Court grants father custody after altercation between mother and daughter

A LATE night altercation between a mother and her teenage daughter which resulted in a broken mirror allegedly inflicting injuries on the child and a frantic call to her father to fetch her and her sister immediately, resulted in the court ordering that the children must for now, live with their father.

- ZELDA VENTER

The mother turned to the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, in a bid to get her children - aged nine and 16 - back after the father, from whom she is divorced, took them to live with him. The father, in a counter application, asked to have custody over the children.

The mother was the children’s primary caregiver until recently, when a disagreement arose between her and M (the 16-year-old) which escalated into a physical altercation at the mother’s home.

This resulted in the children telephoning their father to come and collect them immediately and remove them from their mother’s home to his home late one night. There is a dispute about what occurred on that night. The mother contends that the incident was sparked because M had a tantrum and shouted at her. According to the mother the teenager often displays unruly behaviour when reprimanded.