Category: Personal

Introduction Marriage is a sacred union between two people who are in a personal relationship. Marriage takes many forms such as religious, cultural and civil.  Often these types of marriages (religious and cultural) are not always recognised through the eyes of the law.  In South Africa, civil and customary marriages, therefore, are the most recognised and protected form of marriage. Types of Marriages Under South African law, three types of marriages are legally recognised, civil marriages, customary marriages and civil unions. Civil Marriages In terms of the Marriage Act, civil marriages are marriages that can only be entered into between...

Introduction What happens when a spouse discloses to the other that they have committed a crime? Does the spouse have an obligation in terms of the law to say something? Can that spouse be forced by the court of law to testify? Does the law offer protection to the spouses? What is marital privilege? It is the protection offered to spouses for communication that was privately disclosed during the course of their marriage. Either spouse may invoke the privilege and this can prevent the one spouse from testifying against the other about their private marital communications in a civil or...