- Child Maintenance, Child Custody, Visitation Rights and Divorce

Family Legal Advice Consultancy

Our Lawyer (Pty) Ltd supports International Child Support Day 2019

I am concerned about my niece’s wellbeing. Is it possible for me to obtain rights of custody and guardianship over her? The parents are still alive but divorced.

What parents need to know should they wish to relocate from South Africa to the United Kingdom, Australia, United States, New Zealand or Canada with their minor child

I want to relocate from South Africa to the United States of America (USA) with my minor child. The other parent does not want my child to relocate to the United States of America. What can I do?

Why do I require the other parent’s Consent to relocate to the United States of America?

What are Parental Responsibilities and Rights of a parent in relation to a child?

When would the other parent be seen as a guardian in the case of a relocation matter to the United States of America?

Mother’s Consent for relocation of the minor child to the United States of America

Married father’s Consent for the relocation of the minor child to the United States of America

Consent of unmarried fathers for the relocation of their minor children to the United States of America.

What do you do if the other parent does not want to consent to the minor child relocating to the United States of America?

Top tips and tricks from a Senior Family Law Advocate on claiming maintenance for a five-year-old child in Kuruman.

Child Maintenance is the right of the child, and not that of the parent. It is also not a privilege granted to parents who must pay it. It is their duty to pay child maintenance and support their children. Once the child is self-supporting (being able to care for him or herself), the obligation falls away. This can happen when the child is 18, 20, or even 30. It all depends on the circumstances of the case.

Claiming child maintenance for your child in Kuruman

Whether you claim child maintenance in Kuruman, or any other city in South Africa, the procedures would be the same. There are however two (2) courts that can deal with child maintenance matters. That is a divorce court, in a divorce matter, and a Child Maintenance Court. For this article, we will focus on claiming maintenance in a Maintenance Court matter in Kuruman.

The maintenance scenario – Kuruman South Africa

In this article, we will deal with the following fictitious scenario, in a child maintenance matter:

1. The Child is seven years old and attends school in Kuruman
2. The child is cared for by the mother who works in Kuruman
3. The mother works and earns a Salary of R 10 000
4. The father sees the child every second weekend. He also lives and works in Kuruman
5. The child’s monthly expenses are R 6000 – 00 which includes food, clothing, accommodation, education, travel etc.
6. The father earns a reasonable salary and can afford the R 20 000 – 00 per month
7. The mother claims R 4 000 – 00 maintenance as the father earns double her salary

What is the first step the mother must take in claiming child maintenance?

The first thing the mother must do is work out exactly what the child costs by item. She breaks down the minor child’s living expenses, starting from rent or accommodation to groceries to school fees etc. Once she has done that, she would need to determine what exactly does the minor child cost per month, seeing that she will be asking the father to contribute towards that. As best as possible, she needs to collect proof of expenses. This can be in the form of receipts.

How does she start the legal process?

The mother now needs to approach the maintenance court in the area where she lives or works to lodge a complaint for child maintenance. If she lives or works in Kuruman, it would be the maintenance court in Kuruman. She will complete a Form A wherein she will provide all the expenses for her and the minor child. She would also have to stipulate her income. Once she completed the form and submitted it to the maintenance court, she must then follow the next step.

What do you do while waiting for the maintenance court date?

While you wait to be informed of the court date by the Maintenance Court of Kuruman, and up until the actual first court date, you need to ensure that you keep a record of all income and expenses for you and the child. This is very important as the court allocates maintenance based on recent income and expenses.

What happens at the first court appearance at the Kuruman Maintenance Court?

Once you have been notified of the maintenance court date by the Kuruman Maintenance Court, you need to ensure that you attend it. On that day, both you and the father of the child would appear before a maintenance officer. The maintenance officer would go through both your income and expenses as well as that of the father. If all the relevant information is not before the maintenance court, then the matter may be postponed in order for the parties to submit it.

The maintenance officer will try to settle the matter and have the parents come to an agreement regarding the amount of child maintenance to be paid. If they cannot come to an agreement regarding the child maintenance to be paid, the matter would have to proceed to a formal hearing or trial before a Magistrate.

How does the Maintenance Court hearing or trial work in Kuruman?

Essentially, the maintenance court is called upon to make a fair ruling regarding what is a fair amount of child support that needs to be paid. For that to happen, the parents would have to give evidence in that regard. The mother would present to the court what the child costs, what she contributes and what she requires the other parent to pay. The Father would have a right to question the mother and to present evidence as to why he cannot afford the amount requested or why he feels it is an unfair amount. The mother can they also question him.

At the end of the day, the Kuruman Maintenance Court would be able to properly determine what is a fair and adequate amount of child maintenance to pay after being presented will all relevant information. The Kuruman Maintenance Court should play an active role in determining what is a fair amount of child maintenance the father should pay.

The above child maintenance application principles should apply to the following provinces and cities:

Eastern Cape:

Alice, Butterworth, East London, Graaff-Reinet, Grahamstown, King William’s Town, Mthatha

Port Elizabeth, Queenstown, Uitenhage, Zwelitsha

Free State:

Bethlehem. Bloemfontein, Jagersfontein, Kroonstad, Odendaalsrus, Parys, Phuthaditjhaba, Sasolburg, Virginia, Welkom

Gauteng:

Benoni, Boksburg, Brakpan, Carletonville, Germiston, Johannesburg, Krugersdorp, Pretoria, Randburg, Randfontein, Roodepoort, Soweto, Springs, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging

KwaZulu-Natal:

Durban, Empangeni, Ladysmith, Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg, Pinetown, Ulundi, Umlazi

Limpopo:

Giyani, Lebowakgomo, Musina, Phalaborwa, Polokwane, Seshego, Sibasa, Thabazimbi

Mpumalanga:

Emalahleni, Nelspruit, Secunda, North West, Klerksdorp, Mahikeng, Mmabatho, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg, Northern Cape, Kimberley, Kuruman, Port Nolloth

Western Cape:

Bellville, Kuruman, Constantia, George, Hopefield, Oudtshoorn, Paarl, Simon’s Town, Stellenbosch, Swellendam, Worcester