Single Moms and Maintenance
This issue is very closely related to the parental responsibilities and rights of unmarried fathers so a good starting point is to analyse what the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 says about the responsibilities of unmarried fathers towards their children. Firstly, section 19 of the Act automatically confers full parental responsibilities and rights on the biological mother of a child. What this means is that the mother of the child has responsibility and right to care for the child, maintain contact with the child, act as the guardian of the child and contribute towards the maintenance of the...
Read MoreOh baby! What rights do unmarried dads have with their children
South African law automatically gives full parental responsibilities and rights to a child’s biological mother. But what rights do fathers have? The biological father of a child also has full responsibilities and rights if his is married to the child’s mother or if he was married to the child’s mother at the time of conception, birth or any time in between. Parental responsibilities and rights are defined by law as the responsibility and right to care for the child, maintain contact with the child, act as the guardian of the child and contribute towards their maintenance. But if a father...
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