Maintenance

The Department of Justice receives and pays maintenance on behalf of maintenance obligors (employers and individuals) and beneficiaries, respectively. This is one type of third-party payment it administers. In other words, they accept money received through it from defendants (or maintenance payers) and/or their employers by an order of the court, and distribute it. All of the delayed maintenance payments that Grocott’s Mail was made aware of here in Makhanda were via state employers including the Departments of Defence, Education and Health, andmakana Municipality.

The Department of Justice has moved its third-party payments (payments made via the courts on behalf of individuals or organisations) from an old system to a new one. The last transfers from the oldsystem JDAS accounts to Mojapay were done during March. On 31 March, during the Covid-19 national lockdown, the JDAS accounts were finally closed.

The shift has had many challenges, says the Department of Justice’s Eastern

Cape Manager for Third Party Payments, Sonwabilendzonda. The employer of the maintenance payer had to change the payment account details.“we’ve been educating employers about the new system but some have been reluctant,” Ndzonda told Grocott’s Mail.

The beneficiaries had to resubmit all the supporting documentation - the original court order, the beneficiary’s identity document and their banking details.“it’s difficult for us to locate original documents,” Ndzonda said.

Officials had been contacting beneficiaries, asking them to bring new documentation.but under lockdown this was difficult. “It was the perfect storm,” Ndzonda said. “The closure of accounts coincided with the timing of the lockdown, which meant offices were closed and communication was very difficult.” To make sure people are paid, they have instructed the courts to move beneficiaries’ files across to Mojapay. If the right documentation isn’t there, the court must obtain it later.