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Family and Divorce law in South Africa - A Comprehensive Guide
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Adultery and the Forfeiture of Assets in a Divorce

9/6/2015

 
adultery South African law
Recently, in a case in the High Court in Pretoria, the question of whether a spouse guilty of “substantial misconduct” such as adultery should be punished has come under the spotlight.

One of the most significant policy questions involving the division of marital property is whether the division should be influenced by marital misconduct. At present, a majority of jurisdictions hold that marital misconduct is a factor to be considered 

The recent case of an Mpumalanga couple, who divorced after 26 years of marriage because the woman had affairs, sparked a closer look at whether the Divorce Act is outdated.

A magistrate ruled that the woman forfeited some of the financial benefits she and her husband acquired during their marriage, as she had cheated on him on several occasions.

The parties in this case were married out of community of property with an antenuptial contract that included the accrual system. The magistrate found in favour of the husband and granted an order of partial forfeiture of marital benefits against the wife. He also ordered her to pay the costs. The woman then lodged an appeal to the High Court to appeal the magistrate’s order.

Section 9(1) of the Divorce Act 70 of 1979 states:

“(1) When a decree of divorce is granted on the ground of the irretrievable break-down of marriage the court may make an order that the patrimonial benefits of the marriage be forfeited by one party in favour of the other, either wholly or in part, if the court, having regard to the duration of the marriage, the circumstances which gave rise to the break-down thereof and any substantial misconduct on the part of either of the parties, is satisfied that, if the order for forfeiture is not made, the one party will in relation to the other be unduly benefited.”

According to the Judge in the High Court, the magistrate, correctly found that the woman was guilty of misconduct. However, the Judge said, this was not the sole cause of the break-up of the marriage and he found that the husband had “reluctantly” agreed that he rejected his wife’s efforts to reconcile. The Judge was also of the view that it was seldom that a marriage would break down solely due to the conduct of one party.

The Judge referred to the evidence by the husband, in which he admitted his wife was a diligent, wife and a good mother who resigned from her work to devote all her time to their children and the family. This, according to the man, allowed the family to prosper. The judge said that, although her contribution towards the growth of her husband’s estate was not quantified, it could be inferred that she used most, if not all, of her earnings while she was employed, towards the maintenance of the household.

The magistrate’s erred in his finding that the woman would unfairly benefit from their marital estate if he did not order a portion of it forfeited due to her misconduct. It is trite law that a party can only benefit from an asset brought into the estate by the other party, and not from his or her own asset. The wife in this case could thus not forfeit the assets which came about as a result of her contributions. The Judge was further stated that the magistrate, in awarding a cost order against the wife, wanted to punish her for her misconduct. He said the logic behind section 9(1) was that a spouse should not benefit financially from a marriage he or she had wrecked.

Although the Divorce Act 70 of 1979 did away with the “fault” principle a few years ago as a ground for divorce, the Act still allowed for the forfeiture of financial benefits if a spouse committed adultery. It appeared fault still played a role in our divorce system. The judge questioned whether “misconduct” was still relevant.

In light of the recent decision of the Constitutional Court in the case of DE v RH 182/14 it follows that Section 9 of the Divorce Act is archaic and outdated as it was aimed at punishing a party. The court ruled the Justice Minister and Speaker of Parliament be added as parties and that interested parties may enter the fray as friends of the court.

In the past our courts relied on the guilt principle in order to reach their decisions. South Africa’s courts have been called upon to pronounce on section 9(1), however, they have been unpredictable regarding the weight to be attached to each of the factors listed in section 9(1) when granting an order of forfeiture of patrimonial benefits. In 1992 that the Appellate Division in the case of Wijker clarified the position and stated that all three factors do not have to be present and they need not be considered cumulatively. South African courts generally, have failed to properly interpret section 9(1) and neglected to provide proper guidance on what the phrase “unduly benefited” means within the context of the Act.

As stated above courts have to consider three factors before granting a forfeiture order:

·         The duration of the marriage;

·         the circumstances which gave rise to the breakdown thereof;

·         and any substantial misconduct on the part of either of the parties.

It is clear from previous decisions by our courts that when the marriage is regarded by a court as of short duration, the court will order forfeiture if it is established that if the order is not made one party will be unduly benefited. In the case of Swanepoel v Swanepoel, the court held that a marriage which was concluded on 15 December 1990, where one of the parties left the common home on 4 June 1995, was of a short duration and in Malatji v Malatji, the parties married on 14 February 2002 and the defendant left the common home during June 2003, the marriage was held to be of short duration.

The Act does not say what circumstances may be considered by our courts in judging what led to the breakdown of the marriage. Cases are also not clear on this point and such an analysis have to be made on a case-to-case basis. Misconduct such as itself is not a factor which can bring about a forfeiture order, such misconduct must be substantial and the concept of substantial misconduct is not defined in the Act. Our courts have also not been helpful in this regard.

In the case of Beaumont v Beaumont it was stated “...ln many, probably the most cases, both parties will be to blame, in the sense of having contributed to the break-down of the marriage... In such cases, where there is no conspicuous disparity between the conduct of the one party, and that of the other, our Courts will not indulge in an exercise to apportion the fault of the parties, and thus nullify the advantage of the “no-fault” system of divorce.”

The legislature has not gone far enough to address the deficiencies and injustices inherent in the guilt principle and therefore  the court’s decision was correct that the Justice Minister and Speaker of Parliament be added as parties and that interested parties may enter the fray as friends of the court to.

 The fault principle is generally stated as a guideline in the Act. It must be removed from the statute book in clear and unambiguous terms. In my submission, its retention only serves to plague divorce law with confusion and uncertainty.

Juno
12/2/2015 02:58:05 pm

This issue has always been questioned in my personal opinion. Very interested to know when this matter will be heard in Court!

Ntombi Mthembu
3/22/2016 01:18:17 am

I was married in community of property for seven years & my husband had abandoned our marriage for seven years without Amy contribution that household. Staying with another woman & have 2 kids. I suffered emotionally & financially as he publicly displayed his affection of the extramarital relationship. This is a short version. Kindly provide an advice on how to approach divorce & forfeiture order in this regard.


Comments are closed.

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  • Home
  • Divorce
    • The Reasons for Divorce
    • The Divorce Process in South Africa
    • Rule 41A Mediation
    • The Marital Property Regimes >
      • Marriage out of Community of Property, new case
      • Marriage in Community of Property
      • Marriage out of community without accrual >
        • Understanding Post-1984 Marriages
      • Marriage out of community with the inclusion of the accrual
      • Anti-Dissipation Interdicts Divorce
      • Universal Partnerships
      • Antenuptial Contracts
      • Register Antenuptial Contract Online
      • Changing your matrimonial regime.
      • Postnuptial Contracts
    • Division of Assets at Divorce >
      • Forfeiture of Assets in a Divorce
    • Evicting your spouse divorce
    • Retirement Funds and Divorce
    • Living Annuities
    • Hiding Assets in a Divorce
    • Trusts and Divorce >
      • Can I hide assets in Trust?
    • Divorce a Missing Spouse
    • Adultery and Suing a Third Party
    • Domicile in Divorce Cases
    • International Divorces in South Africa
    • Expat South African Divorce
    • International Jurisdiction
    • Spousal Visas
    • International Divorce Law >
      • UK Divorce Laws
    • Choosing a Divorce Attorney
    • On-line Divorce
    • Lawyer Fees and Costs
    • Important Aspects of a Divorce
    • Divorcing a Narcistic Spouse
    • Dealing with Emotions During Divorce and Separation
    • Divorce Statistics
    • Divorce Therapy and Counselling >
      • Marriage and Relationship Therapists
    • Rebuilding Your Financial Life
    • Divorce Attorney Cape Town
    • Ingredients of a successful relationship
    • What are the elements of a successful marriage?
    • Uncontested Divorce
    • Uncontested Divorce - What Happens on the Court Day?
  • Maintenance
    • Spousal maintenance
    • How to calculate Child Maintenance?
    • Maintenance Defaulters
    • What Happens if you don't pay child maintenance
    • Child Maintenance Frequently Asked Questions
    • Rule 43 Interim Maintenance Pending Divorce >
      • Can I appeal a Rule 43 Order
      • Apply for Costs in Rule 43
      • Financial Disclosure Rule 43
      • Rule 43 Maintenance
    • The Maintenance Manual
    • Grand Parents and Maintenance
    • Variation of Maintenance due to loss of employment
    • Contempt of Court Maintenance
  • Children
    • Section 28 of the Children's Act
    • Relocation and Child Abduction >
      • Frequently Asked Questions about Child Relocation
      • Child Relocation to New Zealand
    • The Hague Convention >
      • Child Participation in South African Family Law and the Hague Convention
      • International Child Custody Law South Africa
      • Hague Applications and Domestic Violence
      • Mirror Orders and the Hague Convention
      • Tips on international child custody
    • Unmarried Parents and the Law
    • Unmarried Fathers Rights
    • Parenting Plans >
      • Parenting Plan
      • Conflict and dispute-resolution mechanisms
    • The non-custodian parent and contact
    • Appointing a Guardian in a Will
    • Introducing a new partner to your child
    • Refusal of Contact
    • Suspending Parental Rights
    • The Law on Grandparents Rights over Children
    • Parental Alienation >
      • Alienating Children
      • Parental Alienation Imprisonment
      • What is the effect of Parental Alienation on children?
    • Living Arrangements
    • What effect does divorce have on children?
    • The Voice of the Child in Divorce
    • Facilitation
    • Joint decisions about your child
    • Paternity Disputes
    • The Family Advocate
    • Parenting during separartion
    • Children's Act 38 of 2005
  • Abuse
    • Domestic Violence Legislation and Case Law
    • The New Domestic Violence Act 14 of 2021
    • Gender Based Violence in South Africa
    • Domestic Abuse Forms
    • Evicting a Spouse
    • Being married to a Narcissist.
    • Divorcing an Abusive Spouse
    • What is Coercive Control?
    • What is Emotional Abuse
    • What is Sexual Abuse
    • What is Financial Abuse >
      • Economic Abuse
    • What is Stalking
    • What is Verbal Abuse
    • What is Spiritual Abuse
    • What is Social Abuse
    • Revenge Porn
    • Interdict Intimate photos
    • Steps to obtain a Protection Order
    • Domestic Violence eBook
    • The Protection Order
    • Who Qualifies for a Protection Order
    • Breaching a Protection Order
    • Questions on Domestic Abuse
    • Signs of an Abusive Relationship
    • Domestic Violence Information
    • Harassment >
      • Harassment Forms
  • Cohabitation
    • Universal Partnerships in South African Cohabitation
    • Maintenance and Cohabitation
    • Interim Maintenance and Cohabitation
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  • Formalities for marriage in south africa
    • South Africa's New Marriage Bill: A Step Towards Equality and Inclusion
    • Same Sex
  • Family Law eBooks
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    • Register for the Online Family Law Course
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