17/08/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Arrear Maintenance, Child Maintenance, Children, Contempt of Court, Divorce, Maintenance Court, Procedural Law, Rule 43 Contempt, Rule 43 orders, Spousal Maintenance ad factum praestandum, attorney and own client costs, Bannatyne v Bannatyne, committal, contempt of court, Divorce, Divorce Attorney Cape Town, dolus eventualis, emoluments attachment, Fakie v CCII Systems, family law South Africa, Firestone v Genticuro, HG v AG, interim maintenance, M.D.V v F.M.D.V, maintenance enforcement, Maintenance Order, mala fides, medical aid, Pheko v Ekurhuleni, purging contempt, reimbursement of expenses, Rule 43, spousal maintenance, Suspended Sentence, Western Cape High Court, wilfulness, Writ of Execution, ZAWCHC 411 Pay Now, Argue Never: Husband’s Selective Compliance with Rule 43 Maintenance Order Lands Him a Suspended Prison Sentence — M.D.V v F.M.D.V (2025/091265) [2026] ZAWCHC 411 (14 August 2026). The Western Cape Division has once again demonstrated that it will not tolerate maintenance debtors who treat interim maintenance orders as optional, negotiable or subject to their own private assessment… READ MORE
23/07/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Cohabitation, Costs, Divorce, Financial non-disclosure, Interim Maintenance, Maintenance, Non-disclosure consequences, Procedural Law, Rule 43, Rule 43 Applications, Rule 43 Contempt, Rule 43 orders, Spousal Maintenance ability to pay, best interests of the child, child maintenance, Divorce Law, divorce proceedings, earning capacity, family law judgment, financial disclosure, financial non-disclosure, full and frank disclosure, H.L v B.L, inflated expenses, interim maintenance, interim relief, legal costs contribution, maintenance claim, Maintenance Order, maintenance pendente lite, marital standard of living, Minor Children, Njokweni J, Rule 43, Rule 43 Application, South African case law, South African Family Law, spousal maintenance, uberrima fides, Western Cape divorce, Western Cape High Court Candour, Children and the Limits of Interim Maintenance: H.L v B.L (2025/216979) [2026] ZAWCHC 350 (13 July 2026). The factual background and the parties’ competing claims In H.L v B.L (2025/216979) ZAWCHC 350 (13 July 2026), the Western Cape High Court was required to determine an application for… READ MORE
25/06/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Arrear Maintenance, Arrear maintenance claims, Child Maintenance, Children, Civil contempt South Africa, Contempt of Court, Contempt of court maintenance, Divorce, Financial non-disclosure, Maintenance, Maintenance Court, Maintenance Court, Maintenance order enforcement, Non-disclosure consequences, Plascon Evans Rule, Post-divorce maintenance, Post-divorce maintenance enforcement, Spousal Maintenance, Uberrimae fidei matrimonial proceedings Arrear Maintenance, Attorney and Client Costs, beyond reasonable doubt, child maintenance, Civil Contempt, contempt of court, Contempt Proceedings, Davis AJ, Dezius v Dezius, Divorce Act, dolus eventualis, Eke v Parsons, evidential burden, Fakie v CCII Systems, family law South Africa, financial disclosure, full and frank disclosure, inability to pay defence, luxuries non-essentials, maintenance court variation, maintenance debtor, Maintenance Order, parental maintenance obligations, Pheko v Ekurhuleni, Plascon-Evans rule, poverty defence, settlement agreement order of court, Western Cape High Court, wilful and mala fide When “I Can’t Pay” Becomes Contempt: Luxuries, Maintenance Arrears and the Duty of Full Disclosure in D.W v J.L.K (12604/2015) [2026] ZAWCHC 322 (17 June 2026). D.W v J.L.K (12604/2015) ZAWCHC 322 (17 June 2026) The facts: a maintenance debtor who paid for luxuries before his children The applicant and respondent divorced in 2015. In terms… READ MORE
28/05/2026 Bertus Preller Alimony, Clean Break Principle, Divorce, Maintenance, Maintenance termination, Matrimonial Properties Act, Matrimonial Property Act 88 of 1984, Pension Funds, Post-divorce maintenance, Rehabilitative maintenance, Section 7(2) maintenance, Spousal Maintenance accrual system, Antenuptial Contract, clean break principle, conduct of parties, contribution towards costs, CPI escalation, Divorce Act 70 of 1979, divorce South Africa, duration of marriage, earning capacity, employability, Family Law, financial needs and obligations, GEPF, industrial psychologist, Maintenance Order, marital standard of living, matrimonial property, Matrimonial Property Act 88 of 1984, onus to prove need, pendente lite maintenance, pension interest, rehabilitative maintenance, retirement, Section 7(2), section 7(8), spousal maintenance, stay-at-home spouse, termination of maintenance When the Money Must Stop: Rehabilitative Maintenance and the Clean Break in M.I.B (born H[…]) v D.B (2023-079189) [2026] ZAGPPHC 411 (2 May 2026). M.I.B (born H) v D.B (2023-079189) ZAGPPHC 411 (2 May 2026) This judgment of Smit AJ in the Gauteng Division, Pretoria, is a useful working example of how a court… 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
18/04/2025 Bertus Preller Arrears, Contempt of Court, Costs, Maintenance, Procedural Law, Variation application proceedings, best interests of children, changed financial circumstances, child support, Civil Contempt, constitutional right of access to courts, contempt of court, Court Order Compliance, enforcement mechanisms, eviction risk, family home, Judicial Discretion, leave to appeal, maintenance arrears, maintenance beneficiaries, maintenance enforcement, maintenance obligations, Maintenance Order, mala fides, Parker AJ, periodic imprisonment, Plascon Evans test, purging contempt, South African Family Law, Superior Courts Act, Suspended Sentence, Variation Application, Western Cape High Court, willful non-compliance Contempt Before Variation: E.W v V.T.H (Leave to Appeal) (7333/2024) [2025] ZAWCHC 162 (11 April 2025). Background to the E.W v V.T.H Contempt Application The case of E.W v V.T.H (Leave to Appeal) (7333/2024) ZAWCHC 162 (11 April 2025) highlights the ongoing tension between maintenance obligations… READ MORE
15/10/2024 Bertus Preller Arrears, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Contempt of Court, Costs, Financial Abuse, Financial Disclosure, Living Together, Maintenance, Punitive Cost Orders child support, child welfare, contempt of court, court sanctions, family dispute, Family Law, financial disclosure, judicial enforcement, legal compliance, Maintenance Order, parental obligations, periodic imprisonment, South Africa, Variation Application Contempt of Court: V.T.H v E.W (7333/2024) [2024] ZAWCHC 310 – (14 October 2024) – Upholds Sanctity of Maintenance Orders. Background: The Breakdown of a Family and a Court Order The case of V.T.H v E.W (7333/2024) ZAWCHC 310 (14 October 2024) sheds light on the complex aftermath of a… READ MORE
20/08/2024 Bertus Preller Arrears, Children, Divorce, Maintenance, Pension Funds appellate intervention, Asset Division, child best interests, child support, child welfare, divorce settlement, equitable maintenance, family court High Court Child maintenance, financial assessment, financial fairness, financial proportionality, High Court appeal, Judicial Discretion, Judicial Review, legal obligations, legal precedent, legal reform, magistrate court error, Maintenance Act, maintenance calculation, Maintenance Order, maintenance revision, parental obligations, Parental Rights, pension fund attachment, retirement benefits, retrenchment impact, South African Family Law, Training Layoff Scheme, unemployment consideration Balancing Act: High Court Overturns Punitive Maintenance Order in L.N v N.N (A2923/005472) [2024] ZAGPJHC 772 (19 August 2024). Background: The Divorce Settlement and Initial Maintenance Order The case of L.N v N.N (A2923/005472) ZAGPJHC 772 stems from a divorce settlement reached in August 2022. As part of this… READ MORE
27/08/2023 Bertus Preller Alimony, Arrears, Divorce, Financial Disclosure, Maintenance, Marriage, Pension Funds, Spousal Maintenance, Trusts Annuities Tax Implications, Appeals Court, Asset Base, Bertus Preller, Burden of Proof, Case Law, Cost of Appeal, Divorce Attorney Cape Town, Divorce News, divorce settlement, Economic Uncertainty, Elderly Parties, Family Law, Financial Circumstances, Judgment Reversal, legal precedent, Legal Thresholds, maintenance, Maintenance Order, Pacta Sunt Servanda, South African Law, Trustee, Variation Application CHANGING FORTUNES, UNCHANGED OBLIGATIONS: HOW A COURT ON APPEAL WEIGHED FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN VARIATION OF A MAINTENANCE ORDER L.J v P.H.A.J (HCA35/2022) ZALMPPHC 49 (18 July 2023) INTRODUCTION This case was an appeal to the High Court Limpopo Division against the rulings made by an Acting Magistrate, who… READ MORE
27/07/2023 Bertus Preller Alimony, Children, Divorce, Interim Maintenance, Maintenance, Parental Rights, Rule 43, Spousal Maintenance, Trusts Adequate Housing, Bertus Preller, child maintenance, Children's Act 38 of 2005, Constitutional Rights, Contact rights, court order, Divorce Attorney Cape Town, Divorce News, divorce proceedings, Equality of Arms, Family Law, financial disclosure, Legal Costs, maintenance, Maintenance Order, Marital Assets, Parental Responsibilities, Primary Residency, right to dignity, Rule 43, South African Law, spousal support Equality of Arms Upheld: Court Orders Husband to Contribute R805,903 Towards Wife’s Legal Costs in Rule 43 Proceedings. Y.M v T.J.M (26526/2022) ZAGPPHC 582 (13 July 2023) The case involved a dispute between two parties identified as Y.M. and T.J.M. This was an application in terms of Rule… READ MORE