Adoption in South Africa: Process, Requirements and Legal Effect
A practical guide to adoption in South Africa: who may adopt, when a child is adoptable, screening, consent, the Children’s Court process and the legal effect of an adoption order.
How to Prepare for a Protection Order Hearing in South Africa
A protection order hearing in South Africa is the court process where the magistrate considers whether a protection order should be granted, confirmed, varied or refused. The outcome depends on the evidence, the facts, the nature of the relationship, and whether the conduct falls within domestic violence, harassment or another recognised basis for protection. If […]
Customary Marriage and Divorce in South Africa
Customary marriage divorce in South Africa is a court process. A valid customary marriage does not simply end because the spouses separate, stop living together, or agree informally that the relationship is over. If the marriage is legally valid, it must be dissolved by a court decree of divorce. This guide explains validity, registration, property […]
Maintenance Court in South Africa: What Parents Need to Know
How maintenance court works in South Africa: who may apply, documents to bring, enforcement, and when to get legal help.
How to Get a Divorce in South Africa
If you want to get a divorce in South Africa, the biggest mistake is starting with emotion and assumptions instead of process. The right first step depends on whether the matter is uncontested, whether there are children, and whether property or maintenance will be disputed. This page is the practical step-by-step version: what to do […]
AI vs. divorce lawyers
Can you divorce without that human touch? Divorce is expensive. Even an uncontested divorce carries costs, at precisely the time when one household is becoming two, with all the associated financial consequences. With the rise and rise of AI, couples facing divorce are starting to ask, “Can AI do this for me? Do I really […]
New Marriage Bill
What can we expect? In 2025, a new Marriage Bill is poised to rewrite decades of family law in South Africa. Initially introduced in December 2023, this landmark legislation aims to consolidate the Marriage Act of 1961, the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act of 1998, and the Civil Union Act of 2006 into a simplified, […]
Maintenance Enforcement in South Africa
Quick answer: how maintenance enforcement works in South Africa If a person does not comply with a maintenance order, the recipient can approach the Maintenance Court for enforcement. Depending on the facts, the court may use remedies such as a warrant of execution, an emoluments attachment order, attachment of debts, or criminal non-compliance proceedings. Keep […]