Unpaid child support will get you blacklisted
Unpaid child support will now affect parents' credit records.
JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – Child maintenance defaulters will now be blacklisted. The newly signed Maintenance Amendment Act (Act No 9 of 2015) has the support of all the political parties represented in the National Assembly except for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
EFF MP, Hlengiwe Maxon, told News24’s Andisiwe Makinana, “Unpaid child support will block parents from getting credit while they owe child support and this the EFF does not support because the bill not only disadvantages the person who is unable to pay maintenance but further disadvantages the child and other dependents.”
According to the Sowetan, the Act seeks to further regulate:
– The lodging of complaints related to maintenance and the jurisdiction of the maintenance courts;
– The investigation of maintenance complaints;
– The securing of witnesses for purposes of a maintenance enquiry;
– Maintenance enquiries in order to make a provision for the granting of interim maintenance orders;
– The circumstances in which the maintenance orders may be granted by default;
– The granting of cost orders;
– The effect a maintenance order made by a maintenance court has on the maintenance order made by another court;
– The transfer of maintenance orders;
– The reporting of a maintenance defaulter to any business which has its object the granting of credit or is involved in the credit rating of persons;
– The attachments of emoluments and
– The conversion of criminal proceedings into maintenance enquiries.
The act will also create new offences and increase the penalties for certain offences.
