Step Dad Wants To Financially Ruin My Mom In Divorce

My mom married my step father 8 years ago, he's always had a drinking problem, but in the last year after losing his job he became a major alcoholic. He would just sit on the couch and drink from 1pm, for a whole year. My mom tried to help but she can't take it anymore and asked for a divorce. Turns out he has be using her money from selling our old house when we moved in with him, without her knowing, to pay for a bunch of stuff. He also sold his old house and we moved into a new 3rd house. He had money from his house sale, but has been using my mom's for everything and never told her, even stuff he said he would pay for.

My mom also lost her job, they worked at the same company, but she has gotten a new job to help support us. He was offered a ton of jobs, but saw them all as 'beneath him' because he wouldn't have as high of a standing as his old job.

My mom can't afford a lawyer, and even if she could, he threatened to bankrupt her by carrying the court case on for years. He legally adopted my younger brother, who is still in primary school, and is refusing to help with anything. I understand my mom is asking for the divorce, but to decide to try to ruin her after a year of being drunk everyday and being emotionally and verbally abusive is taking it way too far.

I just want to know how screwed we really are. I live in South Africa