The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has announced a new initiative aimed at holding child maintenance defaulters accountable by blacklisting them through a system called Maintenance Online Listing of Defaulters (MOLD). This collaboration between the Department of Social Justice Foundation and the Consumer Profile Bureau was marked by the signing of a historic Memorandum of Understanding on first of November. Through MOLD, parents who fail to uphold their financial obligations for child maintenance will find their credit profiles impacted, creating significant repercussions for those who fail to support their children financially.
With an estimated 70% of parents defaulting on child maintenance orders within the first two years, this initiative seeks to streamline enforcement and improve compliance by providing credit bureaus and providers with information on defaulters. The partnership aims to reduce the backlog in maintenance service centers, strengthen family law, and encourage responsible parenting through better enforcement mechanisms. To further unpack we talk Kgalalelo Masibi, Senior Communications Manager at Public Protector South Africa