Desperate dads want to see minister – or approach EFF

The “hunger strike fathers” are demanding to meet with the minister of social development or they will approach Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in a desperate attempt to be heard.

On Thursday last week, the two men – Sicelo Mbonani and Solomon Mondlane –along with the We Are Fathers, We Are Parents organisation, met at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) office in Joburg to hand over a memorandum with a list of demands, including that fathers be given equal rights.

Tshepo Maponyane, from the We are Fathers, We Are Parents, said the chief executive of the commission phoned him on Wednesday to talk about setting up a meeting for next week.

The organisation has also recently taken hands with the Commission of Gender Equality. The commission said in a letter to the organisation that the matter is receiving the priority that it deserves.

ALSO READ: Dads’ rights forum makes demands to SAHRC

“The issues raised in your complaint raise critical in-depth investigation about access to justice and therefore requires engagements with various stakeholders. These include the department of justice and constitutional development [DOJCD], the office of the family advocate and the South African Police Services,” the commission said in the letter dated 1 December.

The DOJCD was expected to answer to the memorandum, submitted to their office on 27 February, by Friday.

“This goes to show the arrogance of the department of justice and infringes on the rights of a child.

“We approached gender commission to intervene and find a solution after months of getting nowhere,” said Maponyane.

After Mbonani was in October arrested for abducting his child, Mondlane again wrote to Minister of Social Developmewnt Lindiwe Zulu, who has allegedly yet to answer.

Mondlane said after his late wife died in 2017, his children were illegally put into the custody of their grandparents.

“If Minister Zulu refuses to meet us, we will approach the EFF legal desk to see if they can help us,” Mondlane said. “Believe me, this is the only political party so far that attends to the people and listens.”

Mondlane said it is important to engage the minister or political parties before the proposed Children’s Act amendment Bill is tabled.

Wessel van den Berg, co-founder of the MenCare Global Fatherhood Campaign for Sonke Gender Justice, said men who were struggling to see their children were a minority.

He said one point currently challenged in the third amendment of the Children’s Act is for the acknowledgment of the rights of unmarried fathers.

Van den Berg said if an unmarried father’s details are not on the birth certificate, it is difficult to prove he is the father.

“In the State of SA’s fathers’ report in 2018, we reported 71% of children are living with a man, of which about half are the fathers,” he said.

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