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
27/07/2025 Bertus Preller Children, Inter-provincial custody, Parental Rights, Procedural Law, Relocation, Section 16(3) Superior Courts Act, Unilateral relocation appellate jurisdiction family law, best interests of child, care and contact arrangements, child custody disputes, child relocation law, co-parenting disputes, constitutional law children, curator ad litem, custody appeals, educational stability custody, expert evidence family law, Family Advocate, family law appeals, family law South Africa, high conflict parents, inter-provincial custody, interim custody orders, interim orders appealability, matrimonial proceedings, parental responsibilities and rights, parenting coordinators, play therapy children, section 16(3) Superior Courts Act, Section 28 Constitution, shared residence arrangements, therapeutic intervention custody, unilateral relocation, Western Cape High Court Unilateral Relocation and Shared Custody: Lessons from M.D.P v W.T.P and Another (Appeal) (A139/2024) [2025] ZAWCHC 300 (17 July 2025). Factual Matrix: Unilateral Relocation and the Breakdown of Co-Parenting The dispute in this matter arose from a sequence of events that illustrates the profound consequences of unilateral decision-making in family… READ MORE
15/06/2025 Bertus Preller Best Interests of the Child, Children, Children's Court, Costs, Holiday Travel, Parental Rights, Procedure, Reunification, Temporary Safe Care AC Cilliers Law of Costs, best interests principle, biological father access, child access rights, child custody disputes, children's court authority, Children’s Act 38 of 2005, Christmas access disputes, costs in family matters, D.G.S.F v M.F case, emotional psychological problems children, family law South Africa, foster care arrangements, Free State High Court, gradual reunification, High Court jurisdiction, leave of absence children, legal costs children matters, magistrate's court jurisdiction, procedural failures, reunification process, section 168 Children's Act, section 187 Children's Act, section 46 Children's Act, social worker reports, temporary safe care, upper guardianship powers, urgent applications, Van Zyl J Father’s Festive Season Bid Fails: High Court Lacks Jurisdiction in Children’s Court Matters – JHG v GWH and Another (7147/2024) [2025] ZAFSHC 133 (7 May 2025). Case Overview: JHG v GWH and Another In the matter of JHG v GWH and Another (7147/2024) ZAFSHC 133 (7 May 2025), the High Court of South Africa, Free State… READ MORE
14/02/2025 Bertus Preller Abduction, Children, Habitual Residence, Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, Holiday Travel, International Travel, Views of the Child Article 12 Hague Convention, Article 13(b), best interests of the child, Central Authority of South Africa, child abduction defences, child abduction South Africa, child custody disputes, child protection laws, child return order, curator ad litem, family court judgments, habitual residence, Hague Convention, Hague Convention case law, Hague Convention rulings, Hague Convention South Africa, High Court Johannesburg, international child custody, international custody battles, international family law, international parental disputes, Legal Analysis, legal precedent South Africa, Parental Abduction, parental consent disputes, psychological harm defence, South African child law, South African High Court, wrongful removal Hague Convention Defences Prevail: Court Refuses Child’s Return in Central Authority of South Africa and Another v C.M (2023/077002) [2025] ZAGPJHC 99 (10 February 2025). The Hague Convention and International Child Abduction: A Legal Framework International child abduction cases are among the most complex disputes that courts must resolve, requiring a delicate balance between protecting… READ MORE