Fathers use Covid-19 as excuse to not pay maintenance

A Pretoria attorney says mothers are struggling to feed their kids because some fathers are “hiding behind the Covid-19 coronavirus” as an excuse to not pay maintenance.

Sandy du Plessis, who has been representing clients in maintenance cases for more than 20 years, told City Press’ sister publication, Rapport, that some fathers were pretending that the virus had affected their income when that wasn’t the case.

Out of desperation, she recently took a photograph of the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court and sent it to one father, saying that was where he’d end up if he didn’t pay.