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
22/11/2025 Bertus Preller Balance of probabilities, Children, Court-ordered DNA testing, DNA evidence admissibility, DNA testing, Documentary evidence principles, Expert evidence requirements, Genetic testing reliability, Paternity confirmation, Paternity Disputes, Paternity Fraud, Paternity presumptions, Probative value of documents, SANAS guidelines, Scientific certainty standards authenticity of documents, balance of probabilities, buttressing oral evidence, Children’s Act 38 of 2005, Civil Proceedings Evidence Act 25 of 1965, contemporaneous documentary evidence, court-ordered DNA testing, cross-examination requirements, cumulative evidence assessment, DNA evidence admissibility, documentary evidence principles, evidence law principles, expert evidence requirements, expert opinion evidence, family law South Africa, genetic testing reliability, Maintenance Act 99 of 1998, maintenance court proceedings, maintenance enquiries, Mayer v Williams, paternity disputes, paternity presumptions, prima facie evidence, probative value of documents, SANAS guidelines, scientific certainty standards, unrepresented litigants, viva voce testimony, Western Cape High Court When DNA Evidence Speaks Without Experts: Probabilities, Paternity and Documentary Evidence in E.A.P v S.W (A115/2025) [2025] ZAWCHC 540 (20 November 2025). Factual Background: A Protracted Paternity Dispute Spanning Two Decades This appeal concerned a finding by the Cape Town Magistrate's Court, sitting as a maintenance court, that the appellant was the… READ MORE
25/06/2025 Bertus Preller anti-dissipatory relief, Arrears, Best Interests of the Child, Child Maintenance, Children, Children's Court, Divorce, Maintenance, Maintenance Court, Preservation Order anti-dissipation interdict, best interests of child, child maintenance, court amendment powers, divorce settlement agreements, finality principle, financial disclosure, future maintenance, High Court jurisdiction, Maintenance Act 99 of 1998, maintenance arrears, maintenance obligations, parental support duties, preservation orders, property sale proceeds, reciprocal parental duties, Regional Court orders, rule 42 uniform rules, Section 28 Constitution, sectional title property, shared responsibility, South African Family Law, trust account preservation, unemployment maintenance, upper guardian, Western Cape High Court, ZAWCHC When Courts Will Preserve Property Sale Proceeds for Child Maintenance: D.D.B v T.D.B and Another (2025/073213) [2025] ZAWCHC 250 (19 June 2025). Establishes Shared Parental Responsibility. Key Takeaways This Western Cape High Court judgment establishes several crucial principles for family law practitioners and divorced parents navigating maintenance disputes. Courts will only grant preservation orders for future… READ MORE
12/06/2024 Bertus Preller Alimony, Appeal, Arbitration, Arrears, Child Maintenance, Divorce, Maintenance, Procedural Law, Procedure, Spousal Maintenance 11 June 2024, 258/2023, access to courts, arbitrability, arbitration, Arbitration Act 42 of 1965, Arrear Maintenance, Divorce Act 70 of 1979, Enforcement, ex lege, Family Law, incidental matters, jurisdiction, legislative provisions, Maintenance Act 99 of 1998, maintenance disputes, matrimonial cause, party autonomy, precedent, public importance, rescission, section 2(a), suspension, variation, VJ v VJ and Another, vulnerable parties, ZASCA 92 Safeguarding Access to Courts in Maintenance Matters: The Supreme Court of Appeal’s Judgement in VJ v VJ and Another (258/2023) [2024] ZASCA 92 (11 June 2024). The Background: A Matrimonial Dispute Turns into an Arbitrability Question The recent judgment in VJ v VJ and Another (258/2023) ZASCA 92 (11 June 2024) has shed light on a… READ MORE