30/09/2025 Bertus Preller Alimony, Civil contempt South Africa, Contempt of Court, Costs, Maintenance, Procedural Law, Rule 43, Rule 43 Contempt, Rule 43 orders, Spousal Maintenance, Unaffordability defence, Variation Rule 43(6) affordability defence evidence, civil contempt South Africa, constitutional rights maintenance, contempt of court, contribution to legal costs, Equality of Arms, Fakie test contempt, financial disclosure requirements, Gauteng High Court Johannesburg, joint estate litigation, judicial integrity, late filing affidavits, maintenance arrears, mala fide conduct, procedural abuse family law, punitive costs order, Rule 43 proceedings, Rule 43(6) variation, section 10 dignity, section 34 access to justice, section 9 equality, spousal maintenance non-payment, suspended sentence contempt, T.F.C v B.J.C 2025, unaffordability defence, Uniform Rules of Court, warrant of arrest maintenance, wilful non-compliance, ZAGPJHC 956 When “I Cannot Afford It” Fails: Contempt, Constitutional Rights and Procedural Abuse in T.F.C v B.J.C (21300/2022) [2025] ZAGPJHC 956 (25 September 2025). From Rule 43 Relief to Repeated Refusal: The Factual Matrix of Mounting Non-Compliance The factual backdrop to this contempt application reveals a distressing pattern of deliberate defiance that began almost… READ MORE
25/09/2025 Bertus Preller Amendment of Pleadings, Constitutional law, Divorce, Divorce summons South Africa, Marriage, Procedural Law, Procedure, Punitive Cost Orders, Rule 28 amendments, Section 7 Matrimonial Properties Act, Section 7(3) Divorce Act 1984 cut-off date, amendment applications, Antenuptial Contracts, case management, constitutional challenge, Constitutional Court, constitutional development, costs orders, divorce proceedings, EB v ER judgment, equitable relief, Family Law, Judicial Discretion, M.S v E.S, matrimonial contributions, matrimonial property law, Mpumalanga High Court, Msibi AJ, out of community of property, pleadings amendment, procedural amendments, procedural compliance bertus preller, redistribution orders, Rule 28 amendments, RVB v JVB, section 7(3) Divorce Act, South African divorce law Amendment Revolution: How M.S v E.S (3091/2021) [2025] ZAMPMBHC 96 (23 September 2025) Transforms Redistribution Claims Post-EB. Factual Matrix and Procedural History: From Closed Pleadings to Constitutional Development The parties in this matter were married out of community of property, excluding the accrual system, pursuant to a… READ MORE
13/09/2025 Bertus Preller Births Deaths Registration Act, Constitutional law, Gender discrimination, Gender equality, Marriage equality, Patriarchal laws, Surname changes, Unfair discrimination Births Deaths Registration Act, Civil Union Act, colonial law legacy, constitutional challenge, Constitutional Court, constitutional law, discrimination analysis, equality jurisprudence, equality rights, family identity choices, Family Law, gender discrimination, Gender Equality, gender-neutral legislation, human dignity, legislative reform, marital naming rights, marriage equality, men's rights, patriarchal laws, reading-in remedy, section 9 Constitution, South African Law, substantive equality, surname changes, suspended declaration invalidity, unfair discrimination, women's rights Constitutional Court Ends Gender-Based Surname Discrimination: Jordaan and Others v Minister of Home Affairs and Another (CCT 296/24) [2025] ZACC 19 (11 September 2025) – Husbands Can Now Take Their Wives’ Surnames. The Factual Matrix: When Husbands Want to Take Their Wives' Surnames The facts giving rise to this landmark constitutional challenge present a stark illustration of how outdated legislation can collide… READ MORE
10/09/2025 Bertus Preller Abuse of Process, Costs, Divorce, Divorce summons prerequisite, Maintenance, Procedural Law, Procedure, Rule 43, Rule 43 Cost Contributions, Rule 58 2018 Rule 43 amendment, child custody applications, Court Jurisdiction, divorce attorneys, divorce law procedure, divorce practice, divorce summons prerequisite, divorce summons timing, family court procedures, family law practitioners, High Court Gauteng, in limine objections, interim applications, interim maintenance, interim relief requirements, legal costs contribution, legal procedural requirements, litigation prerequisites, matrimonial action pending, matrimonial disputes, matrimonial interim relief, matrimonial law compliance, matrimonial proceedings, pendente lite applications, pending divorce requirement, Procedural Compliance, procedural defects, Rule 43 applications, South African Family Law, Uniform Rules of Court No Divorce Summons, No Rule 43 Relief: A.C v H.C (2024/148225) [2025] ZAGPJHC 741 (28 July 2025) Confirms Procedural Prerequisites for Matrimonial Interim Applications. Factual Background and Procedural History The case A.C v H.C (2024/148225), decided on 28 July 2025 in the Gauteng Local Division, Johannesburg, addressed a Rule 43 application for interim relief… READ MORE
08/09/2025 Bertus Preller Abuse of Process, Alimony, Contempt of Court, Divorce, Magistrate's Court jurisdiction, Procedural Law, Rule 43 Contempt, Rule 43 orders, Spousal Maintenance attorney-client costs, Bannatyne decision, Burden of Proof, Civil Contempt, Constitutional Court, contempt of court, Fakie test, financial disclosure, forum shopping, inability to pay defence, magistrate's court jurisdiction, maintenance arrears, maintenance contempt, maintenance enforcement, mala fides, Pheko case, procedural abuse, Rule 43 proceedings, Rule 43(6) variation, Suspended Sentence, wilful non-compliance Forum Shopping and Maintenance Contempt: M.M v M.F (2023-024319) [2025] ZAGPJHC 857 (4 September 2025) – When Procedural Abuse Meets the Fakie Test. Factual Matrix: From Rule 43 Order to Contempt Proceedings The factual backdrop to this matter illustrates the unfortunate reality facing many maintenance beneficiaries in South Africa. The parties, former spouses… READ MORE
03/09/2025 Bertus Preller Litigation misconduct, Rule 47, matrimonial disputes, divorce proceedings, Security for costs, Vexatious Litigant, Vexatious Proceedings Act abuse of process, access to courts, appellate litigation, attorney threats, Constitutional Court, Constitutional Rights, corporate veil piercing, costs orders, court orders enforcement, divorce proceedings, domestic violence court, frivolous litigation, incola litigant, judicial restraint, legal harassment, Legal Practice Council, litigation misconduct, maintenance court jurisdiction, matrimonial disputes, persistent litigation, procedural defects, procedural fairness, Rule 47, section 34 Constitution, section 36 Constitution, security for costs, trust litigation, vexatious litigant, vexatious Proceedings Act When Persistence Becomes Vexatious: Ten Failed Applications and a Constitutional Reckoning in L.M.W v C.R.W (12866/2014) [2025] ZAWCHC 395 (1 September 2025). A Decade of Persistent Litigation: The Factual Matrix The factual landscape of this matter presents a striking example of how matrimonial disputes can spiral into prolonged abuse of court processes.… READ MORE