Maintenance and Divorce: All you need to know

The court may grant an order that one party should pay the other party spousal maintenance during and after divorce proceedings. Whether a spouse is entitled to receive spousal maintenance rests in the hands of the court and is regulated by section 7 of the Divorce Act 70 of 1979. The parties can opt to settle the matter of spousal maintenance in …

Understanding the full community of property

In the case of CM v EM it was held in the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa (“SCA”), case number 10861/2018, that: “The value of the Respondent’s right to future annuity payments in respect of Personal Portfolio Living Annuities (“the living annuities”) from Glacier Financial Solutions (Pty) Ltd, a member of the Sanlam Group, is an asset in his estate …

Unopposed and opposed divorce: What’s the difference?

My spouse said that he/she won’t ‘give me a divorce’. What can I do? Your spouse can oppose the divorce, but it is the Court that grants a divorce, not your spouse. If you convince the court that the marital relationship has irretrievably broken down, the court can grant a decree of divorce even if your spouse does not want …