Cape Town - A Tafelsig activist has started a fundraising campaign to help appeal a court ruling against a South African mother of three, in favour of her British-born husband who lives in Thailand.
The attorney who has been handling the case yesterday sent through communication to the mother, asking for her to pay R60 000 and settle her previous account prior to them returning to court.
This as the hearing to appeal has already been set for Monday.
Last Tuesday Judge Sieraj Desai ordered: “(the children) shall be returned to the Kingdom of Thailand in accordance with the provisions of Article 12 of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (“the Convention”) and incorporated into the Children’s Act 38 of 2005…”
Joanie Fredericks, who launched the fundraising campaign, said: “I’m worried about what this means for the children, however, I’m hopeful that something good will happen.
"I have friends from all around the world who are working hard to support the initiative. At this point I pray that a miracle will happen.”
“I’m a humanitarian and I believe that the children deserve to be with their mother. They are young and scared and need our support.
"The eldest son is threatening to harm himself should he be made to go back.
"My aim is to assist the children and stand up for them regardless of what the law says, of which I believe that in this case is wrong - the children need to be with their mother,” added Fredericks.
The children, a boy aged 11 and twins - a boy and a girl - aged eight, are currently living in the country with their mother.
The family has been living in South Africa for less than a year.
The mother, who did not want to be named so as to protect the identity of her children, said the court ruling came as a surprise to her and her children, who have voiced how much they do not want to return to Thailand.
“My children and I do not want to go back to Thailand. We were not happy there and we much prefer living in South Africa,” she said.
* Additional reporting by Nathan Adams.
Cape Argus