Maintenance paid to divorced women may become available at automated teller machines countrywide in the future, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday.
Alan Mackenzie, chief financial officer of the department, said this plan was part of the department’s efforts to revolutionise the management of money it holds in trust. He said a number of alternatives had been researched over the last six months, including that the maintenance paid to divorced wives become available at ATMs installed at magistrates courts.
In order to make it easy for people with minimal literacy, certain ATMs could be equipped with a biometric device that would read the recipient’s fingerprint making it unnecessary to key in a pin number. The new system could also see traffic fines being paid at an accredited pay point such as a bank instead of courts in the district where the offence was committed.
Mackenzie, who is on secondment to the department from Business Against Crime, said discussions were well advanced with several banks and other institutions that had been involved in formulating solutions to the inefficiencies in the department.
”What it means in essence is that we at justice may hand over our entire cash management system to a bank with the manpower, financial system and expertise to handle it and they would manage multiple pay in and pay out points including many of the current cash halls at courts.
”Apart from service convenience and speed in the processing of transactions relating to maintenance, bail, fines, estates etc a modern system will be more secure than current manual systems.”
”We have received the go-ahead from the department. What needs to happen now is that we have to formalise the proposals, evaluate submissions and establish the affordability of the options. Acceptance of RFI submissions will close on June 7. ”Formal briefings will commence on June 12 and feedback is scheduled for July 12 this year. A tender is likely to follow shortly thereafter. The speed and extent of implementation is dependent on cost.”
”At present, a divorced woman in a deep rural area has to travel to the nearest court to request payment of maintenance due to her. Depending on how far away she is from the court, she could incur significant charges for a taxi. It is often necessary for a second visit to collect the cheque that must be discounted, at a significant cost, at a local store,” he said.
Mackenzie said the new financial regime had the full support of Justice Minister Penuell Maduna and his director-general. He said the department was ”absolutely determined” to root out corruption and mismanagement.
Maduna was adamant that inefficiencies had to be eliminated and that the department had to become a ”lean mean corporate machine”, Mackenzie said.
A special independent whistle blowing hotline — 0800-005-933 — has also been set up where people with knowledge of corruption within the department can call and anonymously leave information. – Sapa