How recent judgements are making it easier to claim maintenance

A blog article by Tania Jones (previously Abbotts)  It’s not often that a legal argument about maintenance reaches the Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa. This is partly because most Magistrates’ Courts have their own maintenance division with court officials who are specially trained in maintenance law. They first attempt to reach a settlement between the parties and when they are not successful, the matter is then referred to the Maintenance Court. The Magistrate then considers evidence from both sides to make a ruling. While this process sounds easy, the reality is more complex and often takes over three to...