Child custody battles cross borders

There are more child custody court cases taking placing in South Africa, which involve South African expats. Recently, a three-year-old Johannesburg girl was ordered to be left in the care of her South African mother in Johannesburg, and not with her American father in the US. The Johannesburg High Court ruling saw the court over-rule the Family Advocate who was trying to force the child to return to her father, a former soldier who was dishonourably discharged. Her mother is a 27-year-old receptionist who returned to South Africa two years ago and lives on the East Rand. She met her husband in the US six years ago, while working as an au pair in Chicago and he was a student. After she resigned from her job and returned to South Africa, he followed her and they married a month later. When she became pregnant, they returned to the US. Life was not rosy and things started going downhill.