13/11/2024 Bertus Preller Alimony, Appeal, Arrear Maintenance Variation, Arrears, Best Interests of the Child, Child Maintenance, Children, Costs, Maintenance, Maintenance Court, Variation child interests, child maintenance, child rights, Constitutional Court, court access, judicial authority, judicial integrity, Legal Practitioners, Maintenance Act, maintenance appeals, maintenance arrears, maintenance beneficiaries, maintenance claims, maintenance compliance, maintenance courts, maintenance default, maintenance discharge, maintenance enforcement, maintenance judgments, maintenance jurisdiction, maintenance law, maintenance obligations, maintenance officers, maintenance orders, maintenance proceedings, maintenance variations, maintenance write-offs, Prescription Period, punitive costs, SS v VV-S Maintenance Orders in South African Law Constitutional Court Jurisprudence and Fundamental Principles Introduction The enforcement of maintenance orders in South Africa has evolved significantly through Constitutional Court jurisprudence. The landmark case SS v VVS 2018 (6)… READ MORE
13/07/2024 Bertus Preller Artificial fertilisation, Best Interests of the Child, Child Maintenance, Children, Guardianship, Life Partnerships, Parental Rights, Same Sex Couples 2024 ZAGPJHC 626, A.V and Another v D.C, artificial fertilisation, AV and NZ, best interests of the child principle, Child's Best Interests, children's act, co-parenting, Constitutional Court, Contact rights, custody disputes, DC, family advocate report, Family Law, family law practitioners, guardianship, identity and birth certificate, international travel consent, judicial decision, Legal Framework, legal precedent, maintenance payments, medical aid dispute, Parental Rights, permanent life partner, Section 21, Section 23, Section 40, South African Law, VJV case Case on Same-Sex Couples and Artificial Fertilisation: A.V and Another v D.C and Others (40522/19) [2024] ZAGPJHC 626 (26 June 2024) – Balancing Parental Rights and Child’s Best Interests Introduction In A.V and Another v D.C and Others (40522/19) ZAGPJHC 626 (26 June 2024), the applicants, AV and NZ, and the first respondent, DC, initially believed that certain sections… READ MORE
23/05/2024 Bertus Preller Divorce, Maintenance, Marriage, Pacta sunt servanda, Prenuptial Afreement Antenuptial Contract, certainty, circumvention, Constitutional Court, D H B v C S B, dissenting opinion, Divorce, Divorce Act, donation, enforceability, fairness, freedom of contract, Judicial Discretion, jurisdiction, legal status, maintenance contract, majority judgment, matrimonial regime, Pacta Sunt Servanda, pleadings, prenuptial agreements, procedural fairness, Public Policy, Section 7, spousal maintenance, statutory right, unintended consequences Prenuptial Agreements and Public Policy: The Constitutional Court’s Ruling in D H B v C S B (CCT 293/22) [2024] ZACC 9 (22 May 2024). Background of the Case D H B and C S B concluded an antenuptial contract before their marriage in 2015, declaring their marriage to be out of community of property… READ MORE
17/03/2024 Bertus Preller Best Interests of the Child, Children best interests, child advocacy, child development, child protection, child rights, child welfare, child-sensitive justice, children’s act, Constitutional Court, court judgments, cultural influences, custody disputes, educational well-being, Family Law, forensic social work, interdisciplinary approach, judicial decisions, Legal Analysis, legal guidelines, legal interpretation, legal principles, normative values, paramount consideration, Parental Rights, psychological assessment, socio-economic factors, South African Law Child-Centric Justice: Interpreting the Best Interests of the Child in South African Law. South African courts have long had experience in applying the “best interests” principle in matters such as custody or maintenance. In our new constitutional order, however, the scope of the… READ MORE
29/11/2023 Bertus Preller Children, Guardianship, Parental Rights, Relocation Article 13(b), child best interests, Child Custody, child protection, child return, child welfare, Constitutional Court, cross-border custody, Family Court, Family Law, Hague Convention, international abduction, international law, legal interpretation, legal judgement, legal precedent, Parental Rights, psychological harm, South Africa, UK Constitutional Court’s Insightful Interpretation of the Hague Convention’s Article 13(b) in a Pivotal International Child Custody Case – Ad Hoc Central Authority for RSA and Another v Heidi Nicole Koch N.O. and Another [2023] ZACC 37. FACTS This case involves a complex international child custody dispute under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Here is a summary of the key facts:… READ MORE
10/10/2023 Bertus Preller Antenuptial Contracts, Divorce, Marital Regimes, Marriage accrual system, Antenuptial Contracts, asset redistribution, Bertus Preller, Constitutional Court, Divorce Act, Divorce Attorney Cape Town, Divorce News, Family Law, financial landscape, gender discrimination, legal implications, marital contracts, marriage, Matrimonial Property Act, out of community of property, South Africa Redefining Fairness: How the Constitutional Court’s Landmark Ruling Changes the Financial Landscape of Marriages Out of Community of Property in South Africa. EB (born S) v ER (born B) and Others; KG v Minister of Home Affairs and Others ZACC 32 Introduction On 10 October 2023, South Africa's Constitutional Court delivered groundbreaking… READ MORE
22/09/2023 Bertus Preller Alimony, Divorce, Interim Maintenance, Maintenance, Muslim Marriages, Rule 43, Spousal Maintenance Bertus Preller, Constitutional Court, constitutional invalidity, Divorce Act, Divorce Attorney Cape Town, Divorce Attorney South Africa, Gender Equality, legal precedent, maintenance, matrimonial property, Muslim Marriage, Pendente Lite, Rule 43, Sharia Law, South African Law, spousal support, Talaaq, Women's Legal Centre Trust Rule 43 Unveiled: How One Muslim Marriage Case Redefines Interim Spousal Support and Shakes Constitutional Ground. R.B v S.A.E.R (2023/014603) ZAGPJHC 1041 (18 September 2023) Introduction In a Rule 43 of the Uniform Rules for interim maintenance, the High Court in Johannesburg delved into the complexities… READ MORE
01/07/2023 Bertus Preller Children, Cohabitation, Life Partnerships, Living Together, Parental Rights, Same Sex Couples artificial fertilisation, Bertus Preller, best interests of the child, Children’s Act 38 of 2005, Children’s Court, Constitutional Court, constitutional defects, constitutional invalidity, discrimination, Divorce Attorney Cape Town, Divorce News, Family Law, family life, marital status, parental rights and responsibilities, Parliament, permanent life partners, remedy, right to dignity, sexual orientation Landmark Ruling: South Africa’s Constitutional Court Declares Section 40 of the Children’s Act Unconstitutional, Affirming Parental Rights for Same-Sex Couples. VJV AND ANOTHER v MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ANOTHER ZACC 21 - 29 JUNE 2023 The Constitutional Court ruled on an application for validation of a constitutional invalidity that… READ MORE
01/07/2023 Bertus Preller Children, Life Partnerships, Living Together, Relocation best interests of minor children, cohabitation, Constitutional Court, discrimination, Divorce, Divorce Attorney Cape Town, Divorce News, equality, human dignity, landmark judgement, married parents, Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act 24 of 1987, never-married parents, Office of the Family Advocate, Section 4, South Africa, South African Constitution relocation Landmark Constitutional Court Ruling: Equal Access to Family Advocate Services for All Parents in South Africa. CENTRE FOR CHILD LAW V T S AND OTHERS ZACC 22 - 29 June 2023 THE FACTS The facts of the Centre for Child Law v T S and Others… READ MORE