lindiwe zulu

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu.
Photo: Maromo/ANA

Lockdown co-parenting: ‘Movement of children prohibited’ – Zulu

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu says she has been inundated with calls about shared custody of children during the lockdown.

lindiwe zulu

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu.
Photo: Maromo/ANA

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu on Saturday urged South African families to protect children during the 21-day lockdown, and to strictly avoid moving the children around in situations where parents stay at different households, and to avoid visits from the other parent. 

She said the government regulations which cover psycho-social support indicate that to avoid spreading of the novel coronavirus by people who are co-parents, movement of children during the lockdown is prohibited. 

‘No exchange – even at pharmacies’

“The child shall remain in the custody of the parent who the child was with when the lockdown was effected. The parent who is not with the child during the lockdown, in order to maintain a personal relationship with the child can make regular communication with the child in other manners, including telephonic and other. Many people have been calling me directly, to say can’t we even exchange the child perhaps at a pharmacy or something of that sort,” Zulu said addressing journalists in Pretoria. 

“The bottom-line is you need to protect your children. This is a period of 21 days and we have indicated that it is 21 days where a lot needs to be done in terms of tolerance, and patience. We are making a call to everyone that it is for your own good. If we are in the same difficulty after 21 days, these regulations and notices, we do have the space to look at them and see whether they are helpful or not.” 

On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the national lockdown as South Africa experienced a surge in the COVID-19 outbreak. The Soouth African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have been deployed onto the streets. People are only allowed to leave their homes to seek medical care, buy food or collect a social grant. 

Halt in school nutrition programme

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said it would be impossible to run the school nutrition programme, which feeds millions of impoverished learners in schools. 

“Outside the schools infrastructure, there is no possibility to feed them unless we are saying kids must come back to school and eat. It’s just not possible. We have communicated that quite intensely, and that is why we are counting on the work that the department of social development is doing for the vulnerable communities,” she said. 

“If kids are outside schools, they are members of the community so they will be catered for and supported in communities. We are on a break, and learners have moved around, it would just be chaos. We are relying on the infrastructure of [department of] social development.” 

At least 55 people were arrested across South Africa on the first day of the 21-day national lockdown on 27 March.

By African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Devereaux Morkel