Divorce is one of life’s most stressful events, and the process can seem overwhelming. But it needn’t be a legal nightmare. Read on for a simple infographic showing how it all works – all the way from coming to us for advice through to leaving court with your divorce granted.

We’ll also address nine of the more commonly asked questions and concerns you might be grappling with. 

Occasional disagreements are inevitable in all relationships, but when they spiral out of control to the extent that the directors of a company go to war with each other, the resulting deadlock can make it impossible for the company to continue operating. 

How can you avoid that happening to your company, and what should you do if it does? We address those questions with reference to a recent High Court fight between directors whose broken relationship killed their profitable business and led to the company’s liquidation.  

Imagine tucking into a delicious hamburger at your favourite restaurant, only to suddenly feel a sharp pain in your throat and realise that something awful is stuck there. The next five days are a nightmare of fear, pain, hospital beds and unsuccessful operations.

That’s exactly what happened to an unfortunate diner who sued a Stellenbosch restaurant for negligence – and won. Her victory, and the High Court’s reasoning in awarding it, hold valuable lessons for all restaurants, indeed for all suppliers of goods and services to the public.

“Maintenance” or “Alimony”?

You’ll often come across the term “alimony” (from the Latin “alimonia”, meaning “nourishment” or “support”) in American movies and series. It also occasionally crops up in some older English law contexts such as P.G. Wodehouse’s wry comment that, “Judges, as a class, display, in the matter of arranging alimony, that reckless generosity which is found only in men who are giving away someone else's cash.” Our South African equivalent of “alimony” is “spousal maintenance” or “spousal support”.

“Maintenance” on the other hand is our law’s broad term for both spousal and child maintenance, “child support” being the American term for the latter.