Mothers left high and dry

Desperate Nelson Mandela Bay mothers are borrowing money from friends — or even turning to loansharks — as the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court fails to pay their maintenance money timeously.

And that delay, they say, is after fighting a long and acrimonious battle with the fathers of their children.

Five women told The Herald of their heartache as their children ran out of nappies and food while the court sent them from pillar to post, despite the money having been paid into the department of justice’s bank account.

This has been the story of their lives for months — and in some case years.

The situation has become more dire as some have lost income due to the lockdown.

A woman, 40, who is not being named for her own safety, said she received the March payment last week after going back and forth with officials at the court, who initially blamed the lockdown for the delay.

Later, however, they claimed it was a system failure.

She has since been forced to borrow money from a loanshark who charges a 50% interest rate.

“I am deep in debt because my children don’t understand when I say I don’t have money for bread.

“I don’t even have my own income to rely on any more.

The woman, who is not working, said she could not go to the bank for a loan as she had no payslip.

“I’ve had to throw myself in to the deep end and go to a loanshark. He wants his money but all I have been telling him is stories,” she said.

Yearly, she has had to wait months to receive payments, which has been a pattern since 2015.

“The father [of my daughter] gets paid on the 15th of every month, yet I normally have to wait months to receive one month’s payment from the court,” she said.

She said the father of her second child sent money directly to her and not through the courts.

Thembela Ethel Cayi, 67, often has to stretch out her pension grant to support her granddaughter, though her father pays the money to the maintenance court on time.

She usually sells sweets to make extra income but has stopped since the lockdown.

“I only received the last two months’ [outstanding] payment on the 12th. Whenever I have followed up with the court, they give me a different excuse.

“Before the lockdown, they told me to submit [a] form and bank statement so I could be registered on the new system.

“I submitted the documents and was told the money would be processed that week.

“I went back on May 28 and was told there was an issue with the new system and that they couldn’t call the father’s workplace ... then they said they couldn’t find me on the system,” Cayi said.

Lulama Mcoboki, 38, said she had never received her 15year-old daughter’s money without a hassle since 2017.

She is unemployed and relies solely on the money to take care of her daughter’s personal and school-related needs.

“I always have to physically go to the court before they send my child’s money and the last payment I received was for April, which I also had to fight for.

“The last time I was there they told me to bring receipts that prove the father had deposited the money and when I did, they told me a story that made no sense but eventually said they don’t know when I’ll get the money.

“How am I supposed to pay for my child’s daily needs?”

She said her daughter’s father had also inquired with the court and never received a sensible response.

Noxolo Ntozini, 38, said she had never received the amount of money that was agreed upon in court last year.

When she asked the maintenance officer, she was given a court date in April for the matter to be heard by the magistrate which has been postponed to next month.

“I’ve been receiving R500 a month from my child’s dad.

“How is that enough when a packet of nappies alone costs more than R200?

“What must the child eat, who pays the nanny when I go to work and who takes care of her medical bills when she falls sick?” Ntozini said.

Ntozini said she had lost faith in the court and believed it was unfair on all mothers.

“Both the father of my child and I work as security guards, so if he can only afford to pay R500, why should the rest of the expenses fall on me?

Unathi Qwakanisa, 28, and also unemployed, said: “The last time I had received money was in March.”

The women said the government’s decision to increase child grants by R350 made a small difference but it was not enough to cover fluctuating expenses.

Department of justice and constitutional development spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said the standard turnaround time for maintenance payment was 48 hours after the court received it.

He attributed delays to the department’s change of system in March, the lockdown and IT issues.

“The money is deducted from the payee’s account and paid in bulk amounts to the department by employers.

“To allocate the money, the department is dependent on employers to provide schedules unpacking the bulk amounts for justice to distribute,” Phiri said.

He said the Eastern Cape system crashed on May 4, delaying payments and the transfer of beneficiaries’ details onto the new system.

“The system has since been restored and the department has been making daily payments to beneficiaries since May 12.

“The department deployed additional capacity at the national office to assist the Eastern Cape region where delays are still being experienced.

“The department is also drafting a troubleshooting guide and frequently asked questions to further assist various courts with specific issues they have been experiencing,” he said.