Mom wins record ‘papgeld’ payout
DIVORCED mother- of- three Sally Cooper-Goodwin received what she described as “the best birthday gift of all” yesterday when her ex-husband was forced to pay R450 000 in unpaid child maintenance.
The freelance bookkeeper from Constantia, who celebrated her 46th birthday on Tuesday, was awarded the record sum at Wynberg Magistrate’s Court to compensate for more than 10 years of unfunded childcare.
Her ex-husband’s private pension fund was attached by the court to ensure payment of the largest amount of such arrears awarded in the Western Cape.
The case was brought to court with the help of the “Operation Isondlo” campaign, run by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development which chases down parents who default on their maintenance payments.
Cooper-Goodwin received the news of the court judgment while she was readying herself for a family night out with her three boys aged 14, 16 and 18.
“When ( the department) phoned me and said, ‘We have your money,’ I said ‘Oh my word, it’s my birthday’.”
Cooper-Goodwin was granted custody of her three boys in 2005 after divorcing her husband, an IT systems analyst.
He was given visitation rights and told to pay R750 per child every month and 50 percent of the cost of their education.
In the early days after her divorce, Cooper-Goodwin made do with what she had. “For the first few months after we got divorced, he gave here and there. I did not mind because I think that when you get divorced you have survival on your mind.
“I did not pursue it instantly because at the time my kids were small. They struggled and I did not want to cause any more grief in their lives,” she said.
However, she then started to pursue her rights to child maintenance. Cooper-Goodwin’s eyes clouded over as she recalled having to bang on a series of government doors, often walking away empty-handed, “demoralised and grief-stricken”.
“There were many times that I wanted to give up and just burst into tears. I told my former husband that I could not go on like this for any longer – it was hurtful for both of us and the kids.”
And she decided not to give in, setting aside her pride for the wellbeing of her boys whose needs grew with age. “My eldest son is studying a Bachelor of Commerce at Varsity College, my middle boy is in high school and my youngest is in his final year of primary school. The fees are exorbitant and I could not do it all on my own.”
Now, she advises other struggling mothers that they should pursue their rights to child maintenance: “Don’t give up, there is a civil way.”
Maintenance officer Cheryl Horn, who is fondly referred to by justice department regional head Hishaam Mohamed as the “the rain maker”, is seen as the driving force behind Operation Isondlo in the province.
Horn said that the magistrate’s order attaching Cooper-Goodwin’s husband’s pension fund would ensure that future maintenance payments would now be paid on time.