Women and children suffer due to crippling maintenance crisis

Extract of Speech delivered on Wednesday, 09 August 2023, by DA Women’s Network (DAWN) EC Provincial Chairperson Nomvano Zibonda MPL, at the DA EC Women’s Day March for Child Maintenance in front of the Kariega Town Hall in Nelson Mandela Bay. The event was also attended by DA EC Provincial Leader, Andrew Whitfield MP, DAWN EC Deputy Provincial Chairperson, Aviral von Buchenroder, and local leadership and activists.

Today, as we celebrate Woman’s Day in Kariega we pay tribute to the incredible accomplishments of women across our beautiful nation. They have played a vital role in shaping our society, culture, and history.

The DA would like to salute and celebrate the fortitude, tenacity, and achievements of women across the country.

Whilst we rightfully celebrate the contribution that women have made to eradicate the injustices of the past, we must acknowledge that the fight is far from over.

Despite their fight for equal rights and recognition our women are still suffering due to being abandoned by the fathers of their children and being locked out of job opportunities.

The Eastern Cape has the highest number of female-headed households (50,6%) in the country, and it is essential that we address the critical issue of child maintenance, affecting countless mothers and their children across our country. According to the latest Stats SA figures, more than 60% of fathers are absent from their children’s lives, leaving mothers and grandparents to shoulder the responsibility of raising these children. This while receiving a meagre R500 per month child support grant from the government.

South Africa is in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis and without regular maintenance payments women are struggling to put food on the table for their children.

Our maintenance courts require urgent attention. Women often face numerous obstacles when trying to claim maintenance. They travel long distances to get to court, only to be sent back repeatedly due to a lack of information. This means taking time off work, further exacerbating their financial struggles.

Adding to the disparity, women do not receive any stipend for attending court, while their male counterparts do. This inequality must be rectified, as it makes it even harder for women to seek the justice their children deserve.

Maintenance court officers also need proper training to provide better assistance and support to women requiring maintenance.

Therefore, on Woman’s Day, the DA Women’s Network is launching a country-wide campaign in all provinces, demanding the following:

• Mobile Maintenance Courts;
• Special Maintenance Courts;
• Better Training and Assistance for maintenance court officers; and a
• Government Commitment to enforcing child maintenance.

Let us unite on this Women’s Day to bring about change and create a brighter future for our children. Together, we can build a more just and caring society.