Relocation with your minor child from South Africa – What are my rights?

In today’s modern times, many people decide to leave South Africa and seek employment overseas or in a nearby country. The reason for that could be many. But usually, it’s because they feel they can earn much more in a different country or live a better life. Furthermore, safety and security, and medical benefits are on the list. What often happens is one parent wants to relocate, with a child, however, the other parent has an issue with it. As you will see later, the consent of both guardians is required for a minor child to leave the Republic of South Africa. advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorce

Parents need to first discuss the issue of relocation before making a decision

We are often approached by the parent wishing to relocate with the minor child for legal advice. It is often the mother. She wants to know what her rights are regarding the child relocating with her. Now the ideal situation would be for both parents to sit down and discuss the issue. It would obviously have a big impact on their lives should relocation with the child take place. They should discuss aspects regarding contact and maintenance should relocation be a viable option. However, meeting eye to eye and having a sensible discussion on the issue is not always the case.

Effects of relocation on the parents

advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorceIt often happens when parents do not agree on the issue of relocation; the parent wishing to relocate has to make some drastic decisions. Should she remain in South Africa and continue in her current employment, or remain unemployed? By remaining in South Africa, she would remain the primary caregiver of the minor child. The other option is for the parent to not fight the issue but decide to relocate and leave the child with a parent in South Africa. This could become problematic. Especially so in the case where the parent residing in South Africa was never a primary caregiver of the minor child. In other words, he or she cannot care for the child as well as the parent wishing to relocate.

What does South African law say?

Now in terms of the law, if a child should be removed from the Republic of South Africa, for traveling, or relocation, he or she requires the consent of both guardians. We will not go into the finer details of who is a guardian and what are the rights of a guardian. However, in terms of the Children’s Act, both guardians should consent for the minor child to be removed from the Republic of South Africa, and his or her return. Therefore, if the parents come to an agreement that the minor child may relocate, then the consenting parent should only sign necessary consent documents. Those documents can be obtained from the Department of Home Affairs. At the same time additional assisting documents will be of use. For example, an affidavit from the father stating that he has no issue with a minor child relocating and he provides a mother with the authority to make certain decisions regarding the minor child. These decisions could relate to the enrolment of schools, medical consent, and consent to travel within the country.

advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorceWhat happens if consent for relocation is refused by one parent?

Let’s say consent is not provided. What can the parent do under those circumstances? Unfortunately, the parent would have to approach the court to dispense with the consent of the other. He or she will have to convince the court that it would be in the minor child’s best interest for the relocation to take place. The parent who remains in South Africa will have to do the opposite. He or she would have to convince the court that it would be in the child’s best interest for them to remain in South Africa. Valid reasons could be that the country that they wish to relocate to is dangerous, or the child would be better suited to remain in South Africa.

More on approaching the Court when it comes to relocation of minor children

Now the problem arises as mentioned earlier. The parent wishing to relocate is left with a predicament. Does he or she remain in South Africa caring for the child or does he or she relocate and leave the child behind if consent is not given. As stated earlier, he or she would have to approach the Court. All these factors will have to be ventilated before the court and then the court will decide what is in the minor child’s best interest. We pause here to state that should a parent follow the specific route in approaching the court, he or she may want to at the same time apply for certain sole guardianship rights to the minor child. The parent would have to ask the court for certain rights, for example, should the minor child have to apply for a passport while overseas; only that parent’s consent is required. The same applies should the minor child have to be enrolled in a school, and as stated earlier, attend to a medical procedure. advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorceIf the parent relocating is a mother, she can bring up a constitutional argument. She may argue that because she is a mother of the child and gave birth to the child, it is unfair for her to obtain the father’s consent under the circumstances. He, on the other hand, may decide to travel anywhere in the world and do not require the consent of the mother, because he is not the primary caregiver of the minor child.

Summary of the issue of consent for the relocation of minor children

So in short, if the parties cannot come to an agreement on the relocation of the minor child to another country, the parents wishing to relocate should approach the court to dispense with the consent of the other parent. The other parent can oppose the application stating various reasons why it would not be in the minor child’s best interest for them to relocate. If that parent was not much involved in the minor child’s life and cannot care for the minor child; more than likely the court would not find in that parent’s favour. The bottom line is as stated, the court will decide what is best for the child. advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorce  
Posted on by Telelaw

Relocation with your minor child from South Africa – What are my rights?

In today’s modern times, many people decide to leave South Africa and seek employment overseas or in a nearby country. The reason for that could be many. But usually, it’s because they feel they can earn much more in a different country or live a better life. Furthermore, safety and security, and medical benefits are on the list. What often happens is one parent wants to relocate, with a child, however, the other parent has an issue with it. As you will see later, the consent of both guardians is required for a minor child to leave the Republic of South Africa.

advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorce

Parents need to first discuss the issue of relocation before making a decision

We are often approached by the parent wishing to relocate with the minor child for legal advice. It is often the mother. She wants to know what her rights are regarding the child relocating with her. Now the ideal situation would be for both parents to sit down and discuss the issue. It would obviously have a big impact on their lives should relocation with the child take place. They should discuss aspects regarding contact and maintenance should relocation be a viable option. However, meeting eye to eye and having a sensible discussion on the issue is not always the case.

Effects of relocation on the parents

advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorceIt often happens when parents do not agree on the issue of relocation; the parent wishing to relocate has to make some drastic decisions. Should she remain in South Africa and continue in her current employment, or remain unemployed? By remaining in South Africa, she would remain the primary caregiver of the minor child. The other option is for the parent to not fight the issue but decide to relocate and leave the child with a parent in South Africa. This could become problematic. Especially so in the case where the parent residing in South Africa was never a primary caregiver of the minor child. In other words, he or she cannot care for the child as well as the parent wishing to relocate.

What does South African law say?

Now in terms of the law, if a child should be removed from the Republic of South Africa, for traveling, or relocation, he or she requires the consent of both guardians. We will not go into the finer details of who is a guardian and what are the rights of a guardian. However, in terms of the Children’s Act, both guardians should consent for the minor child to be removed from the Republic of South Africa, and his or her return. Therefore, if the parents come to an agreement that the minor child may relocate, then the consenting parent should only sign necessary consent documents. Those documents can be obtained from the Department of Home Affairs. At the same time additional assisting documents will be of use. For example, an affidavit from the father stating that he has no issue with a minor child relocating and he provides a mother with the authority to make certain decisions regarding the minor child. These decisions could relate to the enrolment of schools, medical consent, and consent to travel within the country.

advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorceWhat happens if consent for relocation is refused by one parent?

Let’s say consent is not provided. What can the parent do under those circumstances? Unfortunately, the parent would have to approach the court to dispense with the consent of the other. He or she will have to convince the court that it would be in the minor child’s best interest for the relocation to take place. The parent who remains in South Africa will have to do the opposite. He or she would have to convince the court that it would be in the child’s best interest for them to remain in South Africa. Valid reasons could be that the country that they wish to relocate to is dangerous, or the child would be better suited to remain in South Africa.

More on approaching the Court when it comes to relocation of minor children

Now the problem arises as mentioned earlier. The parent wishing to relocate is left with a predicament. Does he or she remain in South Africa caring for the child or does he or she relocate and leave the child behind if consent is not given. As stated earlier, he or she would have to approach the Court. All these factors will have to be ventilated before the court and then the court will decide what is in the minor child’s best interest.

We pause here to state that should a parent follow the specific route in approaching the court, he or she may want to at the same time apply for certain sole guardianship rights to the minor child. The parent would have to ask the court for certain rights, for example, should the minor child have to apply for a passport while overseas; only that parent’s consent is required. The same applies should the minor child have to be enrolled in a school, and as stated earlier, attend to a medical procedure.

advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorceIf the parent relocating is a mother, she can bring up a constitutional argument. She may argue that because she is a mother of the child and gave birth to the child, it is unfair for her to obtain the father’s consent under the circumstances. He, on the other hand, may decide to travel anywhere in the world and do not require the consent of the mother, because he is not the primary caregiver of the minor child.

Summary of the issue of consent for the relocation of minor children

So in short, if the parties cannot come to an agreement on the relocation of the minor child to another country, the parents wishing to relocate should approach the court to dispense with the consent of the other parent. The other parent can oppose the application stating various reasons why it would not be in the minor child’s best interest for them to relocate. If that parent was not much involved in the minor child’s life and cannot care for the minor child; more than likely the court would not find in that parent’s favour. The bottom line is as stated, the court will decide what is best for the child.

advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorce

 

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Divorce Lawyers – Make sure your Attorney or Advocate is on your side

Divorce Lawyer – Divorces need not be difficult. With a large number of marriages ending up in divorce; surely the process should be simple. When a marriage has broken down irretrievably, life needs to go on. It is senseless to make up for your unsuccessful marriage, by trying to have a successful divorce. If there are children involved, there is even more reason not to fight. And if there are no children involved, the only outstanding issues would be property. But if you were married out of Community of Property, there is no need to fight at all. This is where a good divorce lawyer comes in.

Family Law Questions and Answers

Should you not find what you are looking for, feel free to post your questions on our blog, by clicking on the following links:

Divorces – Questions and Answers

Child Custody – Questions and Answers

Child Maintenance – Question and Answers

Domestic Violence – Questions and Answers

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Business SA or Private Legal.

This article does not deal with the procedural aspects of a divorce. Other articles on this website deal with that. The aim of this article is for you to search and find a good divorce lawyer, attorney, or advocate that has your best interests at heard. In other words, not there to make a small fortune off you, at the expense of your well being and that of your family. Below you would find a consent paper, with reasonable terms, that can be customised accordingly.

How should divorce lawyers deal with divorce matters?

Not all divorces are the same. But the reality is, not all divorces need to be a fight. The only persons that benefit from a long drawn out divorce are lawyers. And once the funds dry out, so too does the divorce lawyer’s energy for your case. In our view, the first thing the divorce lawyers should do when approached by a client for a divorce is to resolve it expeditiously. This can be done by trying to call both parties into a round table meeting. This is where all issues are unpacked. If that is not possible, send the other side a reasonable settlement agreement. In that way, before huge sums of money are wasted on legal costs; matters can be resolved in a cost effective manner. Have a look at the Settlement Agreement below which should be part of any good divorce lawyer’s templates. It is reasonable an one that should be accepted by the other side with due amendments. [caption id="attachment_6682" align="alignleft" width="300"]Divorce Attorney Cape Town Divorce Attorney Cape Town[/caption]

EXAMPLE OF A CONSENT PAPER

IN   THE   HIGH   COURT OF SOUTH   AFRICA (WESTERN CAPE DIVISION, CAPE TOWN) CASE NO:          /18 In the matter between:   JOHN SMITH                                                                    PLAINTIFF       and     JANE SMITH                                                                   DEFENDANT     CONSENT PAPER   INTRODUCTION THE PARTIES, as described above, were married to each other on XXX, at XXX, Cape Town, Western Cape, and the marriage still so subsists; THREE (3) MINOR CHILDREN, namely, XXX (hereafter together referred to as “the minor children”), were born from the marriage; THE PARTIES find it unfortunate, and are in agreement that the marriage has broken down irretrievably and that there is no reasonable prospect of the restoration of a normal relationship between them; AND THEREFORE, the Parties both wish for a divorce, dissolving the marriage between them, which divorce both parties would co-operate in finalising as friendly and as speedily as possible; AND WHEREAS the Parties have arrived at an Agreement relating, inter alia, to parental responsibilities and rights, proprietary rights and costs of suit, which agreement the Parties desire to record in writing and have incorporated in the Final Order of Divorce in the event of the above Honourable Court seeing it fit to grant a Final Decree of Divorce dissolving the marriage between the Parties. NOW THEREFORE THESE SAID PARTIES AGREES AS FOLLOWS:
  1. PERSONAL MAINTENANCE
    • Each Party hereby waives his or her claim to personal maintenance, past, present and future from the other Party, if any;
  2. PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS
    • The Parties are to remain co-holders of parental responsibilities and rights in respect of the minor children in terms of the Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 (“the Children’s Act”) as follows:
      • The Parties are to remain co-holders of guardianship over the minor children as provided for in Section 18(2(c), 18(3), 18(4) and 18(5) of the Children’s Act; and
      • The Parties are to remain co-holders of parental responsibilities and rights of care and contact in respect of the minor children as provided for in Section 18(2)(a) and (b) of the Children’s Act.
    • The Parties’ rights of care and contact shall be implemented as follows:
      • The minor children shall reside primarily with Plaintiff who shall be their primary care-giver; and
      • Defendant shall have reasonable contact with the minor children as follows unless agreed to otherwise between the Parties:
        • Every alternative weekend, commencing from Friday 15:00 until 17:00 on the Sunday;
        • Every Tuesday preceding his weekend of contact from 17:00 to 20:00; and
        • Every Thursday succeeding his weekend of contact from 17:00 to 20:00.
      • School Holidays
        • Equal sharing of long and short school holidays, in that the minor children shall reside one half with Plaintiff and the other with Defendant which shall alternate each year.
      • Special Days Contact
      • The Plaintiff and/or the Defendant, as the case may be, shall further have contact with the minor children on the following days for 3 (three) hours notwithstanding in whose care the minor children are in on those days:
        • Christmas Day;
        • The minor children’s birthday;
        • Father’s Day and Mother’s Day; and
        • The Parties’ birthday.
      • The Parties shall have telephonic contact with the minor children on a regular basis whilst the minor children are in the other’s care;
      • Notwithstanding the above, the Parties shall have reasonable contact with the minor children at all times, provided that any additional contact shall be arranged telephonically and shall only take place by prior arrangement and consensus between the Parties; and
      • The Parties shall respect each other’s privacy and shall not enter each other’s homes at any time without prior invitation, whether for the purpose of fetching or returning the minor children or any other reason whatsoever.
    • JOINT DECISION MAKING
      • The Parties shall make joint decisions about the following aspects of the minor children’s life:
        • Major decisions about the minor children’s schooling and tertiary education;
        • Major decisions about the minor children’s physical care, mental health care and medical care;
        • Major decisions about the minor children’s religious and spiritual upbringing;
        • Decisions about the minor children’s residence both within and outside the Cape Peninsula;
        • Decisions which are likely to significantly change the minor children’s living conditions or to have an adverse effect on their well-being; and
        • Decisions which affect the minor children’s everyday care and daily routine shall be made by the party in whose care the minor children are in at the relevant time.
  1. FACILITATION
    • A facilitator shall be appointed by the parties jointly to facilitate and assist in resolving disputes between the parties relating to the minor children;
    • These disputes shall include contact disputes should one party feel that contact should be increased or decreased, or varied for either party;
    • In the event of the facilitator being unable to continue as facilitator, then he/she shall appoint a facilitator in his/her place, alternatively, or should the parties be unable to agree on the appointment of a facilitator or replacement facilitator, such facilitator or replacement facilitator as the case may be shall be appointed by the chairperson for the time being of FAMAC (Western Cape);
    • In the event of the parties being unable to reach agreement in respect of a dispute, with the assistance of the facilitator, then the facilitator shall be entitled to issue a directive in respect of such dispute which shall be valid of full legal force and effect and binding upon the parties until a court of competent jurisdiction Orders differently;
    • The facilitator shall be entitled in his/her sole discretion to appoint such other person as may be necessary in order to make a decision in respect of the issue in dispute, including the right to co-opt a facilitator or the assistance of an appropriate expert if he/she deems it appropriate or necessary; and
    • The cost of sessions with the facilitator and the services of the expert shall be shared equally between the parties unless otherwise directed by the facilitator. Each Party shall, however, be liable for the facilitator’s costs incurred attendant upon such party’s written and telephonic communications with the facilitator.
  2. CHILD MAINTENANCE
    • Defendant shall pay an amount of R XXX – 00 (XXX Rand) per month per child, in respect of child maintenance;
    • The aforementioned amounts are payable on or before the 1st day of each and every succeeding month from the date of the Divorce. The said sum shall be paid into such bank account as Plaintiff may nominate from time to time;
    • The child maintenance payable shall increase annually on the 1st day of January each year, in accordance with the rise that has taken place in the preceding 12 (Twelve) months in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Republic of South Africa, as determined by the Director of Statistics or its equivalent for persons in the middle-income group;
    • Plaintiff shall retain Alyssa Skye Abrahams, on her current medical aid scheme, or a similar scheme with similar benefits;
    • Defendant shall retain Joel Malcolm Abrahams, on his current medical aid scheme, or similar scheme with similar benefits;
    • Both Parties would be responsible, in equal shares in respect of the minor children for all reasonable medical, psychological, physiotherapy, dental, ophthalmic, pharmaceutical, hospitalization and prescribed medication costs, incurred, and not covered by the latter medical aid schemes.
    • If the minor children display aptitudes and qualify for tertiary education, then both Parties shall be responsible in equal shares for all the costs associated with such tertiary education, which shall include, but not limited to, tuition, textbooks, transport, and boarding if necessary. In this regard, if one Party paid for an educational expense in full, he or she shall accordingly be reimbursed with half the expense within 7 (seven) days of being showed proof of such expense.
  3. THE JOINT ESTATE OF THE PARTIES SHALL BE DIVIDED AS FOLLOWS:
    • Defendant’s Investment Policy
      • XXX
    • MOTOR VEHICLES
      • XXX
  1. BALANCE OF THE JOINT ESTATE
    • The balance of the Joint Estate shall equally be divided between the Parties.
  2. OBLIGATIONS BINDING ON ESTATE
    • The obligations in terms of this Consent Paper shall be binding on the parties’ respective estates, heirs, administrators and/or assigns.
  3. FULL AND FINAL SETTLEMENT
    • This Agreement is a full and final settlement of all outstanding differences between them, and save as herein provided, neither party shall enjoy any personal claim against the other.
  4. COSTS
    • Each party shall pay their own legal costs associated with the divorce.
   
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Uncontested divorce in South Africa

What do we mean when we use the term “uncontested divorce”? Our law offices have potential clients calling in on a regular basis and when asked about the nature of the divorce, we’re met with “What do you mean?“. This is perfectly normal from a layperson’s perspective. To put it simply, an uncontested divorce is a divorce in which both parties are in agreement with. Because of the less complex nature of this divorce; it can be done within a matter of three weeks with our legal expert on board. As explained by the legal expert on our website, for Undefended Divorce in the Western Cape High Court, you will have to: Complete the free online divorce form below to assist you with your unopposed divorce. View the following related pages: Free DIY Online Divorce Guide and Form A divorce guide in PDF format A Sample Summons in Word format A Particulars of Claim in Word Format A notice of Set Down in Word Format Find out more about Undefended Divorce in the Western Cape High Court and call our law offices on 021 424 3487 to make an online appointment with us for a professional legal consultation today!  

DIY divorce in Cape Town, Western Cape

Are you interested in finding out more about doing your own divorce? While this can be more economically viable option, you will need the assistance of the legal expert to guide you along the way. Our website has been designed to navigate easily for the layperson. The creators of this website have also tried to make content easy to navigate. With this in mind, we have supplied a number of free, expert legal advice articles that has been carefully crafted by the legal expert himself. According to the legal expert stated in Do Your Own Unopposed Divorce, the following will need to be done: A summons needs to be drafted which will be issued by the divorce court to commence the divorce process. It should have on it the details of the court you will be issuing divorce, details of the parties, e.g. names, occupation and address etc. Every High Court in the area where you live has the authority to attend to a divorce. There are however specialized divorce courts that may attend to a divorce as well. You should then draft a particulars of claim, outlining relevant matters concerning the marriage, children, reasons for wanting a divorce and what do you want the court to grant you in a divorce order. This particulars of claim you attach to the summons. Here is an example of a summons and particulars of claim for a divorce for a couple married in community of property with no children getting divorce in the High Court in Cape Town. For more on how to go about your DIY Divorce, see our Do Your Own Unopposed Divorce and make an online appointment with us today by calling our friendly receptionist at 021 424 3487.  

Contested divorce in South Africa

When it comes to contested divorce – we’re talking long Court procedures due to overbearing court rolls. First of all, a contested divorce is a divorce in which both, or one party opposes the divorce and is not in agreement of the divorce. We have found that the parties becomes overly emotional about the process and tend to lose track of the bigger picture. This is a major contributing factor that adds to dragging process. However, our legal expert would always inform parties that easy divorces are generally rare (even in a case of an uncontested divorce). One too many times, where there’s children involved, you will find issues of child custody, visitation rights and child maintenance will arise in the process. As advised on How to Win Your Divorce Case article, it is encouraged to acquaint yourself with the laws regarding child maintenance. The following scenario is highlighted for instance: Lets say a couple was married for 10 (years). They married in community of property. In other words, they share in everything. There are 2 children born from the marriage. They live in a home that is bonded, but purchased by the wife before the marriage. The bond is only registered on her name, and gets deducted from her personal banking account. The father however does not work, but attends to the household, which includes cleaning, taking the kids to school, making food etc. When the children are ill, the father would be the one who stays up caring for them. School projects and homework is also attended to by the father. The father does some web designing work for income, but his income is minimal compared to that of his wife. The best would be to enter into a parenting plan. For more on this, read our  How to Win Your Divorce Case article on our web page. Call our law offices on 021 424 3487 to make an online appointment with us for a professional legal consultation today!

Free divorce products and toolkits

As previously mentioned, we pride ourselves in trying to make legal information easily accessible. Do feel free to link on the relevant links below and start downloading our free, legal advice products for your convenience:
  1. How to Change your Matrimonial Property Regime
  2. Do your own Unopposed Divorce. No lawyers needed and its Free.
  3. Parental Rights of Divorced Muslim parents after a Talaq or Faskh
  4. Free Online Divorce Assistance Form – DIY Cape Town South Africa comprising of:
Call our law offices on 021 424 3487 to make an online appointment with us for a professional legal consultation today!      
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