Share

Morgan Deane 'has to stay here for her kids'

Cape Town – Morgan Deane has to stay in South Africa because her children are here, her lawyer Leon van der Merwe said when she appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, Netwerk24 reported.

The former singer from Ireland who is still married to ex-Proteas captain Graeme Smith, was charged with violating the Immigration Act after overstaying her visa. She was locked up in a cell for a few hours in December because her visa had expired on September 5, 2015.

 - Read more here

"I am OK, I just want this to be over now," she said before the case got underway.

Deane arrived at the court alone, just before 09:00. Her friend Thandie Kupe joined her later.

Her appearance was brief and she left court quickly after the case was postponed, because the senior official who had to consider her representation was not available due to a family crisis.

Van der Merwe said his client was positive about the case.

"She followed all procedures, but one that she was a little late with. All the paperwork is in order now and I am sure the prosecutor will make the right decision, or at least what I consider to be the right decision," he said.

Humanitarian reasons

The representation they intended making to the State was based on humanitarian reasons.

"She is married to Graeme Smith and they have two children. How on earth can they tell her she doesn’t have the right to be in the country? Is she not allowed to be here, but her children have to stay here?"

She wanted to be with her children, even though her parents were not in the country.

"And the sun shines here, and not in Ireland," he added.

Smith became a father for the third time on December 21, when he and his girlfriend Romy Lanfranchi had a son.

Smith and Deane got married in Cape Town in August 2011 and have two children together.

According to Deane, their divorce would be finalised in March. She wrote a book about their relationship called The Green Girls Guide to Divorce.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 487 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 695 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.92
+0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.88
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.1%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE