09/10/2026 Bertus Preller Absence of a party, Contempt of Court, Divorce, Ex parte application, Fraud, non-disclosure, Maintenance, Maintenance Act 99 of 1998, Maintenance Court, Procedural Law, Reconsideration application, Rescission, common law rescission, Rule 42(1)(a), Schlesinger v Schlesinger, Self-created urgency, Urgency, Urgent applications, Urgent divorce applications, Zuma v Secretary Judicial Commission absence of a party, common law rescission, contempt of court, divorce consent paper, East Rock Trading, ex parte application, finality of judgments, fraud, Greig AJ, Luna Meubel, Madavanhu, Maintenance Act 99 of 1998, maintenance arrears, non-disclosure, periodical imprisonment, Rainbow Farms, reconsideration application, rescission, Rule 41A mediation, Rule 42(1)(a), Rule 6(12)(c), Schlesinger v Schlesinger, section 10 enquiry, Self-Created Urgency, spousal maintenance, Urgent Application, Western Cape High Court, writ of commitment, Zuma v Secretary Judicial Commission When Both Sides Lose: “Absence”, Self-Created Urgency and a Decade of Maintenance Litigation: E.H v J.C.J.V.D (19849/2022) [2026] ZAWCHC 576 (2 October 2026). A Decade of Enforcement and a Friday Evening Hearing The judgment in E.H v J.C.J.V.D (19849/2022) ZAWCHC 576 (2 October 2026), delivered by Greig AJ in the Western Cape Division,… 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
25/08/2025 Bertus Preller Children, High Court exclusive jurisdiction, Interdict, Leave to appeal Superior Courts Act, Lis alibi pendens family law, Procedural Law, Procedure, Relocation, Urgency, Urgent applications appellate review discretion, best interests child principle, child relocation South Africa, Children's Court powers, Children’s Act 38 of 2005, compelling reasons appeal, constitutional children's rights, cross-border child disputes, custody relocation assessment, expert assessment relocation, family law jurisdiction, final interdict requirements, High Court exclusive jurisdiction, international child removal, leave to appeal Superior Courts Act, lis alibi pendens family law, non-joinder expert witness, parental cooperation relocation, reasonable prospects success, section 17 Superior Courts Act, Section 28 Constitution, statutory interpretation children's legislation, upper guardian role, urgency child matters, Western Cape High Court High Court Jurisdiction Over Child Relocation Upheld: N.T.R-F v J.A.L (Leave to Appeal) (2025/076576) [2025] ZAWCHC 377 (18 August 2025) – Expert Assessment Requirements and Appellate Prospects. Factual Matrix: Relocation Assessment and Parental Cooperation in Cross-Border Child Relocation The factual foundation of this Western Cape High Court decision reveals the complex procedural and substantive challenges inherent in… READ MORE
14/08/2025 Bertus Preller Divorce order enforcement, Divorce settlement defects, Litis contestatio, Procedure, Rescission applications, Rescission applications, Settlement agreement interpretation, Settlement agreement variation, Settlement agreements, Urgency, Urgent applications, Validity Divorce Settlement Agreement Alienation of Land Act, bond approval, breach letters, Case Law Analysis, Co-ownership, Consent Papers, conveyancing, divorce order enforcement, estate agents, Family Law, forum selection, High Court jurisdiction, judicial comity, litis contestatio, marital property disputes, matrimonial property, Powers of Attorney, property transfer disputes, Regional Court jurisdiction, rescission applications, Rule 6(12), sale agreements, sectional title, Self-Created Urgency, South African property law, urgent applications, urgent motion proceedings, void ab initio, Western Cape High Court Self-Created Urgency and Invalid Property Agreements: Key Lessons from SPR v NV (2025/119985) [2025] ZAWCHC 346 (13 August 2025). Factual Matrix: Divorce Order Enforcement and Property Transfer Disputes The matter concerned the enforcement of a Regional Court divorce order incorporating a consent paper, where former spouses held immovable property… READ MORE
29/06/2025 Bertus Preller Divorce, Procedural Law, Recission of Divorce Orders, Urgency costs in urgent divorce application, curator ad litem, divorce settlement dispute, E.E v T.C.E, East Rock Trading case, Family Advocate investigation, family advocate report, family law procedure, fraud in divorce proceedings, Gauteng Division Pretoria, Lindeque v Hirsch case, minor children divorce court, non-disclosure in divorce, non-joinder, Pretoria High Court, procedural fairness, rescinding divorce agreement, rescission of divorce order, rescission under common law, SARS v Hawker Air Services, South African Family Law, Uniform Rules of Court, urgency in divorce, urgent child residency change, urgent divorce application, urgent High Court application, urgent motion divorce, urgent rescission case, ZAGPPHC 492 Urgency Dismissed: Lessons from E.E v T.C.E (113234/23) [2025] ZAGPPHC 492 (16 May 2025) on Rescission, Disclosure and Children’s Rights in Divorce Proceedings. The Factual Matrix: A Mother’s Urgent Attempt to Set Aside a Divorce Settlement Agreement This case arose from an urgent application brought by the applicant, E.E, who sought to have… READ MORE
28/06/2025 Bertus Preller Actio communi dividundo, Customary Law, Customary Marriages, Divorce, In Community of Property, Marriage, Urgency actio communi dividundo, balance convenience equity, co-ownership disputes, community of property marriage, compelling spouse sell property, creditor action property, customary marriage property rights, divorce proceedings pending, foreclosure prevention, irreparable harm property, Johannesburg High Court, joint estate protection, lis pendens matrimonial matters, matrimonial deadlock, Matrimonial Property Act, matrimonial property disputes, minor children interests, property law South Africa, property sale court order, recognition customary marriage act, section 16 matrimonial property act, self representation matrimonial disputes, sheriff authorisation documents, South African Family Law, spousal consent immovable property, trust arrangements divorce proceedings, unreasonable withholding consent, urgency property matters When One Spouse Won’t Sell: Court Compels Property Sale to Prevent Foreclosure in I.M.R v N.M.D (2024/014513) [2025] ZAGPJHC (5 May 2025). Background: A Customary Marriage in Crisis and Property Under Threat The case of I.M.R v N.M.D presents a stark illustration of how matrimonial breakdown can threaten jointly owned property, particularly… READ MORE
09/09/2024 Bertus Preller Arrears, Children, Contempt of Court, Divorce, Maintenance, Procedural Law, Procedure, Punitive Cost Orders, Recission of Divorce Orders, Settlement agreements, Urgency attorney-client costs, best interests of the child, child adoption, consent paper, court order, custody, Divorce, Family Law, High Court, mental capacity, Parental Rights, punitive costs, rescission, settlement agreement, South African Law Mental Capacity and Punitive Costs: The Cautionary Tale of C.H v A.C and Others (13612/2024) [2024] ZAWCHC 245. (4 September 2024) Background: A Tumultuous Divorce and Custody Battle The case of C.H v A.C and Others (13612/2024) ZAWCHC 245 unfolds against a backdrop of protracted legal skirmishes following the breakdown of… READ MORE
21/08/2024 Bertus Preller Adversarial Legal System, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Costs, Family Law Court System South Africa, Joint Decision Making, Parental Coordinator, Schools, Urgency Alternative Dispute Resolution, attorney-client scale, best interests of the child, Child Custody, co-parenting, communication skills, costs order, facilitative mediation, Family Advocate, legal precedent, Mediation, parenting coordinator, Rule 41A, school choice, Self-Created Urgency, South African Family Law, Uniform Rules of Court, urgent court application, Western Cape High Court Urgent Co-Parenting Battles: A Lesson in Patience from D.D v I.L and Another (16939/2024) [2024] ZAWCHC 215 (20 August 2024). Background: A Preschool Predicament In the Western Cape High Court case of D.D v I.L and Another (16939/2024) ZAWCHC 215 (20 August 2024), we encounter a poignant example of how… READ MORE
13/08/2024 Bertus Preller Best Interests of the Child, Children, Family Law Court System South Africa, Grandparents Rights, Mediation, Parental Rights, Procedural Law, Urgency, Views of the Child Alternative Dispute Resolution, bereavement, best interests of the child, child access, Child Custody, child law, child welfare, children's act, Court Procedures, extended family rights, Family Court, family disputes, Family Law, family relationships, grandparents' rights, Judicial Discretion, legal delay, legal precedent, Legal Procedures, legal urgency, Mediation, parental death, procedural requirements, Self-Created Urgency, South African Law, Urgent Application, urgent court roll, Western Cape High Court Urgency Dismissed in Grandparents’ Access Case: E.S and Others v P.S and Another (16138/24) [2024] ZAWCHC 201 (12 August 2024). Background: A Family's Struggle for Contact After Tragedy In the heart-wrenching case of E.S and Others v P.S and Another (16138/24) ZAWCHC 201 (12 August 2024), the Western Cape High… READ MORE
21/05/2024 Bertus Preller Best Interests of the Child, Children, Parental Rights, Procedure, Relocation, Schooling, Urgency, Views of the Child best interests of the child, child contact, child welfare, children's act, court order, court procedure, Divorce, East Rock Trading, Family Advocate, Family Law, Grootboom case, High Court, Johannesburg, judicial oversight, Legal Framework, legal principles, Mediation, Parental Rights, Procedural Compliance, procedural rules, relocation disputes, settlement agreement, shared custody, Uniform Rule 6(12), urgency test, urgent child relocation, Western Cape, ZAWCHC E.L.B v A.V.M (7521/24) [2024] ZAWCHC 132: Implications for Urgent Child Relocation Applications. Background and Context of E.L.B v A.V.M (7521/24) ZAWCHC 132 The Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa was tasked with resolving a highly contentious and urgent… READ MORE