Focus in NA falls on fathers

DTA-UDF coalition Member of Parliament Phillemon Moongo yesterday lashed out at single mothers whom he charged deliberately turned their children against their fathers.

He claimed fathers were used to support their children in material ways only. During debate on the Children’s Status Bill, introduced in parliament last week, Moongo claimed that many unmarried mothers were denying fathers access to their children.”The father’s aims are not only to bring up the children or to maintain and support them, but the biological father needs a firm relationship with his children and wants to give them skills and true parenting,” said Moongo.The Bill aims to level the playing field for children born out of wedlock and deals with matters related to custody, guardianship and inheritance.Moongo said he was dismayed by the behaviour of the families of single parents who, he charged, decided to grant custody to fathers when the child was small and in need of care.But, he claimed, that once educated and grown-up, mothers assumed custodial rights.”This is because they do not want the child when he or she is in need of care.The child only becomes ‘useful’ to them at an older age,” he claimed.Moongo also voiced his opposition to a provision in the Bill that would give mothers sole custody of a child born out of wedlock until its seventh birthday.”How can the biological father be deprived of the custody of his child? Fathers have been doing this so long, they have to agree with the mother or the mother’s family.Thousands of children were brought up by the fathers alone, why prevent it,” he demanded.Moongo was also of the opinion that, whether children were born in or outside of wedlock, they should not have rights to their parents’ estate.He said any money should be used to maintain the parents when they became pensioners.”The children and their mother only care about the will when the father has died.The father gets nothing in return while the children live in luxury,” the opposition MP complained.Moongo also pleaded with mothers to teach their children to “respect their stepfathers”.He alleged that children beat up their stepparents because they were ‘unliked’.The parliamentarian maintained that if Namibians, especially women, avoided adulterous relationships, this would go a long way towards avoiding legal battles over maintenance and custody.”What some of you women are doing here is very serious,” he claimed.This comment was met with interjections from Home Affairs Deputy Minister Loide Kasingo who said that in fact men were more to blame for adulterous relationships, saying they left their wives for younger women.Swapo MP Ponhele ya Frans concluded the debate on the Bill for the day, taking up the issue of a child born as a result of rape.He requested that provisions denying access and guardianship to a father convicted of rape be reviewed.Ya Frans is of the opinion that if the father has served his time and repented, he should be eligible for guardianship.He also maintained that all children – irrespective of their status at birth – be registered in the surname of their father.During debate on the Children’s Status Bill, introduced in parliament last week, Moongo claimed that many unmarried mothers were denying fathers access to their children.”The father’s aims are not only to bring up the children or to maintain and support them, but the biological father needs a firm relationship with his children and wants to give them skills and true parenting,” said Moongo.The Bill aims to level the playing field for children born out of wedlock and deals with matters related to custody, guardianship and inheritance.Moongo said he was dismayed by the behaviour of the families of single parents who, he charged, decided to grant custody to fathers when the child was small and in need of care.But, he claimed, that once educated and grown-up, mothers assumed custodial rights.”This is because they do not want the child when he or she is in need of care.The child only becomes ‘useful’ to them at an older age,” he claimed.Moongo also voiced his opposition to a provision in the Bill that would give mothers sole custody of a child born out of wedlock until its seventh birthday.”How can the biological father be deprived of the custody of his child? Fathers have been doing this so long, they have to agree with the mother or the mother’s family.Thousands of children were brought up by the fathers alone, why prevent it,” he demanded.Moongo was also of the opinion that, whether children were born in or outside of wedlock, they should not have rights to their parents’ estate.He said any money should be used to maintain the parents when they became pensioners.”The children and their mother only care about the will when the father has died.The father gets nothing in return while the children live in luxury,” the opposition MP complained.Moongo also pleaded with mothers to teach their children to “respect their stepfathers”.He alleged that children beat up their stepparents because they were ‘unliked’.The parliamentarian maintained that if Namibians, especially women, avoided adulterous relationships, this would go a long way towards avoiding legal battles over maintenance and custody.”What some of you women are doing here is very serious,” he claimed.This comment was met with interjections from Home Affairs Deputy Minister Loide Kasingo who said that in fact men were more to blame for adulterous relationships, saying they left their wives for younger women.Swapo MP Ponhele ya Frans concluded the debate on the Bill for the day, taking up the issue of a child born as a result of rape.He requested that provisions denying access and guardianship to a father convicted of rape be reviewed.Ya Frans is of the opinion that if the father has served his time and repented, he should be eligible for guardianship.He also maintained that all children – irrespective of their status at birth – be registered in the surname of their father.

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