Extended executive committee of the province, North West Department of Justice and Constitutional Development including area court manager and court managers from Rustenburg will host Maintenance Imbizo at Rustenburg Magistrate Court on 9 November 2009 starting on 09h00. Keynote address will be on maintenance service delivery.
26 October to 8 November 2009 is Imbizo Focus Week. Imbizo constitutes a communication approach that underpins participatory democracy. It is central to governance as it brings government closer to the people. It remains a unique South African platform for communities to raise issues, share views, and build strategic partnerships between government and its citizens.
“The Maintenance Act, Act 99 of 1998, came into operation on 26 November 1999. The 1998 act amended the 1963 Maintenance Act and sought to address the ineffectiveness of the 1963 Maintenance Act. The preamble of the current act refers to our Constitution and the role it should play in establishing and ensuring that a fair and equitable maintenance system is established, in line with the convention on rights of the child which requires state parties to take all appropriate measures in order to secure the recovery of maintenance for the child from the parent or other person having financial responsibility for the child.
In introducing this legislation with its amendments the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development was reaffirming its commitment and determination to improve the enforcement of maintenance in South Africa. Despite the existence of the act and innovative amendments there are still systemic challenges.
Through Operation Isondlo we are seeking to address these challenges to bring improvements through strategic interventions such as appointment of legally qualified maintenance officers, maintenance investigators, maintenance clerks, increased orders by default, consent orders, the increased use of civil remedies, especially emolument attachment orders, interest on arrears, specialised training of civil remedies and information communication technology and investigation techniques for maintenance investigators as well as the establishment of the maintenance task team to ensure integration,” said Director of legal services Ms Tladi Raesibe.
Maintenance will remain one of the key responsibilities of the department. This financial year 2009/10 we have prioritised maintenance. I must point out that we need to do more in maintenance payment. We can’t afford to disappoint our maintenance beneficiaries that R600 might mean nothing to some people, but to this maintenance recipient from Sondela village it means a lot.
She heavily relies on it to take her children to school and put food on table. We can’t afford to have children in the streets, a child going to bed without meal, child committing crime because we can’t pay maintenance. It is important taking into consideration current economic recession to pay out this money when it is due. We felt that it is important to have this type of interactions with beneficiaries,” concluded Mr Tsietsi Malema.
Media enquiries can be directed to:
Isaac Mokaila
Tel: 018 397 7079
Cell: 073 742 3906
Tsietsi Malema
Tel: 018 389 8302
E-mail: tmalema@justice.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
6 November 2009
