Point of View: Understanding the process of separation and divorce in South Africa

Kaya 959 Reporter

The transition period from separation to divorce can be a daunting period in a married couple’s life, one that requires both parties to enter with their eyes wide open.

In the context of South Africa, a divorce is the legal dissolution or termination of marriage whereas a legal separation does not put an end to the marriage. This is very important to understand as separation means that the individuals are still married in the eyes of the law.

This means, whether you have a trial separation, or living apart, or have a permanent separation (when you break up, but not legally), through all these you are still considered married.

Point of View with Phemelo Motenne was joined by Rushka Pedro Lee, who is a Mediator as well as Nthabiseng Dubazana, a Legal Expert who specialises in Criminal and Family Law to give Kaya 959 listeners an understanding of the process of separation and divorce in South Africa.

LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION HERE:

Nthabiseng Dubazana gave a clearer definition of what separation is in the context of South Africa, saying unlike in countries like the US, it isn’t catered for in terms of the law. Under the laws of South Africa, one can either be: Unmarried; Married, or Divorced.

She advised that its important to always know where you stand with your partner, in case one of you dies during the process of separation.

“Basically if you are still thinking of going through with a divorce or you are still trying to sort things out, with your feelings and emotions pertaining to separation, it is always advisable to seek professional help, to see a physiatrist, to make the transition easier.

“If the decision is still pending, it’s important to see someone who will help you transition into the person you want to be, or help who will help you find your way together with your partner,” says Dubazana.

When is it time to see a mediator?

Rushka Pedro Lee, broke down when she typically steps in as a mediator. As a mediator she says, she takes control of the negotiations and helps guide married couples through the emotional aspects of divorce so they can come to an agreement that all parties can live with.

“The most common factor that we come across is access to the children, and of course maintenance, money is a big factor when it comes to these things,” says Pedro Lee.

She also said that during this period there is a lack of trust between both parties, however, what she’s realised over the years is that people generally want the same things.

She added that as mediators they become translators to both parties as it gets quite intense.

Both Rushka and Nthabiseng provided different scenarios that may arise in the event married couples separate or eventually decide to get a divorce.

Written by: Zuko

COVID-19 Divorce in South Africa Kaya 959 Point of View South Africa

‘My boyfriend expects me to support his kids financially’ – The Blind Spot

04/04/2025

Point Of View

Political parties react to 2025 Budget being passed

03/04/2025

QUICK LINKS

UpComing Shows

Connect with Kaya 959

DownLoad Our Mobile App

Privacy Policy

THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT FORMS PART OF KAYA 959’S TERMS OF USE POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY TERM OF THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT, YOU MUST CEASE YOUR ACCESS OF THIS WEBSITE IMMEDIATELY.

POPIA Act – To promote the protection of personal information processed by public and private bodies; to introduce certain conditions so as to establish minimum requirements for the processing of personal information; to provide for the establishment of an Information Regulator to exercise certain powers and to perform certain duties and functions in terms of this Act and the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000; to provide for the issuing of codes of conduct; to provide for the rights of persons regarding unsolicited electronic communications and automated decision making; to regulate the flow of personal information across the borders of the Republic; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

RECOGNISING THAT—

section 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides that everyone has the right to privacy;
the right to privacy includes a right to protection against the unlawful collection, retention, dissemination and use of personal information;
the State must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights in the Bill of Rights;

AND BEARING IN MIND THAT—

consonant with the constitutional values of democracy and openness, the need for economic and social progress, within the framework of the information society, requires the removal of unnecessary impediments to the free flow of information, including personal information;

AND IN ORDER TO—

regulate, in harmony with international standards, the processing of personal information by public and private bodies in a manner that gives effect to the right to privacy subject to justifiable limitations that are aimed at protecting other rights and important interests,

Definitions and Interpretation

1.1.“Personal Information” means information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person and where it is applicable, identifiable, existing juristic person, including all information as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013.

1.2 Parliament assented to POPIA on 19 November 2013. The commencement date of section 1, Part A of Chapter 5, section 112 and section 113 was 11 April 2014. The commencement date of the other sections was 1 July 2020 (with the exception of section 110 and 114(4). The President of South Africa has proclaimed the POPI commencement date to be 1 July 2020.

1.3. “Processing” means the creation, generation, communication, storage, destruction of personal information as more fully defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013.

1.4. “You” or the “user” means any person who accesses and browses this website for any purpose.

1.4. “Website” means the website of the KAYA 959 at URL www.kaya959.co.za or such other URL as KAYA 959 may choose from time to time.

Status and Amendments

2.1. KAYA 959 respects your privacy. This privacy policy statement sets out KAYA 959’s information gathering and dissemination practices in respect of the Website.

2.2. This Privacy Policy governs the processing of personal information provided to KAYA 959 through your use of the Website.

2.3. Please note that, due to legal and other developments, KAYA 959 may amend these terms and conditions from time to time.

Processing of Personal Information

3.1. By providing your personal information to KAYA 959 you acknowledge that it has been collected directly from you and consent to its processing by KAYA 959.

3.2. Where you submit Personal Information (such as name, address, telephone number and email address) via the website (e.g. through completing any online form) the following principles are observed in the processing of that information:

3.2.1. KAYA 959 will only collect personal information for a purpose consistent with the purpose for which it is required. The specific purpose for which information is
collected will be apparent from the context in which it is requested.

3.2.2. KAYA 959 will only process personal information in a manner that is adequate, relevant and not excessive in the context of the purpose for which it is processed.

3.2.3. Personal information will only be processed for a purpose compatible with that for which it was collected, unless you have agreed to an alternative purpose in writing or KAYA 959 is permitted in terms of national legislation of general application dealing primarily with the protection of personal information.

3.2.4. KAYA 959 will keep records of all personal Information collected and the specific purpose for which it was collected for a period of 1 (one) year from the date on which it was last used.

3.2.5. KAYA 959 will not disclose any personal information relating to you to any third party unless your prior written agreement is obtained or KAYA 959 is required to do so by law.

3.2.6. If personal information is released with your consent KAYA 959 will retain a record of the information released, the third party to which it was released, the reason for the release and the date of release, for a period of 1 (one) year from the date on which it was last used.

3.2.7. KAYA 959 will destroy or delete any personal information that is no longer needed by KAYA 959 for the purpose it was initially collected, or subsequently processed.

3.3. Note that, as permitted by the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, KAYA 959 may use personal information collected to compile profiles for statistical purposes. No information contained in the profiles or statistics will be able to be linked to any specific user.

Collection of anonymous data

4.1. KAYA 959 may use standard technology to collect information about the use of this website. This technology is not able to identify individual users but simply allows KAYA 959 to collect statistics.

4.2. KAYA 959 may utilise temporary or session cookies to keep track of users’ browsing habits. A cookie is a small file that is placed on your hard drive in order to keep a record of your interaction with this website and facilitate user convenience.

4.2.1. Cookies by themselves will not be used to identify users personally but may be used to compile identified statistics relating to use of services offered or to provide KAYA 959 with feedback on the performance of this website.

4.2.2. The following classes of information may be collected in respect of users who have enabled cookies:

4.2.2.1. The browser software used;

4.2.2.2. IP address;

4.2.2.3. Date and time of activities while visiting the website;

4.2.2.4. URLs of internal pages visited; and

4.2.2.5. referrers.

4.3. If you do not wish cookies to be employed to customize your interaction with this website it is possible to alter the manner in which your browser handles cookies. Please note that, if this is done, certain services on this website may not be available.

Security

5.1. KAYA 959 takes reasonable measures to ensure the security and integrity of information submitted to or collected by this website, but cannot under any circumstances be held liable for any loss or other damage sustained by you as a result of unlawful access to or dissemination of any personal information by a third party.

Links to other websites

6.1. KAYA 959 has no control over and accepts no responsibility for the privacy practices of any third party websites to which hyperlinks may have been provided and KAYA 959 strongly recommends that you review the privacy policy of any website you visit before using it further.

Queries

7.1. If you have any queries about this privacy policy please contact us by emailing [email protected]