Ex wants R130k maintenance

EVEN the rich feel the pinch of the economic impact of Covid-19, as a mother of two small children discovered in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria.

The mother went to court to force her estranged husband to pay R130 000 a month in maintenance, pending their divorce.

The wife, a practising attorney, told the court she only earned a net salary of R15 000 a month.

Her husband earned about R170 000 a month.

But the husband said as from the end of May, he was jobless following a retrenchment and could no longer afford to pay for his wife’s lavish lifestyle.

Among her list of demands is maintenance of R60 000 towards their two small children, R30 000 a month for each child.

This included R4 000 a month for food for each child, as well as R4 750 towards the children’s monthly entertainment bill.

As for herself, the wife said she needed R79 000 to see the month through as well as a contribution of R50 000 towards her legal fees in their divorce battle.

She said she needed R131 155.71 for her monthly expenses.

She also asked the court to ensure that her husband continued paying R33 000 a month for a bond on the house she and the children were living in.

But the husband said it was time that his wife contributed as well towards the maintenance of the household and children, as he was now unemployed.

He said he would in fact now have to rely on her “to provide for his daily needs”.

According to the husband, in the past he spent about R17 500 out of his R170 000 a month income on his personal expenses, thus he had enough to maintain the family in the style they were used to.

But as things now stood, he asked the court in a counter-application to order the wife to contribute at least R31 500 to the household expenses.

He said she could cash in her investment policies to pay for this and use the money from a rental property she owned.

According to the husband, his wife’s demands were “completely unreasonable” under the prevailing circumstances.

The wife in return vehemently denied that she could now maintain her husband.

She said she was sure he would find another job.

Judge Colleen Collis said in her ruling that spouses had a duty to support each other and maintain their children between them.

“An argument cannot be made out that only one parent must carry such an obligation (towards the children) exclusively.”

The judge regarded the amounts claimed by the wife as excessive under these economic circumstances.

She said the wife was not “a woman of straw” and added the husband would receive a severance package.

Thus she ordered both parties to share the R47 000 expenses earmarked by the wife for school fees, insurance and bond repayment. She further ordered the husband to pay R5 000 maintenance a month per child.

The judge said where the parents’ financial positions changed, which is a reality in life, children needed to alter their lifestyles accordingly.

The husband must also in the meantime pay his wife R20 000 a month maintenance.