07/11/2026 Bertus Preller Appeal, Article 13(b) grave risk, Automatic Appeals under Section 18(4), Best Interests of the Child, Execution Pending Appeal, Hague Convention Age Limit (Article 4), Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, International Family Law, Protective Measures and Mirror Orders, Stay of execution, Views of the Child Article 13(b), Article 4 Hague Convention, Australia child abduction, best interests of the child, Central Authority South Africa, Chafin v Chafin, child over 16, Children's Act section 10, Children's Act section 7, exceptional circumstances, execution pending appeal, full bench, Hague Convention, Incubeta v Ellis, International Child Abduction, irreparable harm, Knoop v Gupta, Kusevitsky J dissent, Mirror Orders, Protective Measures, reportable judgment, return order, section 18 Superior Courts Act, section 18(4) automatic appeal, Supreme Court of Appeal Practice Directive 1/2024, Tyte Security Services, voice of the child, Western Cape High Court, Wille J A Hague Convention matter is not per se exceptional: when a return order must wait for the appeal. S C v L J H and Another (2026-105403) [2026] ZAWCHC 659 (6 November 2026). This case is about whether a High Court order directing the return of children to Australia under the Hague Convention may be put into operation under section 18(3) of the… READ MORE
11/10/2026 Bertus Preller Best Interests of the Child, Children, Parental Rights, Parental rights and responsibilities, Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, School rugby governance, School rugby recruitment, School sport law, Schoolboy Rugby South Africa, Schoolboy rugby transfers best interests of the child section 28, Bought Not Built, Centre for Child Law v Media 24, child privacy South Africa, Children’s Act 38 of 2005, divorce school move child, family law South Africa, Information Regulator complaint, NM v Smith privacy, parental consent children’s act, parenting plan school change, POPIA administrative fine R10 million, POPIA children’s information, POPIA penalties imprisonment, Press Code children, publication of schoolboy rugby transfers, rugby blog privacy, rugby bursary school transfer, schoolboy rugby poaching, schoolboy rugby recruitment, schoolboy rugby transfer sheets, section 18 parental responsibilities and rights, section 30 co-holders, section 31 major decisions, section 34 POPIA, section 35 POPIA competent person, section 7 POPIA journalism exclusion, section 99 POPIA damages, separated parents school decision Schoolboy Rugby Transfer Sheets: What Parental Consent Means in Family Law and What POPIA Does to Blogs That Publish Without It. In a recent article for my Substack newsletter I looked at the running "transfer sheets" that some rugby websites keep of schoolboy players moving between schools, and I asked a… READ MORE
03/10/2026 Bertus Preller Best Interests of the Child, Children, Constitutional Court customary law, Customary Law, Customary Marriages, gender equality, Imbeleko, Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998, section 211(3), section 9 Constitution, Ulwaluko, Umgidi, Umngeno, Xhosa initiation age of majority, Attorney and Client Costs, Bhe case, co-holder consultation, customary law and Constitution, declaratory order, dependent adult child, final interdict, Gender Equality, Imbeleko, living customary law, Mbungela, MM v MN, parental responsibilities and rights, rule 6(12) urgency, section 18 Children's Act, section 211(3), Section 31 Children's Act, section 9 Constitution, Self-Created Urgency, Setlogelo, Shilubana, standing of parent, Superior Courts Act, Ulwaluko, Umgidi, Umngeno, Xhosa initiation, Z v Z A Mother’s Place at the Umgidi: Living Customary Law, Gender Equality and the Myth of the Magic Age of 18 — S.Z.Z v S.Z (2026/196397) [2026] ZAGPJHC 1099 (25 September 2026). The Facts: A Mother Excluded from Her Son's Rite of Passage In S.Z.Z v S.Z (2026/196397) ZAGPJHC 1099 (25 September 2026) a divorced mother approached the Gauteng Division, Johannesburg, on… READ MORE
03/10/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Best Interests of the Child, Care and Contact, Child Maintenance, Childcare Expert, Children, Children's matters South Africa, Civil contempt South Africa, Contact Rights, Contempt of Court, Costs, Curator Ad Litem, Divorce, Forensic psychologist mandate, Hired Gun Expert, Maintenance, Parental rights and responsibilities, Pendente Lite, Primary Residence, Primary residence dispute, Rule 43, Rule 43 Applications, Rule 43 Contempt, Rule 43 orders, Unlawful retention of a child, Urgency, Urgent applications, Variation Rule 43(6) best interests of the child, breach of court order, child abuse allegations, Children’s Act 38 of 2005, Contact rights, court-appointed expert, curator ad litem, divorce litigation, DTL v GB, expert bias, family advocate report, family law South Africa, forensic psychologist mandate, Gauteng High Court Johannesburg, hired gun expert, interim care and contact, parental alienation, parental rights and responsibilities, pendente lite order, primary care, primary residence, Rule 43 variation, Rule 43(6), Rule 67A(3), scale C costs, self-help, sheriff enforcement, unlawful retention of a child, Urgent Application Self-Help Never Pays: Unlawful Retention of a Child and the Limits of Rule 43(6) — L.C.E v C.E (2026/226362) [2026] ZAGPJHC 1070 (29 September 2026). Neutral Citation: E v E (2026-226362) ZAGPJHC --- (29 September 2026) The Facts: A Four-Year-Old Caught in the Crossfire of a Brutal Divorce The parties in L.C.E v C.E (2026/226362)… READ MORE
19/09/2026 Bertus Preller Best Interests of the Child, Children, Children's Act, Children's matters South Africa, National Code, Player Status Regulations, Players' Agents Regulations, Rugby agents, Rugby bursaries, Rugby poaching, Rugby regulations, Rugby scouts, School rugby governance, School rugby recruitment, School sport law, Schoolboy Rugby South Africa, Schoolboy rugby transfers, Schools, Section 28 Constitution, South African Schools Act 80 per cent rule, best interests of the child, child protection in sport, children's act, Craven Week, FIFA compensation model, first XV, independent schools, John Smit, KwaZulu-Natal Headmasters' Agreement, National Code, Player Status Regulations, Players' Agents Regulations, Pridwin, rugby agents, rugby bursaries, rugby poaching, rugby scouts, SA Rugby regulations, school rugby governance, school rugby recruitment, school sport law, schoolboy rugby, schoolboy rugby transfers, Section 28(2), South African Schools Act, under-18 players, Western Province poaching resolution, World Rugby regulations Bought, Not Built: the South African schoolboy rugby market has no rules, and the law of children already has them. The Market in Schoolboy Rugby Players in South Africa: the Law, the Rules, and How the Movement of Children Should Be Governed is a research paper of nearly a hundred… READ MORE
23/07/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Cohabitation, Costs, Divorce, Financial non-disclosure, Interim Maintenance, Maintenance, Non-disclosure consequences, Procedural Law, Rule 43, Rule 43 Applications, Rule 43 Contempt, Rule 43 orders, Spousal Maintenance ability to pay, best interests of the child, child maintenance, Divorce Law, divorce proceedings, earning capacity, family law judgment, financial disclosure, financial non-disclosure, full and frank disclosure, H.L v B.L, inflated expenses, interim maintenance, interim relief, legal costs contribution, maintenance claim, Maintenance Order, maintenance pendente lite, marital standard of living, Minor Children, Njokweni J, Rule 43, Rule 43 Application, South African case law, South African Family Law, spousal maintenance, uberrima fides, Western Cape divorce, Western Cape High Court Candour, Children and the Limits of Interim Maintenance: H.L v B.L (2025/216979) [2026] ZAWCHC 350 (13 July 2026). The factual background and the parties’ competing claims In H.L v B.L (2025/216979) ZAWCHC 350 (13 July 2026), the Western Cape High Court was required to determine an application for… READ MORE
26/05/2026 Bertus Preller Best Interests of the Child, Children, Children's Court, Custody, Economic precarity, Family Advocate, Jurisdiction of convenience, Ordinary residence of child, Primary residence dispute, Psychological vulnerability, Relocation, Section 28 Constitution, Section 29 Children's Act, Unilateral relocation best interests of the child, BLFM v GJM, child relocation Eastern Cape, Contact rights, Coopers v Deutsche Gesellschaft, custody and care, economic precarity, expert evidence family law, Family Advocate recommendation, family law South Africa, FS v JJ, Gauteng Division Johannesburg, High Court jurisdiction children, JS v WF, judicial discretion best interests, jurisdiction of convenience, MV Pasquale Della Gatta, NAN v CN, ordinary residence of child, parental rights and responsibilities, primary residence dispute, psychological vulnerability, relocation dispute, section 20 Children's Act, section 21 Children's Act, section 28(2) Constitution, Section 29 Children's Act, SH v MLH, Wilson J judgment Jurisdiction Is Not a Border Post: Section 29 of the Children’s Act Reconsidered in H.M.M v D.M (2025/140422) [2026] ZAGPJHC 506 (19 May 2026). The Facts: A Relocation, an Expert Report, and a Jurisdictional Challenge The applicant, HMM, and the respondent, DM, were in a relationship for seven years and lived together for much… READ MORE
25/04/2026 Bertus Preller Attorney and client costs, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Children's Court, constitutional rights of children, Contempt of Court, Costs de bonis propriis, Family Advocate, Lawyer-client alignment, Punitive costs orders activist intervention family law, attorney professional conduct, attorney withdrawal, best interests of the child, child care and contact, child custody disputes, Constitution section 1(c), contempt of court, costs de bonis propriis, Court Order Compliance, Fakie contempt, Family Advocate, family law South Africa, High Court contempt proceedings, High Court parenting disputes, lay assistant family law, Legal Practice Council referral, M.N v J.E, parental responsibilities and rights, parenting litigation, Rule of Law, S v Beyer, social workers, suspended fine, suspended imprisonment, unauthorised legal assistance, Uniform Rule 16(4), urgent child return order, ZAWCHC 189 When Activism Crosses the Line: Contempt, Child Welfare and Attorney Accountability in M.N v J.E and Another (2025/221659) [2026] ZAWCHC 189 (20 April 2026). The Facts: A Child Removed from the Father’s Care, an Urgent Return Order, and the Contempt Sequel In M.N v J.E and Another (2025/221659) ZAWCHC 189 (20 April 2026), Pangarker… READ MORE
30/03/2026 Bertus Preller Amputation minor child, Best interests of child short-term, Best Interests of the Child, Children, constitutional rights of children, Medical treatment minor child, Religious beliefs parental refusal, Section 129(9) Children's Act, Surgical intervention minor child, Traditional healing consent amputation minor child, best interests of the child, children's constitutional rights, Children’s Act 38 of 2005, Family Advocate memorandum, Hay v B, Life Health Care Group v JMS, locus standi hospital, medical treatment minor child, medically accepted alternative, meningococcal septicaemia, National Health Act 61 of 2003, Pangarker J, parental consent minor child, parental rights versus child's rights, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, religious beliefs parental refusal, section 129 Children's Act, section 129(10) Children's Act, section 129(6) Children's Act, section 129(9) Children's Act, section 28(2) Constitution, section 36 Constitution limitation of rights, surgical intervention minor child, traditional healing consent, upper guardian High Court, urgent application minor child, Western Cape High Court, ZAWCHC 150 When Faith Meets the Scalpel: How the Western Cape High Court Stepped In to Save a Six-Year-Old’s Life — Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital v MD and Another (2026/049305) [2026] ZAWCHC 150 (27 March 2026). The Facts: A Six-Year-Old, Gangrenous Feet and a Family's Unyielding Faith On 19 January 2026, a six-year-old girl, referred to as AD to protect her identity, was admitted to the… READ MORE
16/03/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Appeal, Arrear Maintenace, Arrear Maintenance, Arrear maintenance claims, Best Interests of the Child, Child Maintenance, Children, Divorce, Duty to maintain, Interim Maintenance, Interlocutory applications, Irregular proceedings, Leave to appeal Superior Courts Act, Maintenance, Maintenance Court, Parental Rights, Pendente Lite, Procedural Law, Punitive costs orders, Rule 43, Rule 43 Appeal, Rule 43 Applications, Rule 43 orders, Rule 58, Spousal Maintenance, Stepparents, Variation Rule 43(6) accrual system, appealability, blended families, common law development, Divorce, divorce proceedings, duty of support, Family Law, Govindjee AJA, interests of justice, interim maintenance, interim relief, jurisdictional threshold, maintenance pendente lite, non-appealability, out of community of property, piecemeal appeals, Rule 43, Rule 43(6), SCA, section 16(3), section 173 Constitution, South African divorce law, statutory bar, stepchildren, stepparent maintenance, Superior Courts Act, Supreme Court of Appeal, Western Cape High Court Blended Families, Bitter Disputes and a Blocked Appeal: The SCA Draws the Line on Rule 43 Appealability in B.E v N.T and Others (505/2025) [2026] ZASCA 25 (11 March 2026). The Facts: A Blended Family, a Breakdown, and a Battle Over Stepchildren's Maintenance BE and NT married on 27 April 2018, out of community of property subject to the accrual… READ MORE