20/03/2026 Bertus Preller Civil Unions, Customary Law, Customary marriage dissolution, Customary marriage requirements, Declining Marriage Rate South Africa 2026, Declining Marriage Rate South Africa 2026, Mariages, Marriage, Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998 civil marriages South Africa, civil union trends South Africa, civil unions South Africa, customary marriage trends South Africa, customary marriages South Africa, December weddings South Africa, Department of Home Affairs marriages, family law South Africa, first marriage age South Africa, formal unions South Africa, Gauteng marriage statistics, KwaZulu-Natal marriage trends, later marriages South Africa, marriage analysis South Africa, marriage by province South Africa, marriage decline South Africa, marriage demographics South Africa, marriage rate South Africa 2024, marriage registration trends South Africa, marriage seasonality South Africa, marriage trends South Africa, Marriages and Divorces 2024, South Africa marriage registration, South Africa marriage statistics released 19 March 2026, South Africa marriage trends 2024, South Africa wedding statistics, South African marriage report 2026, Stats SA marriage statistics, Western Cape marriage statistics South Africa Marriage Trends 2024, Released on 19 March 2026: Fewer Weddings, Later Marriages and the Changing Shape of Formal Unions. Released on 19 March 2026: fewer marriages, later marriages, and a more differentiated formal union system. Prepared from Official Statistics South Africa data contained in Marriages and Divorces, 2024.Source note… READ MORE
20/03/2026 Bertus Preller Children, Divorce, Divorce Statistics, Marriage Statistics South Africa children affected by divorce South Africa, crude divorce rate South Africa, divorce analysis South Africa, divorce and children South Africa, divorce by population group South Africa, divorce litigation trends South Africa, divorce rate South Africa 2024, divorce statistics article South Africa, divorce trends South Africa, family law South Africa, family law trends South Africa, first marriages divorce South Africa, formal divorce statistics South Africa, Gauteng divorce statistics, KwaZulu-Natal divorce statistics, marriage duration divorce South Africa, Marriages and Divorces 2024, median age at divorce South Africa, rise in divorces South Africa, South Africa divorce statistics 2024, South Africa divorce statistics released 19 March 2026, South African court divorces, South African divorce report 2026, South African family breakdown, Stats SA divorce statistics, Stats SA marriages and divorces 2024, Western Cape divorce statistics, who files for divorce South Africa, wives initiate divorce South Africa South Africa’s 2024 divorce statistics, released on 19 March 2026: what changed, what matters, and what the numbers really show. This article explains the key features of Statistics South Africa’s latest divorce release, highlights the most important movements from 2023 to 2024, and places the published figures in their wider… 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
09/03/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Cohabitation, Cohabitation, Cohabitation trends, Interim Maintenance, Interim Maintenance Cohabitation, Life Partnerships, Maintenance, Rule 43 orders, Unmarried Maintenance ancillary jurisdiction peregrinus, balance of convenience maintenance, Bwanya Constitutional Court, cohabitation legal rights South Africa, cohabitation maintenance South Africa, common law development life partnership, Da Silva Salie J, duty of support life partners, EW v VH minority judgment, family law South Africa 2026, interim maintenance, interim relief life partnership, irreparable harm life partner, life partner financial protection, life partnership maintenance South Africa, P.A.L v R.J.T, permanent life partnership, permanent opposite-sex life partnership, prima facie right maintenance, Rule 43 unmarried partners, Rule 6(5)(d)(iii) answering affidavit, section 10 dignity, section 39(2) Constitution, section 9 equality, unmarried life partner, Volks v Robinson life partnership, Western Cape High Court family law, Wille J minority judgment, ZAWCHC 99 2026 Breaking New Ground: South Africa’s First Interim Maintenance Award to an Unmarried Life Partner — P.A.L v R.J.T (17492/2023) [2026] ZAWCHC 99 (4 March 2026). The Facts: An Unmarried Partner Seeks Interim Maintenance P.A.L v R.J.T (17492/2023) ZAWCHC 99 (4 March 2026) came before Da Silva Salie J in the Western Cape Division of the… 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
01/03/2026 Bertus Preller Appeal, Arrear maintenance claims, Arrear Maintenance Variation, Child Maintenance, Children, Contempt of court maintenance, Duty to maintain, Maintenance, Maintenance Act 99 of 1998, Maintenance Calculator, Maintenance Calculator, Maintenance Court, Maintenance Court, Maintenance order enforcement, Noting a maintenance appeal, Regulation 15 maintenance appeal, Section 15 Maintenance Act, Section 25 maintenance appeal, Technology in Law appellate interference maintenance, calendar days versus court days, Cape Town maintenance court, child maintenance South Africa, CPI escalation maintenance, Douglas v Douglas, duty to maintain children, education price index, household expense apportionment, Interpretation Act 33 of 1957, Magistrates' Court Rules, Maintenance Act 99 of 1998, maintenance appeal, maintenance appeal time limits, maintenance court, maintenance enquiry, maintenance formula, Maintenance Order, medical costs maintenance order, Mentz v Simpson, noting a maintenance appeal, pro rata maintenance calculation, reasonable maintenance expenses, Regulation 15 maintenance appeal, school fees maintenance, section 15 Maintenance Act, section 25 maintenance appeal, unrepresented litigant maintenance, Western Cape High Court Maintenance Appeals Unpacked: Timing, Calculations and the Separation of Costs — T.M-S v I.N (Appeal) (A31/2025) [2026] ZAWCHC 72 (19 February 2026). The Facts: A Maintenance Enquiry Gone Awry The matter of T.M-S v I.N (Appeal) (A31/2025) ZAWCHC 72 (19 February 2026) came before Pangarker J and Davis AJ in the Western… READ MORE
04/02/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Costs, Family Advocate, Interim Maintenance, Maintenance, Mediation, Non-disclosure consequences, Pendente Lite, Rule 43, Rule 43 Applications, Rule 43 orders, Spousal Maintenance, Uberrimae fidei matrimonial proceedings, Uniform Form Rules of Court adverse costs orders family law, clean hands doctrine, contribution to legal costs, contribution towards costs requirements, custody and contact disputes, Du Preez v Du Preez, duty of disclosure in divorce, duty of support spouses, equitable relief divorce, false affidavits maintenance, Family Advocate role, family law dishonesty, financial disclosure matrimonial proceedings, interim maintenance South Africa, maintenance court jurisdiction, matrimonial property disputes, Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act, non-disclosure consequences, Office of Family Advocate, perjury in divorce proceedings, prima facie case legal costs, Rule 43 applications, Rule 43 costs orders, Rule 43(5) discretion, South African divorce law, spousal maintenance pendente lite, uberrimae fidei matrimonial proceedings, Uniform Rules of Court Rule 43, Van Rippen v Van Rippen When Clean Hands Matter: The Fatal Cost of Non-Disclosure in Rule 43 Applications – S.J. J v M.M. J (2025/056214) [2026] ZAGPJHC 57 (2 February 2026). Factual Matrix: A Rule 43 Application Gone Wrong The parties married on 13 October 2012 in Johannesburg, out of community of property with the accrual system. Two minor children were… READ MORE
27/01/2026 Bertus Preller Adultery, Divorce, Exceptional circumstances separation, In Community of Property, Infidelity, Liquidator, Liquidator, Receiver Divorce, Separation Applications, Separation of issues, Trusts, Trusts accrual system, conceptual separability, convenience test, De Wet NO v Jurgens, divorce litigation, divorce proceedings, divorce South Africa, Estate Sayle, family law South Africa, Gillespie v Gillespie, interim maintenance, joint estate division, marriage in community of property, matrimonial property law, Matrimonial Property Regime, NK v KM, receiver and liquidator, separation of issues, strike date, T.S.Y v L.E.Y, TD v LD, trust assets joint estate, undivided share, Wilson J, ZAGPJHC 34 You Can’t Have Your Divorce and Keep the Estate Too: T.S.Y v L.E.Y (2022/3952) [2026] ZAGPJHC 34 (26 January 2026) on the Inseparability of Divorce and Asset Division in Marriages in Community of Property. The Factual Matrix: A Long-Separated Couple and the Quest for a "Clean" Divorce The applicant, TSY, and the respondent, LEY, married in community of property on 27 July 1989. The… READ MORE
22/01/2026 Bertus Preller Antenuptial Contracts, Antenuptial Contracts, Black Coffee, Black women property rights, Constitutional Court customary law, Constitutional law, Customary Law, Customary marriage dissolution, Customary marriage requirements, Customary Marriages, Divorce, Divorce summons South Africa, EB v ER Constitutional Court, In Community of Property, matrimonial asset division, Matrimonial Properties Act, Matrimonial property forfeiture, Out of community of property, Procedural Law, Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998, Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, Section 8 RCMA, Section 10(2) Antenuptial Contracts, black women property rights, civil marriages, community of property, Constitutional Court judgment, constitutional invalidity, creditor protection, customary law, customary marriages, Deeds Registries Act, dissenting judgment, family law South Africa, Gumede case, joint estate, judicial oversight, Majiedt J, marriage conversion, Matrimonial Property Act 88 of 1984, Matrimonial Property Regime, out of community of property, postnuptial contracts, Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998, Rogers J, section 10(2), section 21 MPA, section 25 Constitution, section 7(2) Recognition Act, section 9 Constitution, spousal property rights, VVC v JRM The Antenuptial Contract Controversy: VVC v JRM and Others [2026] ZACC 2 (21 January 2026) and the Constitutional Court’s Divided Stance on Customary-to-Civil Marriage Conversions. Factual Matrix: From Customary Union to Civil Marriage and the Antenuptial Contract Conundrum The applicant, VVC, and the first respondent, JRM, entered into a customary marriage on 5 August 2011.… READ MORE
20/01/2026 Bertus Preller Accrual Calculation, Accrual Calculator, Accrual claims, Accrual system, Alimony, Asset Disclosure, Costs, Divorce, Exceptional circumstances separation, Financial Disclosure, Interim Maintenance, Maintenance Calculator, Maintenance Calculator, matrimonial asset division, Matrimonial Properties Act, Rule 43, Rule 43 Applications, Rule 43 orders, section 10 MPA, Separation Applications, Separation of issues, Spousal Maintenance accrual system divorce proceedings, antenuptial contract accrual system, balance of convenience separation, bifurcated divorce proceedings, cost of separation applications, Denel v Vorster separation principles, divorce accrual claim, exceptional circumstances separation, expeditious disposal litigation, financially vulnerable spouse, formal tenders divorce, full disclosure matrimonial assets, Maintenance of Surviving Spouses Act, maintenance security life policy, matrimonial property act section 7, matrimonial property disclosure duties, post-divorce maintenance uncertainty, prejudice to respondent spouse, procedural protection vulnerable spouse, Rule 33(4) separation of issues, Rule 43 interim relief, section 10 MPA deferred payment, section 4(2) divorce act, South African divorce law 2026, spousal maintenance claim, strike date accrual calculation, upfront payment accrual, Western Cape High Court family law, Wille J divorce judgment Why Formal Tenders Matter: Separation Refused Without Security for Vulnerable Spouse in AMG and Another v TSG (2025/057077) [2026] ZAWCHC 6 (19 January 2026). Factual Matrix: A Marriage Breakdown Complicated by Accrual and Maintenance Claims The matter before Wille, J concerned a marriage of over three decades that had irretrievably broken down, but in… READ MORE