ATM joins the call for justice in delayed Family Advocate report in WC

AS SOUTH Africa faces a growing crisis of corruption and dysfunction within its policing system, new concerns are being raised about similar patterns of failure in the country’s courts, particularly in the Office of the Family Advocate.

- SIFISO MAHLANGU

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has now stepped into the high-profile custody case of father and activist Asif Casoojee, whose four-year legal battle to gain access to his children has been marked by serious delays, allegations of misconduct, and emotional trauma.

ATM President Vuyo Zungula has called for an urgent parliamentary investigation into the matter, saying Casoojee’s experience reflects broader systemic failures in the family law system.

“We have been reading about Casoojees ordeal for years now, and there is still no resolution,” said Zungula. “The rights of fathers in this country must also be protected. The rights of children to know and love both parents is pivotal. If there is corruption in these matters, even at the level of the courts, we must get to the bottom of it.”

At the heart of the dispute is a long-delayed report by the Office of the Family Advocate, which was ordered by the court but has taken over a year to be finalised, and more than four years since Casoojee began his custody battle. The Department of Justice previously told The Star that the matter was being addressed.