Family law insights and commentary from the offices of divorce and family law attorney Simon Dippenaar.
Request a Callback
Muslim marriages – In 2005, when the Constitutional Court ruled that same-sex marriages should have the same rights, responsibilities and legal consequences as any other civil marriage or union, customary marriages also gained full recognition. Muslim and Hindu marriages, unfortunately, did not as they are not governed by civil law. Muslim marriages This situation is […]
What is a civil union in South Africa? A civil union is a legally registered union of two people who are both 18 or older under the Civil Union Act 17 of 2006. The couple chooses whether the union will be known as a marriage or a civil partnership. Both same-sex and opposite-sex couples may […]
Why you might enter into an antenuptial contract Antenuptial Contract – Two people planning a wedding think their love will last forever. Why else would they be intending to marry, if not to live happily ever after? Unfortunately, statistics prove that this does not always happen. In fact, according to Stats SA, roughly four in […]
Getting to friends after divorce. After divorce, is it possible to be friends? As family law practitioners, we see every kind of divorce imaginable, from amicable to acrimonious and everything in between. Unsurprisingly, the nature of the divorce often corresponds to the tenor of the relationship: couples who had a harmonious marriage and simply […]
It’s natural to want to make a fresh start after divorce. Inevitably, at least one party must move out of the marital home. Where there are children involved, it is often the father who moves, to minimise disruption to the daily life of the children. Sometimes both parties move, often for financial reasons. Generally, when […]
Divorce…dignity…peaceful…three words that rarely appear in the same sentence. Divorce is anything but peaceful and even the most graceful of us can behave in very undignified ways when we are hurt and angry, two emotions that characterise divorcing or separating couples. But it IS possible to divorce peacefully, and you’ll find that all parties benefit […]
Understanding domestic violence At Simon Dippenaar and Associates we feel strongly about domestic abuse and gender-based violence (GBV). We know that domestic violence is not perpetrated exclusively by men against women, and there are men who suffer emotional and even physical abuse at the hands of female partners. Intimate violence also happens in same-sex relationships. […]
Women workplace | It’s hard to believe, but it has been 60 years since that famous march on the Union Buildings by women protesting against unjust pass laws. So much has changed for the better in our society since then. We have one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, enshrining equal rights and […]
