02/04/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Children, Costs, Divorce, Financial non-disclosure, Maintenance, Non-disclosure consequences, Punitive costs orders, Rule 43, Rule 43 Applications, Rule 43 Cost Contributions, Rule 43 orders, Spousal Maintenance, Variation Rule 43(6) 2-2-3 contact schedule, care and contact, child maintenance, costs contribution, divorce costs, divorce proceedings, Fairways Business Trust, Family Advocate, family trust, financial non-disclosure, forensic auditor, Genius Academy, interim maintenance, legal costs contribution, material change of circumstances, matrimonial property, medical aid maintenance, minor child, patriarchal misdirection, pende lite maintenance, right of first refusal, Rule 43, Rule 43(6), social worker report, South African Family Law, spousal maintenance, sworn valuator, Thembalethu High Court, VW Touareg When Opacity Meets Obligation: Spousal Maintenance, Financial Non-Disclosure and the Limits of Rule 43 — J.V.D.B v O.V.D.B (234/25) [2026] ZAWCHC 136 (23 March 2026). The Facts and Background to the Rule 43(6) Application The matter of J.V.D.B v O.V.D.B (234/25) ZAWCHC 136 (23 March 2026) came before Thulare J in the High Court of… 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
06/03/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Divorce, Duty to court, Duty to maintain, Financial non-disclosure, Interim Maintenance, Maintenance, Non-disclosure consequences, Rule 43, Rule 43 Applications, Rule 43 orders, Spousal Maintenance, Trusts, Trusts, Variation Rule 43(6) Pleading Poverty While Plundering the Pot: The Courts Draw a Hard Line on Rule 43(6) Abuse — C V S v S V S (18688/2022) [2026] ZAWCHC 30 (16 February 2026). The Facts: A Pattern of Non-Disclosure and Deliberate Financial Engineering In C V S v S V S (18688/2022) ZAWCHC 30 (16 February 2026), Holderness J was confronted with what… READ MORE
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
08/08/2025 Bertus Preller Arrear Maintenance, Arrear Maintenance Variation, Arrears, Contempt of Court, Costs, Divorce, Interim Maintenance, International Divorce, Maintenance, Medical incapacity, Procedure, Punitive Cost Orders, Rule 43, Rule 43 Contempt, Rule 43 Cost Contributions, Rule 43 orders, Rule 58, Variation Rule 43(6) attachment of assets, contempt of court, cross-border maintenance, currency considerations, disability pension, divorce proceedings, enforcement mechanisms, foreign curatorship, international family law, Lekhuleni JD, maintenance arrears, maintenance enforcement, maintenance obligations, medical incapacity, party and party costs, Pendente Lite, Rule 43 orders, Rule 43(6) variation, skiing accident, spousal maintenance, stroke defence, Swiss curatorship, Swiss francs, Trust assets, warrants of execution, Western Cape High Court, wilful contempt When Strokes Don’t Stop Support: Medical Incapacity Fails as Maintenance Defence in NLD v ML (Case No 5785/22) [2025] ZAWCHC 337 (6 August 2025). Factual Matrix: When Medical Incapacity Meets Maintenance Obligations The parties in this matter, heard before Lekhuleni J, were married in Switzerland on 23 June 2000, with their marriage remaining subsisting… READ MORE
31/07/2025 Bertus Preller Accomodation, Financial Disclosure, Maintenance, Procedure, Rule 43, Rule 43 Cost Contributions, Rule 58, Variation Rule 43(6) child custody interim, child support interim, contempt of court, custody arrangements, divorce attorneys, divorce legal costs, divorce litigation, divorce mediation, divorce proceedings, divorce South Africa, family court procedures, family law South Africa, Family Lawyers, High Court rules, interim maintenance, interim orders, interim relief applications, Legal Separation, maintenance court, maintenance enforcement, maintenance variation, marital dissolution, matrimonial law, matrimonial relief, Pendente Lite, Rule 43, separation maintenance, spousal maintenance, spousal support, temporary alimony Rule 43 Explained: The Complete Guide to Interim Divorce Relief and Maintenance in South Africa. Legal Framework and Purpose of Rule 43 Rule 43 of the Uniform Rules of Court provides an expeditious mechanism for interim relief in matrimonial matters pending the finalisation of a… READ MORE
29/06/2025 Bertus Preller Abuse of Process, Alienation, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Children's Court, Costs, Divorce, Family Advocate, Joint Decision Making, Maintenance, Parental Alienation, Parental Rights, Rule 43, Rule 43 Cost Contributions, Spousal Maintenance, Variation Rule 43(6) B.P.M v J.L.M, best interests of the child, child contact, co-parenting, Colman v Colman, Contact rights, custody variation, divorce litigation, Du Preez v Du Preez, Family Advocate, family advocate report, family law South Africa, forensic psychologist, High Court Limpopo, interim maintenance, Mangena AJ, parental alienation, parenting plans, PAS, Rule 43 Application, Rule 43(6), shared residency, Soller v G, South African divorce law, spousal maintenance, spousal support South Africa, Variation Application, Visser v Visser, ZALMPPHC 96 Parental Alienation, Prolixity and the Best Interests Principle in B.P.M v J.L.M (1909/2024) [2025] ZALMPPHC 96 (13 May 2025). Background and Factual Matrix of the Rule 43(6) Dispute The matter before the court in B.P.M v J.L.M (1909/2024) ZALMPPHC 96 (13 May 2025) concerned a Rule 43(6) application brought… READ MORE
12/06/2025 Bertus Preller Costs, Divorce, Financial Disclosure, Rule 43, Rule 43 Cost Contributions, Rule 58, Spousal Maintenance, Variation Rule 43(6) Access to Justice, accrual system, banking statements, business interests, close corporation income, costs orders, court discretion, credit facilities, Divorce Act, divorce costs, divorce proceedings, evidence requirements, Family Law, financial disclosure, financial means assessment, High Court Judgment, inadequate disclosure, interlocutory applications, legal contribution, legal costs contribution, legal representation funding, litigation funding, material change circumstances, matrimonial law, matrimonial litigation, patrimonial benefits, Property Valuation, Rule 43 applications, spousal maintenance, uniform rules court Rule 43 Applications Dismissed: Financial Disclosure Failures Sink Litigation Funding Bid in J VW v P C VW (EL 514/2025) [2025] ZAECELLC 8 (27 May 2025). The Facts The parties were involved in a divorce action with patrimonial benefits and the accrual system being central issues. Before the court was an application for a further contribution… READ MORE
31/01/2025 Bertus Preller Alimony, Best Interests of the Child, Child Maintenance, Children, Divorce, Financial Disclosure, Interim Maintenance, Maintenance, Procedural Law, Rule 43, Rule 43 Cost Contributions, Rule 58, Spousal Maintenance, Variation, Variation Rule 43(6) best interests of the child maintenance, burden of proof maintenance, child maintenance law, cohabitation and maintenance, constitutional rights in maintenance, court reasoning in maintenance cases, ex-spouse financial obligations, family law court precedents, financial disclosure in divorce, financial hardship maintenance claims, interim maintenance orders, interim relief family law, KLW v CSW 2025, legal challenges in maintenance reduction, legal precedent in family law, maintenance case law, maintenance disputes South Africa, maintenance law developments, maintenance obligations in divorce, maintenance variation case, Rule 43 South Africa, Rule 43(6) application, Rule 43(6) maintenance, Rule 43(6) precedents, South African divorce maintenance, South African Family Law, spousal maintenance disputes, variation of maintenance orders Legal Uncertainty in KLW v CSW (202035177) [2025] ZAGPJHC 41 (22 January 2025): A Reassessment of Rule 43(6) and Maintenance Variation in South African Law. Introduction The judgment in KLW v CSW (202035177) ZAGPJHC 41 raises important questions regarding the application of Rule 43(6) of the Uniform Rules of Court and the judicial approach to… READ MORE
07/12/2024 Bertus Preller Accomodation, Alimony, Arrear Maintenance Variation, Arrears, Children, Divorce, Interim Maintenance, Maintenance, Rule 43, Spousal Maintenance, Variation Rule 43(6) children's rights, constitutional protection, court order variation, custody rights, divorce proceedings, family accommodation, Family Law, financial protection, High Court Judgment, interim relief, judicial precedent, legal precedent, Lekhuleni J, maintenance arrears, maintenance default, matrimonial home, matrimonial property, Minor Children, parental obligations, property rights, Property Transfer, rental accommodation, Rule 43 variation, shelter protection, shelter rights, South African courts, spousal maintenance, unilateral property sale, upper guardian, Western Cape High Court Selling the Family Home? Court Protects Children’s Rights to Shelter in Ruling: MSH v JSH (Reasons) (618/2019) [2024] ZAWCHC 406 (29 November 2024). Background: The Sale of the Matrimonial Home and Rule 43 Variation In a recent Western Cape High Court decision, M.S.H v J.S.H (Reasons) (618/2019) ZAWCHC 406 (29 November 2024), the… READ MORE