Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Michael Masutha has yet to respond to a memorandum from the Democratic Alliance calling for increased funding to maintenance courts to ensure the efficient and compassionate handling of maintenance cases.

This is despite a commitment to respond to the memorandum within 16 days‚ the interim leader of the DA’s

Women’s Network (DAWN)‚ Denise Robinson‚ said on Saturday‚ which marked the end of the 16 Days of Activism For No Violence Against Women and Children campaign as well as being the deadline for Masutha to respond to the memorandum.

 “Failure by the Minister to respond signals a distinct lack of will to address the serious concerns we raised about how these courts function‚” Robinson said‚ adding that it was evident that the South African criminal justice system was not adequately equipped.

She said millions of women bore the brunt of single-handedly raising their children‚ without any financial support from their children’s’ fathers.

 “Women across the country often have to repeatedly return to these courts‚ and then wait for hours in a bid to get what is owed to their children‚” she added.

That was why the DA had set out‚ in the memorandum‚ very specific issues that needed to be urgently addressed‚ such as:

- Turnaround times for maintenance cases must be reduced;

- Efficient mechanisms to trace maintenance defaulters must be instituted;

- More maintenance officers need to be employed to decrease the current case load;

- Maintenance officers should be properly trained; and

- More maintenance courts need to be built as too many areas have no designated maintenance courts‚ meaning that women often have to travel long distances to access these courts.

“The failure of maintenance courts has perpetuated gender-based economic and social inequality and has undermined the rights of women in South Africa today.

“DAWN is committed to bringing about reform in a system that is currently disadvantaging so many and will work tirelessly to make sure that the 16 Days of Activism campaign is transformed from merely a series of meetings to a sustained campaign with practical outcomes that will bring about meaningful change‚” Robinson said.