Justices Department calls upon maintenance beneficiaries to claim their money

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development calls upon all the rightful beneficiaries to visit their nearest Maintenance Court, to claim maintenance monies.

The department is currently in possession of an amount of more than three million of unclaimed maintenance monies countrywide.

This backlog relating to unclaimed maintenance monies has been the consequence of many aspects, which include the following:

· Late payments that are made by respondents after the applicant has given up in following up on payments.

· Some clients are not aware that payments have been made after being told by the applicant that the latter is not going to pay maintenance.

· Information about beneficiaries who had relocated and death status may have been a factor in the matter.

· Some respondents start effecting payments prior to the court proceeding by requesting the courts’ banking details and deposit money.

· Sometimes complainants go to court without banking details.

Any person can visit the nearest magistrate court to enquire about unclaimed monies, only if they had opened an application for maintenance and the court had directed the responded to pay a certain amount towards maintenance.

The maintenance beneficiaries may claim at the relevant maintenance court where they made an application and an order was granted for maintenance by that Maintenance Court.

For a beneficiary to claim the money, they must bring an identity document to Maintenance Courts.

The department remains committed to improve the maintenance system and urge all beneficiaries to opt for electronic fund transfer which will ensure that they receive their money directly in their banking accounts.