child support, child custody, divorce, child maintenance, Cape Town

The following is extracted from the case of Petersen v Maintenance Officer, Simon’s Town Maintenance Court, and Others 2004 (2) SA 56 (C) :

[6] The Motan decision is generally accepted as authority for the assertion that the paternal grandparents of an extramarital child do not owe a duty of support to the child. The interpretation of the common law in Motan and the resultant denial of a duty of support by the paternal grandparents of an E extra-marital child has, even prior to the present constitutional dispensation, been widely criticised by South African writers. Van den Heever Breach of Promise and Seduction in South African Law (1954) at 70 says the following:

‘It is submitted that the decision is so patently wrong that it should be reconsidered; for it is based on legislative considerations and methods, which are, moreover, unsound. It is contrary to public policy and humanity and should, if necessary, be rectified by the Legislature.’

This is what Adv. Abduroaf argued:

[7] Mr Abduroaf, who appears for the applicant, submitted that the common-law rule as interpreted in Motan, violates the extra-marital child’s constitutional rights to equality and dignity enshrined in ss 9 and 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 (the Constitution) and is contrary to the best interest of the child (see s 28(2) of the Constitution). He accordingly submits that the common-law rule is unreasonable and unjustifiable and should be declared unconstitutional and invalid.

Adv. Abduroaf further submitted:

[14] Mr Abduroaf submitted that the constitutional values embodied in ss 9, 10 and 28(2) of the Constitution, dictate that the common-law rule as enunciated in Motan, be developed by imposing a duty of support upon the paternal grandparents of an extra-marital child in the event of the natural parents of such child being unable to

support the child. The said sections of the Constitution provide:

‘9 (1) Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.

(2) Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms. To promote the achievement of equality, legislative and other measures designed to protect or advance persons, or categories of persons, disadvantaged by unfair discrimination may be taken.

(3) The State may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.

(4) No person may unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds in terms of ss (3). National legislation must be enacted to prevent or prohibit unfair discrimination. (5) Discrimination on one or more of the grounds listed in ss (3) is unfair unless it is established that the discrimination is fair.

10 Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected.

. . .

28 (2) A child’s best interest is of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child.’

The Ruling in Petersen v Maintenance Officer, Simon’s Town Maintenance Court, and Others 2004 (2) SA 56 (C)

[29] In the result I make the following order:

It is declared that the second and third respondents have a legal duty to support the extra-marital child of the applicant, J, born on 7 January 2003, to the same extent to which the fourth and fifth respondents are liable to maintain the said child.

The first respondent is directed to take the necessary steps for an enquiry to be held in terms of s 10 of the Maintenance Act 99 of 1998, with a view to enquiring into the provision of maintenance by the second and third respondents for the said extra-marital child of the applicant.

No order as to costs is made.

[caption id="attachment_8911" align="alignleft" width="440"] Parental responsibilities and care during the coronavirus lockdown in South Africa[/caption]
Updated: 16 April 2020
New regulations have been issued on 16 April 2020. Click on the link below: The material change is that you do not have to have a court order or a parental responsibilities and rights agreement or parenting plan, registered with the family advocate. Possession of a birth certificate or certified copy of a birth certificate is now also allowed.

Update: 07 April 2020

NEW LOCKDOWN REGULATIONS REGARDING THE MOVEMENT OF CHILDREN – CERTAIN PARENTS MAY MOVE CHILDREN DURING THE NATIONAL LOCKDOWN PERIOD (7 April 2020)

What separated and divorced parents should think about prior to the coronavirus lockdown

With the world working towards eradicating the spreading of the coronavirus, South Africans are going to be placed on lockdown from 11:59 on Thursday 26 March 2020. This will endure for a period of 21 (twenty-one) days. This is what President Cyril Ramaphosa announced yesterday on national television. The applicable legislation allowing for this is the Disaster Management Act. This is done to contain the spread of the coronavirus in South Africa. What this means, in essence, unless you fall under the categories of persons allowed to work and be out there, you should remain at home.

The Application of Contact and care Court Orders during the lockdown

Schools have already been locked down and its keys stored away. The number of people who may be in the same place at the same time was restricted to an amount of 100. Now things have escalated to everyone staying at home unless you are allowed to be outside. This, however, leaves us with uncertain legal challenges when it comes to the exercising of contact and parental responsibilities and rights to minor children. It becomes even more challenging if there is a court order allowing a parent to have contact, but the child is currently with the other parent during the lockdown. • Does the court order supersede what the President told us to do? • Can we go against the lockdown injunction to exercise contact? At this moment, the questions are hard to answer. And in our view, should not be answered, unless clearer directives are provided by the government, dealing with this situation.

What are the usual contact and care arrangements?

The usual contact and care rights are any or a combination of the following: • The minor child will reside primarily with one parent for a period, and then with the other parent for the same period; • One parent has primary care with the child during the week, and the other parent has contact during alternative weekends; • The child resides with one parent, and the other parent collects the minor child in the morning and takes and collects the minor child from school. Thereafter returning the minor child to the primary caregiver; • Supervised contact, where a parent has contact at the minor child’s primary home, supervised by the other parent or another person; • Contact which is supervised in a public space, or by a social worker; and • Other specific cases. Contact would also entail telephonic and video contact.

How should contact be exercised during a lockdown?

There are 2 (two) more days before the lockdown. What happens to weekend contact? Some parents are exercising holiday contact at present. • What happens at the end of a specific parent’s holiday period? • Can a parent go and collect the child or children and have them now stay at a different parent? • And then return the children later, still during a lockdown? These and other questions are unprecedented, and direction is required from the government, not only lawyers. At the very least, parents should use the next two (2) days to decide where the children would primarily reside, and if indeed they can only live in one home for the 21 days, how contact can take place via other means. For example, WhatsApp video, FaceTime, Skype or Zoom.

Final words on parental contact during the lockdown

• Do not take the law into your own hands. • Until there is certainty on this issue, presume that the child would need to remain with one parent during this period. • Arrange for alternative forms of contact as suggested above. • Also, ensure that the child has enough clothes and necessities at the home he or she will reside during the lockdown. • Use the next two (2) days to prepare for the worst, so that your child would have the best.