The tough line against the non-payment of court-ordered child support was taken by Magistrate Leah Shaanika in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura on Tuesday.

Appearing before her was Dirk van Wyk, who had been charged with failing to pay maintenance for the two children born out of his marriage that ended in a divorce in the High Court four and a half years ago.

When the marriage was dissolved in April 1998, the High Court ordered Van Wyk to pay his ex-wife N$250 in maintenance for each of his two children every month.

However, according to a sworn declaration from a Justice Ministry official attached to the maintenance division of the Windhoek Magistrate's Court, Van Wyk was N$25 000 in arrears with the child support payments by August this year. He had paid nothing since the divorce was finalised.

During his trial this week it was indicated to the Magistrate that the two children had stayed with him for part of the time since his marriage had ended.

During the rest of the time, though, he still failed to pay child support.
Magistrate Shaanika ordered Van Wyk to continue paying maintenance of N$500 a month, and to pay an additional N$300 a month until the remaining N$10 000 in arrears had been paid off.

She added a further sting of punishment to his sentence, ordering that he has to serve 150 hours of periodical imprisonment. He has to report to be locked up behind bars at 17h00 every Friday, until he is set free again at 24h00 every Saturday, from today until the full jail term had been served by the end of November, she directed.

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