Maintenance money lost in court maze

Two Gobabis parents say thousands in maintenance payments they made through the magistrate’s court have not reached their children, prompting confusion and calls for accountability.

Gobabis Magistrate’s Court maintenance clerk Rauha Akathingo earlier this week acknowledged a complaint from one of the parents.

However, she said she is not authorised to speak to the media and referred The Namibian to the maintenance division head at the Katutura Magistrate’s Court, Mureel van Zyl.

Van Zyl has not been available for comment since Monday.

However, Katutura Magistrate’s Court senior administrator for payments Dennis Shivangulula on Tuesday said the money may have been deposited into the court’s general account due to an incorrect reference or account number.

“Once this has been cleared the money will be reallocated to the correct recipient and paid back to the family,” he said.

One of the affected parents, Leon Somaeb, told The Namibian on Monday that the N$4 000 he paid to the Gobabis Magistrate’s Court as maintenance for his daughter (13) did not reach her.

Somaeb said the payments started in 2023.

Three months ago the child’s mother, Stella Smith, told him that for the past five months, there had been no money in the account for her to withdraw.

Somaeb said his child has not received eight months’ worth of maintenance payments, despite his claims that he has paid.

He said he lives at Omaruru and deposits the money electronically from his First National Bank account into an account with the reference and account numbers given by the court. When he made inquiries last December, he was informed that the reference he used was for the Grootfontein Magistrate’s Court.

“Grootfontein knows nothing about the money,” Somaeb said. “I sent them the bank confirmation and my bank statements for the eight months which prove I paid. Now when I call or email, I’m told to call back another time.”

He said failure to pay maintenance will result in a fine or jail time, adding that since the error is the court’s fault, he should not be accountable.

Another parent, Deidre van Eksteen (39), says the Gobabis court owes her N$4 000 in maintenance for her son. The payments, which are usually N$800 a month, have been outstanding since last October.

“What changed? Where is the money?” she asks. “After my inquiries proved futile, I was informed in January by the Gobabis court to go to the Katutura court.”

She adds: “The courts must know that it’s not easy to support children with maintenance money. These things cause arguments between estranged parents, who already have strained relationships.”

A clerk who works for Van Zyl says she only deals with the court’s administration and has no information about what happened to the money.

“We only deal with the files. Please speak to the head of payments, but he is also out for the week,” the clerk says.

Shivangulula said the affected parents should return to the Gobabis Magistrate’s Court with their bank statements and confirmation letters to cross-check the references and account numbers.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.