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In reply to a Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary question this week Justice Minister, Jeff Radebe, was less than honest about his department’s failure to assist the Western Cape government in continuing with its project to assist maintenance beneficiaries.

A copy of the question can be found here.

In February this year, Western Cape Premier, Helen Zille, wrote a letter to Minister Radebe, requesting that the Western Cape continue with its partnership with his department regarding maintenance defaulters.

This project had been successfully implemented during last year's 16 Days of Activism.

In terms of this project, many maintenance defaulters were traced and held accountable, and maintenance beneficiaries who could to be traced to claim their benefits were also located by way of a public awareness campaign. The DA-led provincial government in the Western Cape wished to continue with and expand this project.

After having received no substantive response, Premier Zille raised the matter with the Minister personally at a cabinet lekgotla in July this year, and followed it up with another two letters dated 1 August and 12 September.

Since no response from the minister was forthcoming, I submitted a written parliamentary question to the Minister.

The Minister responded by saying that, according to his information, the Western Cape government only made "informal telephonic requests" to the regional head of the Justice Department. This despite the three letters from the Western Cape Premier being acknowledged by Minister Radebe’s office, and a personal conversation between the two of them at the cabinet lekgotla.

The regional head of the Justice Department in the Western Cape, Hishaam Mohamed, also advised Premier Zille that he could not release the names of maintenance defaulters without Minister Radebe’s consent. However, the Minister's parliamentary reply says his consent is not necessary.

Given the large number of people, mainly women, who are desperately struggling every day to recover maintenance payments owing to them, often for many years, the Minister’s behaviour is grossly irresponsible. The maintenance figures in last year's Department of Justice Annual Report were worse than the year before, and it is clear that the department can use all the help it can get.

The Minister thus needs to explain why he and his department have snubbed the Western Cape's efforts to assist maintenance beneficiaries receive the support due to them.

The DA will be adding this to the complaint we have already lodged with the Public Protector regarding systemic failures in the maintenance system.

Copies of the letters by the Premier and acknowledgements by the Minister's department are available on request.