PVL2602 HANDBOOK.South African Family Law [4th Edition] .pdf.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE ................................................................................................................................. xvii PART 1: CIVIL MARRIAGES 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 3 1.1 The definition of the family .................................................................................... 3 1.2 The scope of this book ............................................................................................. 3 2 THE ENGAGEMENT ........................................................................................................ 5 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 5 2.2 The requirements for a valid engagement ............................................................. 5 2.3 The content and consequences of the engagement .............................................. 6 2.4 Termination of the engagement ............................................................................. 6 2.4.1 General ......................................................................................................... 6 2.4.2 The consequences of termination of the engagement ............................. 7 (a) Delictual damages for personality infringement ............................... 7 (b) Contractual damages for breach of promise ..................................... 8 (c) Return of the engagement gifts .......................................................... 9 2.5 Satisfaction and damages on the ground of seduction .......................................... 10 3 THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR A CIVIL MARRIAGE .......................................... 13 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 13 3.2 Capacity to act .......................................................................................................... 14 3.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 14 3.2.2 Declared prodigals ...................................................................................... 14 3.2.3 Mentally ill persons ...................................................................................... 15 3.2.4 Persons who have been placed under curatorship because they are incapable of managing their own affairs .................................................... 15 3.2.5 Minors .......................................................................................................... 16 (a) General ................................................................................................. 16 (b) Consent which is required for the civil marriage of a minor ........... 16 (c) Instances in which a minor requires no consent to enter into a civil marriage ....................................................................................... 19 (d) The effect of absence of the necessary consent ................................. 20 3.3 Agreement ................................................................................................................ 24 3.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 24 3.3.2 Mistake ......................................................................................................... 24 3.3.3 Misrepresentation ........................................................................................ 25 3.3.4 Duress ........................................................................................................... 25 3.3.5 Undue influence .......................................................................................... 25 PVL2602 HANDBOOK.South African Family Law [4th Edition] .pdf. vi South African Family Law Page 3.4 Lawfulness ................................................................................................................. 25 3.4.1 General ......................................................................................................... 25 3.4.2 An existing civil or customary marriage or civil union ............................. 25 3.4.3 Persons who are of the same sex ................................................................ 26 3.4.4 Adoptive parents and their adopted children ........................................... 26 3.4.5 Persons who are within the prohibited degrees of relationship ............... 26 (a) General ................................................................................................. 26 (b) Blood relations in the direct line ....................................................... 27 (c) Collateral blood relations ................................................................... 27 (d) Relations by affinity in the direct line ................................................ 28 (e) Relations by affinity in the collateral line .......................................... 28 3.4.6 Legal guardians and their wards................................................................. 29 3.4.7 Persons who belong to different race groups ............................................ 29 3.5 The prescribed formalities ...................................................................................... 30 3.5.1 Marriage officers .......................................................................................... 30 3.5.2 Formalities preceding the marriage ceremony ......................................... 31 3.5.3 Formalities during the marriage ceremony ............................................... 31 3.5.4 Registration of the civil marriage ............................................................... 32 4 VOID, VOIDABLE AND PUTATIVE CIVIL MARRIAGES ............................................. 33 4.1 Void civil marriages .................................................................................................. 33 4.1.1 The definition of a void marriage .............................................................. 33 4.1.2 The grounds for nullity ............................................................................... 33 4.1.3 The consequences of a void marriage ........................................................ 34 4.2 Voidable civil marriages ........................................................................................... 34 4.2.1 The definition of a voidable marriage ....................................................... 34 4.2.2 The grounds for setting aside a voidable civil marriage ........................... 34 (a) Minority ................................................................................................ 34 (b) Material mistake .................................................................................. 35 (c) Duress ................................................................................................... 35 (d) Undue influence .................................................................................. 35 (e) Stuprum ................................................................................................. 35 (f) Impotence ............................................................................................ 36 (g) Sterility ................................................................................................. 36 4.2.3 The consequences of a voidable civil marriage ......................................... 37 4.3 Putative marriages .................................................................................................... 38 4.3.1 The definition of a putative marriage ........................................................ 38 4.3.2 The requirements for a putative marriage ................................................. 38 4.3.3 The consequences of a putative marriage ................................................. 39 (a) General ................................................................................................. 39 (b) Children born of a putative marriage ................................................ 39 (c) The patrimonial consequences of a putative marriage ..................... 39 5 THE INVARIABLE CONSEQUENCES OF A CIVIL MARRIAGE ................................. 41 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 41 5.2 The status of the spouses ......................................................................................... 41 5.3 Consortium omnis vitae ............................................................................................... 42 5.3.1 The content and protection of consortium omnis vitae ............................... 42 5.3.2 The relationship between consortium omnis vitae, the right to family life and the right to dignity ............................................................................... 43 5.4 Spousal maintenance ............................................................................................... 44 5.4.1 The reciprocal duty of support between spouses ...................................... 44 (a) General ................................................................................................. 44 (b) Liability as against third parties .......................................................... 45 (c) Termination of the duty of support ................................................... 45 Table of contents vii Page 5.4.2 Household necessaries ................................................................................ 46 (a) General ................................................................................................. 46 (b) The requirements for the capacity to incur debts for household necessaries ............................................................................................ 47 (c) Revocation or limitation of a spouse’s capacity to purchase household necessaries ......................................................................... 48 5.4.3 The Maintenance Act 99 of 1998................................................................ 49 (a) General ................................................................................................. 49 (b) The maintenance complaint and maintenance enquiry .................. 49 (c) The orders the court may make ......................................................... 51 (d) Appeals ................................................................................................. 52 (e) Enforcement of a maintenance order ................................................ 52 5.5 The matrimonial home ............................................................................................ 57 5.6 Donations between spouses ..................................................................................... 58 5.7 The family name....................................................................................................... 59 5.8 Headship of the family ............................................................................................. 59 6 THE VARIABLE CONSEQUENCES OF A CIVIL MARRIAGE – MARRIAGE IN COMMUNITY OF PROPERTY .............................................................. 61 6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 61 6.2 Cases in which community of property does not arise .......................................... 61 6.3 The nature of universal community of property .................................................... 62 6.4 The content of universal community of property .................................................. 63 6.4.1 Assets ............................................................................................................ 63 (a) General ................................................................................................. 63 (b) Separate assets ..................................................................................... 64 (c) Attachment of separate assets ............................................................. 66 6.4.2 Liabilities ...................................................................................................... 67 (a) General ................................................................................................. 67 (b) Antenuptial debts ................................................................................ 67 (c) Debts incurred during the subsistence of the marriage ................... 68 (d) Debts which are outstanding at the dissolution of the joint estate ............................................................................................ 69 6.5 Administration of the joint estate ........................................................................... 70 6.5.1 Abolition of the marital power ................................................................... 70 6.5.2 The principle of equal administration of the joint estate ......................... 71 6.5.3 Acts for which the consent of both spouses is required ............................ 71 (a) General ................................................................................................. 71 (b) Prior written consent, attested by two competent witnesses, in respect of each transaction separately ........................................... 72 (c) Written consent, attested by two competent witnesses, in respect of each transaction separately ........................................... 72 (d) Written consent without any further requirements .......................... 73 (e) Oral or tacit consent ............................................................................ 73 6.5.4 Acts for which the other spouse’s consent is unnecessary ........................ 74 6.5.5 Protective measures in respect of the administration of the joint estate .................................................................................................... 75 (a) Protection of third parties .................................................................. 75 (b) Protection of the spouses as between themselves .............................. 77 6.5.6 Capacity to litigate ....................................................................................... 81 (a) General ................................................................................................. 81 (b) Insolvency ............................................................................................. 81 (c) Suing for joint debts ............................................................................ 82 viii South African Family Law Page 7 THE VARIABLE CONSEQUENCES OF A CIVIL MARRIAGE – MARRIAGE OUT OF COMMUNITY OF PROPERTY .................................................... 83 7.1 The antenuptial contract ......................................................................................... 83 7.1.1 The purpose of an antenuptial contract .................................................... 83 7.1.2 The formalities for the creation of a valid antenuptial contract .............. 84 (a) General ................................................................................................. 84 (b) Postnuptial execution and registration of an antenuptial contract ................................................................................................ 84 7.1.3 Additional requirements which apply to the antenuptial contract of a minor ......................................................................................................... 85 7.1.4 The contents of an antenuptial contract ................................................... 86 (a) General ................................................................................................. 86 (b) The matrimonial property system ...................................................... 86 (c) A right of recourse in respect of household necessaries .................. 86 (d) Succession ............................................................................................ 87 (e) Marriage settlements ........................................................................... 87 7.1.5 Interpretation of an antenuptial contract ................................................. 88 7.1.6 Cancellation and amendment of an antenuptial contract ....................... 88 7.1.7 Termination of an antenuptial contract .................................................... 90 7.2 Marriage out of community of property and community of profit and loss without the accrual system ....................................................................................... 90 7.3 Marriage out of community of property with retention of community of profit and loss ........................................................................................................... 91 7.4 The accrual system ................................................................................................... 91 7.4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 91 7.4.2 Marriages to which the accrual system applies .......................................... 92 7.4.3 When and how accrual sharing takes place ............................................... 92 (a) General ................................................................................................. 92 (b) The accrual claim ................................................................................ 92 (c) The difference between the accrual claim and the right to accrual sharing ..................................................................................... 93 (d) The difference between accrual sharing and sharing of assets ........ 93 7.4.4 Calculating the accrual ................................................................................ 94 (a) General ................................................................................................. 94 (b) The commencement value (or the initial value) .............................. 94 (c) Assets which do not form part of the accrual .................................... 95 (d) The date on which the value of a spouse’s estate is to be calculated for purposes of accrual sharing ........................................ 97 (e) An example of the accrual calculation ............................................... 98 7.4.5 Protection of a spouse’s right to share in the accrual ............................... 99 7.4.6 Satisfaction of the accrual claim ................................................................. 101 7.4.7 Renouncing the accrual claim .................................................................... 101 7.5 Advantages and disadvantages of the main matrimonial property systems .......... 102 7.5.1 General ......................................................................................................... 102 7.5.2 Marriage in community of property ........................................................... 102 7.5.3 Complete separation of property ............................................................... 102 7.5.4 The accrual system ...................................................................................... 102 8 ALTERATION OF THE MATRIMONIAL PROPERTY SYSTEM ................................... 105 8.1 The principle of immutability in matrimonial property law ................................. 105 8.2 Court-sanctioned alteration of the matrimonial property system in terms of section 21(1) of the Matrimonial Property Act 88 of 1984 ................................... 106 8.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 106 8.2.2 Statutory requirements ................................................................................ 106 Table of contents ix Page 8.2.3 Procedural requirements ............................................................................ 107 (a) Notice ................................................................................................... 108 (b) The financial position of the spouses ................................................. 108 (c) Sound reasons ...................................................................................... 108 (d) Absence of prejudice ........................................................................... 108 (e) Domicile and residence ...................................................................... 108 8.2.4 Retroactive alteration .................................................................................. 108 8.2.5 The effect that changing from community of property to separation of property has on jointly owned property ................................................ 109 8.3 Extra-judicial alteration of the matrimonial property system ............................... 109 9 DISSOLUTION OF A CIVIL MARRIAGE – GENERAL ................................................. 113 9.1 The ways in which a marriage is dissolved .............................................................. 113 9.2 Judicial separation .................................................................................................... 113 9.3 Extra-judicial separation .......................................................................................... 113 10 DISSOLUTION OF A CIVIL MARRIAGE BY DEATH ................................................... 115 10.1 Marriage in community of property ....................................................................... 115 10.2 Marriage out of community of property ................................................................. 116 10.3 Maintenance of Surviving Spouses Act 27 of 1990 ................................................. 116 10.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 116 10.3.2 Reasonable maintenance needs ................................................................. 117 10.3.3 Disposal of the maintenance claim ............................................................ 117 10.3.4 The order of preference ............................................................................. 118 11 THE GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE .................................................................................... 119 11.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 119 11.2 Irretrievable breakdown of the marriage ............................................................... 119 11.2.1 The test for irretrievable breakdown .......................................................... 119 11.2.2 The guidelines in section 4(2) .................................................................... 121 (a) General ................................................................................................. 121 (b) Section 4(2)(a): The parties have not lived together as husband and wife for a continuous period of at least one year immediately prior to the date of the institution of the divorce action .................. 121 (c) Section 4(2)(b): The defendant has committed adultery and the plaintiff finds it irreconcilable with a continued marriage relationship .......................................................................................... 121 (d) Section 4(2)(c): A court has declared the defendant a habitual criminal and the defendant is undergoing imprisonment as a result of the declaration ...................................... 122 11.3 Incurable mental illness or continuous unconsciousness ..................................... 122 11.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 122 11.3.2 The criteria contained in section 5 ............................................................ 122 11.3.3 Divorcing a mentally ill or unconscious spouse in terms of section 4 instead of section 5 ...................................................................................... 123 11.3.4 Special rules in respect of divorce on the ground of incurable mental illness and continuous unconsciousness ....................................... 123 (a) Section 5(3) ......................................................................................... 123 (b) Section 5(4) ......................................................................................... 123 (c) Section 9(2) ......................................................................................... 123 (d) Maintenance ........................................................................................ 123 11.4 Defences against an action for divorce ................................................................... 124 11.5 The court’s discretion to refuse a decree of divorce ............................................. 124 x South African Family Law Page 12 THE PATRIMONIAL CONSEQUENCES OF DIVORCE ............................................... 127 12.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 127 12.2 Settlement agreements ............................................................................................ 127 12.3 The patrimony of the spouses ................................................................................. 129 12.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 129 12.3.2 Pension interests .......................................................................................... 130 (a) General ................................................................................................. 130 (b) Meaning and calculation of “pension interest” ................................. 131 (c) The difference between a pension interest and a pension benefit .................................................................................... 132 (d) Payment or transfer of the non-member spouse’s portion of the pension interest ................................................................................... 133 (e) Excluded marriages ............................................................................. 134 12.4 Forfeiture of patrimonial benefits ........................................................................... 135 12.4.1 The requirements for a forfeiture order .................................................... 135 12.4.2 Benefits which can be forfeited .................................................................. 136 12.5 Redistribution of assets ............................................................................................ 138 12.5.1 The introduction of redistribution as a reformative and remedial measure ........................................................................................ 138 12.5.2 The prerequisites for a redistribution order ............................................. 138 (a) General ................................................................................................. 138 (b) Marriages that are subject to complete separation of property by operation of the law ........................................................................ 139 (c) The constitutionality of the prerequisites in section 7(3) ................ 141 12.5.3 The requirements for a redistribution order ............................................ 143 (a) General ................................................................................................. 143 (b) The nature of the contribution to the maintenance or increase of the other spouse’s estate ................................................................. 144 12.5.4 Other considerations the court takes into account ................................... 145 (a) General ................................................................................................. 145 (b) Misconduct ........................................................................................... 146 (c) The interrelationship between section 7(2) and 7(3) of the Divorce Act 70 of 1979, and the clean-break principle ..................... 146 (d) Various other factors the courts have taken into account ................ 147 12.5.5 Assets which can be considered for purposes of a redistribution order ..................................................................................... 148 12.5.6 The date on which the value of the spouse’s estate is to be calculated ........................................................................................ 151 12.5.7 The criterion for establishing the extent of the redistribution ................ 151 12.5.8 The form a redistribution order may take ................................................. 153 12.5.9 Consideration of a claim and a counter-claim for redistribution ............ 154 12.5.10 The nature of the discretion the court exercises ...................................... 154 13 MAINTENANCE OF A SPOUSE AFTER DIVORCE ...................................................... 157 13.1 General ..................................................................................................................... 157 13.2 Maintenance orders in terms of section 7(2) of the Divorce Act 70 of 1979 ....... 157 13.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 157 13.2.2 Factors the court must take into account .................................................. 158 13.2.3 The movement towards rehabilitative maintenance or no maintenance at all .................................................................................. 160 13.2.4 Lump-sum maintenance ............................................................................. 162 13.2.5 Token or nominal maintenance ................................................................. 163 Table of contents xi Page 13.3 Rescission, suspension and variation of a maintenance order .............................. 164 13.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 164 13.3.2 The meaning of “sufficient reason” for purposes of section 8(1) of the Divorce Act 70 of 1979 .......................................................................... 165 13.3.3 Waiver of the right to claim rescission, suspension or variation of a maintenance order ...................................................................................... 166 13.4 Termination of a maintenance order ..................................................................... 167 13.4.1 General ......................................................................................................... 167 13.4.2 An order in terms of section 7(1) of the Divorce Act 70 of 1979 ............. 167 13.4.3 An order in terms of section 7(2) of the Divorce Act 70 of 1979 ............. 168 14 THE INTERESTS OF THE CHILDREN OF DIVORCING PARENTS .......................... 171 14.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 171 14.2 The best interests of the child ................................................................................. 171 14.3 The Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act 24 of 1987 ................................... 174 14.4 The Divorce Act 70 of 1979 ..................................................................................... 175 14.5 Aspects the court may regulate ............................................................................... 177 14.5.1 General ......................................................................................................... 177 14.5.2 Guardianship ............................................................................................... 178 (a) The meaning of “guardianship” ......................................................... 178 (b) The order the court may make in respect of guardianship .............. 179 14.5.3 Care .............................................................................................................. 180 (a) The meaning of “care” ........................................................................ 180 (b) The order the court may make in respect of care ............................. 180 14.5.4 Contact ......................................................................................................... 184 (a) The meaning of “contact” ................................................................... 184 (b) The order the court may make in respect of contact ........................ 184 14.5.5 Maintenance ................................................................................................ 187 (a) The meaning of “maintenance” ......................................................... 187 (b) The order the court may make in respect of maintenance .............. 187 14.6 Enforcement of guardianship, care and contact ................................................... 189 14.6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 189 14.6.2 Interdict ....................................................................................................... 189 14.6.3 An order directing compliance .................................................................. 190 14.6.4 Reasonable force ......................................................................................... 190 14.6.5 Criminal sanctions ....................................................................................... 190 14.7 Rescission, suspension and variation of an order made upon divorce ................. 191 15 MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS REGARDING DIVORCE .............................................. 193 15.1 Personal consequences of divorce .......................................................................... 193 15.1.1 General ......................................................................................................... 193 15.1.2 The effect of divorce on a will .................................................................... 193 15.2 Divorce proceedings ................................................................................................ 194 15.2.1 The meaning of the concept “divorce action” ........................................... 194 15.2.2 Jurisdiction in a divorce action ................................................................... 194 15.2.3 Instituting a divorce ..................................................................................... 195 15.2.4 Procedure in divorce and other family-law matters .................................. 195 15.3 Relief pendente lite...................................................................................................... 198 15.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 198 15.3.2 Maintenance pendente lite and a contribution towards costs ..................... 199 15.4 A final order for costs .............................................................................................. 200 15.5 Limitation on the publication of particulars of a divorce ..................................... 201 15.6 The abolition of orders for judicial separation ...................................................... 201 xii South African Family Law Page PART 2: CIVIL UNIONS 16 CIVIL UNIONS ................................................................................................................. 205 16.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 205 16.2 The legal requirements for a civil union ................................................................ 205 16.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 205 (a) Capacity to act ...................................................................................... 205 (b) Agreement ........................................................................................... 206 (c) Lawfulness ............................................................................................ 206 16.2.2 Prescribed formalities .................................................................................. 207 (a) Marriage officers .................................................................................. 207 (b) Formalities preceding the civil union ceremony ............................... 209 (c) Formalities during the civil union ceremony .................................... 209 (d) Registration of the civil union ............................................................ 210 16.3 Consequences of a civil union ................................................................................. 210 16.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 210 16.3.2 Invariable consequences ............................................................................. 211 16.4 The dissolution of a civil union ............................................................................... 212 16.5 The constitutionality of the Civil Union Act .......................................................... 213 PART 3: CUSTOMARY MARRIAGES 17 CUSTOMARY MARRIAGES ............................................................................................. 217 17.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 217 17.2 The legal requirements for a customary marriage ................................................. 217 17.2.1 Marriages entered into before the coming into operation of the Act ..... 217 17.2.2 Marriages entered into after the coming into operation of the Act ........ 218 (a) General requirements ......................................................................... 218 (b) Additional requirements in respect of a minor’s customary marriage ............................................................................................... 219 17.3 Registration of the marriage .................................................................................... 220 17.4 The patrimonial consequences of the marriage and control of the matrimonial property ............................................................................................... 221 17.4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 221 17.4.2 Monogamous customary marriages ............................................................ 221 17.4.3 Polygynous customary marriages ................................................................ 222 (a) Polygynous marriages entered into before the coming into operation of the Act ............................................................................ 222 (b) Polygynous marriages entered into after the coming into operation of the Act ............................................................................ 223 17.4.4 Alteration of the matrimonial property system ......................................... 226 (a) Marriages entered into before the coming into operation of the Act .................................................................................................. 226 (b) Marriages entered into after the coming into operation of the Act .................................................................................................. 226 17.4.5 A customary marriage a minor entered into without the requisite consent ......................................................................................................... 227 (a) The patrimonial consequences if the marriage is set aside .............. 227 (b) The patrimonial consequences if the marriage is not set aside ....... 227 17.5 The wife’s status ........................................................................................................ 229 17.6 Termination of the marriage by divorce ................................................................ 229 17.6.1 Ground for divorce ...................................................................................... 229 17.6.2 The consequences of divorce ..................................................................... 229 (a) The patrimonial consequences of divorce ......................................... 229 Table of contents xiii Page (b) The interests of the children of divorcing parents ............................ 232 (c) Maintenance ........................................................................................ 232 17.6.3 Joinder .......................................................................................................... 232 17.6.4 Jurisdiction ................................................................................................... 232 17.6.5 Procedure ..................................................................................................... 233 17.6.6 Interim relief ................................................................................................ 233 17.7 Termination of the marriage by death ................................................................... 233 17.7.1 Death as a ground for termination ............................................................ 233 17.7.2 Maintenance of the surviving spouse(s) .................................................... 234 17.8 The co-existence of a customary marriage and a civil marriage or civil union .... 234 17.8.1 A subsequent customary marriage by a party to a civil marriage or civil union .................................................................................................... 234 17.8.2 A subsequent civil marriage or civil union by a party to a customary marriage ....................................................................................................... 235 (a) Capacity to enter into a subsequent civil marriage or civil union .... 235 (b) The consequences of a subsequent civil marriage ............................ 236 PART 4: MUSLIM AND HINDU MARRIAGES 18 MUSLIM MARRIAGES ..................................................................................................... 241 18.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 241 18.2 Recognition of Muslim marriages ........................................................................... 242 18.3 The Constitution and Muslim marriages ................................................................ 247 19 HINDU MARRIAGES ........................................................................................................ 249 19.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 249 19.2 Recognition of Hindu marriages ............................................................................ 249 19.3 The Constitution and Hindu marriages ................................................................. 251 PART 5: LIFE PARTNERSHIPS 20 LIFE PARTNERSHIPS ...................................................................................................... 255 20.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 255 20.2 Protection of life partners by means of ordinary legal rules ................................. 256 20.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 256 20.2.2 Contract ....................................................................................................... 256 (a) General ................................................................................................. 256 (b) Universal partnership .......................................................................... 257 (c) Life partnership contract .................................................................... 259 (d) Agency .................................................................................................. 260 20.2.3 Estoppel ........................................................................................................ 260 20.2.4 Will................................................................................................................ 260 20.2.5 Unjustified enrichment ............................................................................... 260 20.3 Legislative and judicial recognition of life partnerships ....................................... 261 20.3.1 Heterosexual life partnerships ................................................................... 261 20.3.2 Same-sex life partnerships ........................................................................... 263 20.3.3 Determining whether a life partnership has come into existence ........... 266 20.4 The Constitution and life partnerships .................................................................. 267 PART 6: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 21 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ................................................................................................... 271 21.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 271 21.2 Ordinary civil and criminal remedies ..................................................................... 271 xiv South African Family Law Page 21.3 Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998 ........................................................................ 272 21.3.1 General ......................................................................................................... 272 21.3.2 The persons who qualify for protection under the Act ............................ 273 21.3.3 The conduct which qualifies as domestic violence .................................... 274 21.3.4 The protection order .................................................................................. 274 (a) The interim protection order ............................................................. 274 (b) The protection order .......................................................................... 277 (c) Varying and setting aside a protection order .................................... 277 21.3.5 Protection of a complainant at the scene of an incident of domestic violence ........................................................................................ 278 21.3.6 Jurisdiction ................................................................................................... 278 21.3.7 The court proceedings ................................................................................ 278 21.3.8 Legal representation and costs ................................................................... 279 21.4 Reporting abuse ....................................................................................................... 279 21.4.1 General ......................................................................................................... 279 21.4.2 Child abuse .................................................................................................. 279 21.4.3 Abuse of an aged person ............................................................................. 280 21.5 Prevention and early intervention in respect of children who are at risk ............ 280 21.6 The Constitution and domestic violence ................................................................ 281 PART 7: THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN 22 CHILDREN’S RIGHTS ..................................................................................................... 287 22.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 287 22.2 Section 28 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 ................. 287 22.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 287 22.2.2 The right to a name ..................................................................................... 289 22.2.3 The right to family, parental or appropriate alternative care, and the right to nutrition, shelter, health care and social services ................. 289 22.2.4 The right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation .................................................................................................. 291 22.2.5 The right to legal representation ............................................................... 291 22.2.6 The paramountcy of the child’s best interests ........................................... 294 22.3 The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ................................ 296 22.4 The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child ............................... 297 22.5 The Children’s Act 38 of 2005 ................................................................................ 297 23 PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS ............................................................ 301 23.1 The contents of parental responsibilities and rights ............................................. 301 23.1.1 General ......................................................................................................... 301 23.1.2 Guardianship ............................................................................................... 301 23.1.3 Care .............................................................................................................. 302 23.1.4 Contact ......................................................................................................... 303 23.1.5 Maintenance ................................................................................................ 303 (a) General ................................................................................................. 303 (b) The bearers of the duty to support a child ........................................ 304 (c) Recovery of expenses relating to support .......................................... 308 (d) The reciprocity of the duty of support ............................................... 309 23.2 Ways of acquiring parental responsibilities and rights .......................................... 310 23.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 310 23.2.2 Birth .............................................................................................................. 311 23.2.3 A marriage or civil union with the child’s mother at the time of the child’s conception or birth or at any intervening time ............................. 312 Table of contents xv Page 23.2.4 A marriage or civil union between the child’s parents after the child’s birth .................................................................................................. 312 23.2.5 A permanent life partnership between the parents at the time of the child’s birth .................................................................................................. 312 23.2.6 Acknowledging paternity, contributing to the child’s upbringing, and contributing to the child’s maintenance ............................................ 313 23.2.7 A parental responsibilities and rights agreement ...................................... 314 23.2.8 Assignment by an order of court ................................................................ 315 23.2.9 Appointment in a will .................................................................................. 316 23.2.10 Adoption ...................................................................................................... 317 (a) General ................................................................................................. 317 (b) An adoptable child .............................................................................. 317 (c) The adoptive parent(s) ....................................................................... 317 (d) Consent ................................................................................................ 318 (e) A freeing order .................................................................................... 320 (f) Consideration of the adoption application ....................................... 320 (g) Advertisements and payment for adoption ....................................... 321 (h) The effect of an adoption order ......................................................... 321 (i) Rescission of an adoption order ......................................................... 322 (j) Inter-country adoption ........................................................................ 323 23.3 The position when more than one person has parental responsibilities and rights in respect of a child ....................................................................................... 325 23.3.1 General ...................................................................................................... 325 23.3.2 Guardianship ............................................................................................. 325 23.3.3 Due consideration of the views and wishes of other co-holders ............. 327 23.3.4 Surrender or transfer of parental responsibilities and rights is prohibited .................................................................................................. 327 23.3.5 Parenting plan ........................................................................................... 327 23.4 Judicial interference with parental responsibilities and rights ............................. 329 23.4.1 General ...................................................................................................... 329 23.4.2 The High Court as upper guardian ......................................................... 329 23.4.3 Matrimonial Affairs Act 37 of 1953 .......................................................... 330 23.4.4 Marriage Act 25 of 1961 ............................................................................ 330 23.4.5 Divorce Act 70 of 1979 .............................................................................. 330 23.4.6 Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998 .......................................................... 330 23.4.7 Children’s Act 38 of 2005 ......................................................................... 330 (a) General .............................................................................................. 330 (b) Termination, extension, suspension and circumscription of a person’s parental responsibilities and rights ................................... 331 (c) Dispensing with consent to medical treatment, an operation or an HIV test ......................................................................................... 332 (d) A child in need of care and protection ............................................ 334 (e) International child abduction .......................................................... 340 23.5 Enforcement of parental responsibilities and rights ............................................. 349 23.6 Termination of parental responsibilities and rights .............................................. 349 23.6.1 General ...................................................................................................... 349 23.6.2 Termination of the duty of support ......................................................... 350 (a) The child’s death ............................................................................... 350 (b) The child’s adoption ......................................................................... 350 (c) The child’s becoming self-supporting ............................................. 351 (d) The child’s entering into a marriage or civil union ........................ 351 (e) The liable party’s insolvency ............................................................. 351 23.6.3 Termination of an order regarding child’s maintenance ...................... 352 xvi South African Family Law Page 24 GUARDIANSHIP AND CURATORSHIP ......................................................................... 355 24.1 Guardianship ............................................................................................................ 355 24.1.1 General ......................................................................................................... 355 24.1.2 The types of guardians ................................................................................ 355 (a) Testamentary guardian ....................................................................... 355 (b) Assumed tutor ...................................................................................... 355 (c) Tutor dative.......................................................................................... 356 (d) Supposed or putative tutor ................................................................. 356 24.1.3 The requirements for appointment as a guardian .................................... 356 24.1.4 The rights and duties of a guardian ........................................................... 356 24.1.5 Termination of guardianship ..................................................................... 357 24.2 Curatorship ............................................................................................................... 357 24.2.1 General ......................................................................................................... 357 24.2.2 The types of curators ................................................................................... 358 (a) Curator nominate ................................................................................ 358 (b) Assumed curator .................................................................................. 358 (c) Curator dative ...................................................................................... 358 (d) Curator or curatrix ad litem .................................................................... 358 24.2.3 The requirements for appointment as a curator ....................................... 358 24.2.4 The rights and duties of a curator .............................................................. 359 24.2.5 Termination of curatorship ........................................................................ 359 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................... 361 TABLE OF CASES .................................................................................................................. 367 TABLE OF LEGISLATION AND INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS ........................... 387 INDEX ........................................................................................................................