DA victory as “Clause 11” on black-listing child maintenance defaulters is reinstated

19 May 2015

The DA is pleased to announce that the ANC has buckled under the pressure of our campaign to have Clause 11 reinstated in the draft Maintenance Amendment Bill. 

The reinstatement of this clause will now allow for the black-listing of parents who fail to comply with their child maintenance obligations. A finding by a court that a parent is in arrears will enable the black-listing, as Clause 11 currently stands.

This is a victory for thousands of children who suffer because their parents could not care less about supporting them financially. 

Families, however uniquely structured, provide the support and guidance to help children reach their full potential. The DA believes that once a child is born there can be no opt out clause for an absent parent. Child maintenance is a legally binding agreement to pay regularly and on time.

The Government cannot replace the role of family, but it can certainly aim to protect our most vulnerable minors and ensure that parents who do not comply with the law are penalised. 

When the ANC, backed by COSATU, removed the black-listing provision from maintenance legislation on spurious grounds, the DA Women’s Network (DAWN) launched a national petition for Clause 11’s reinstatement.

The ANC in Parliament’s Justice Committee has today finally given in to this pressure. As DA members of this committee, we congratulate all our DAWN activists who have waged a tireless campaign to give our maintenance system real “teeth”.

The Democratic Alliance calls on all South Africans who care about the rights of our children to sustain the pressure until the Maintenance Amendment Bill is passed into law.

Statement issued by Werner Horn MP, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, May 19 2015