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HUNGRY FACES: Court clerks are said to have defrauded the Justice Department of millions of maintenance and spousal support money and other third-party funds managed by the courts are unaccounted for. And in the meantime many children go hungry. Photo: Masi Losi

The money was meant for child maintenance and spousal support and other third-party funds managed by the courts.

The acting CFO of the Third Party Funds division within the department, Johan Johnson, yesterday told the portfolio committee on justice and constitutional development in Parliament that the money was being lost to fraud and corruption, dishonoured cheques, wrongful payments and failure by beneficiaries to claim what is due to them.

But investigations were under way to try and trace where the funds had gone.

"We cannot say to what extent, but [the shortfalls are] because of theft or shortages or misappropriation of funds or because the court clerks start putting money in their own pockets.

"What is due to people must be equal to the money that is available at the courts. At some of these courts there are shortages," he said.

Johnson said cursory findings included money that had "accidentally" been paid to the wrong recipients, cheques paid to the courts that had bounced, corruption and theft by officials.

He said of the unaudited accumulative shortfall of R79.9-million dishonoured cheques accounted for R12.5-million and maintenance debtors - people who had not paid their former partner or spouse - for R3.3-million.

Johnson said they had alarmingly witnessed a R63.4-million shortfall in the period between transferring money from the trust to beneficiaries.

This money had still not been accounted for.

In the 2011 financial year more than R225-million paid to courts as bail and fines had been transferred to the National Revenue Fund.

Johnson said in some cases, the money a plaintiff had won in compensation was also not paid out by the courts, despite the money having been received from the defendant.

He said another scenario was when money had been received by the courts but was not properly classified in terms of where it had come from or where is was meant to go.

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Wed May 22 05:19:28 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 8, 2012

cornelius

Corruption is now endemic in every single aspect of SA life. Once a proud nation, we are now a nation of greedy corrupt thieves, with no self respect. How and why has it happened, and how can it be set right ? Or should we accept that this is how it will be from now on ? Every SAfrican should ask themselves these questions. If we want to change the direction in which we are going, we have to insist on strong, clean and efficient government, there is no other starting point. People must please start using their own brains when exercising their democratic right to vote.
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Jun 8, 2012

rasefatee

Department of Justice and Constitutional Development employed criminals? and Johan Johnson did not mention any arrest of the culprits so what he himself the acting CFO must account and be arrested he may be part of the syndicate
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Jun 8, 2012

swona

who's the boss in this department? ANC lack leadership!
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Jun 8, 2012

Papage

Yes I can believe that, on monday I went to apply for Trust deed copies for 3 Trusts, I deposited R27.00 for all the copies, when I got there they said I should deposit R9 for each Trust, so I had to go and make another 3 deposits of R9.00. What happened to my R27.00, only them they know, I know of many people who deposited money in that department Absa bank account and they never got what they wanted, they end up forgetting about it, It is Account No:4077507497, that account is eating our monies.
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Jun 8, 2012

Bhubesi

cornelius
Corruption is now endemic in every single aspect of SA life. Once a proud nation, we are now a nation of greedy corrupt thieves, with no self respect. How and why has it happened, and how can it be set right ? Or should we accept that this is how it will be from now on ? Every SAfrican should ask themselves these questions. If we want to change the direction in which we are going, we have to insist on strong, clean and efficient government, there is no other starting point. People must please start using their own brains when exercising their democratic right to vote.
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I can definitely tell you that it won't go on like this forever. There is only two ways all this will end up. Its either a military coupe or a bloody civil uprising will take place. As for the specific time and date nobody will ever know but we slowly getting there for sure.


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Jun 9, 2012

OUPIKS

Yes this country has turned in banana republic. Corruption start from the top. SHOWERHEAD is
the cause of all this problems.
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Jun 9, 2012

PIGMI

CORRUPT PEOPLE AND ALL OTHER CRIMINALS ARE ALL NON BELIEVERS AND THEY ALL DESERVE BE CALLED K- CITIZENS
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Jun 10, 2012

Pointman

Last week we had stories on stealing from the elderly - now maintenance money goes missing. When the custodians themselves become thieves, renewal of society becomes much harder. For voting with our hearts we are going to pay a huge price. Each one for himself.
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Jun 12, 2012

hezekiel

this saying "lege o ka e buela leopeng,magukubju a go bona"
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