Written for people, not lawyers. Each guide has key points, a cost card, FAQs and a clear note on when you actually need an attorney.
The landlord pays for structural repairs and for keeping the property fit to live in. The tenant pays for damage they or their visitors cause and for small day-to-day upkeep. Fair wear and tear is always the landlord cost.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
Go back to the Maintenance Court and lodge a complaint of default. The court can order the money to be deducted from the defaulter's salary, attach and sell their property, report them to the credit bureaus, and prosecute them criminally.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
Constructive dismissal is when you resign because your employer made continued employment intolerable. It counts as a dismissal in law, but you must prove it, and resigning is the last step rather than the first.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
An emoluments attachment order is a court order that instructs your employer to deduct a fixed amount from your salary each month and pay it to a creditor. It can only be granted by a court, after judgment, and only if the deduction is just and equitable.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
Yes. A post on Facebook, X, TikTok or a WhatsApp group can be defamatory in exactly the same way as anything printed. You must show the statement was published to someone else, that it refers to you, and that it harms your reputation.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
A straightforward property transfer usually takes about 6 to 12 weeks from the day the offer is accepted to the day it registers at the Deeds Office. Delays are common, and they are almost always caused by outstanding documents or clearance figures.
4 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
You can still divorce in South Africa if you are domiciled or ordinarily resident here. The difficulty is not jurisdiction, it is getting the summons served on someone in another country, which usually needs a separate court application.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
Yes. Annual leave that has accrued and not been taken must be paid out when your employment ends, whether you resigned, were dismissed or were retrenched. Sick leave and family responsibility leave are not paid out.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
A debt collector may contact you at work, but may not discuss your debt with your employer, your colleagues or anyone else, and may not harass you. Repeated calls, threats or disclosing your debt to third parties can be reported and stopped.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
There is no standard amount. An RAF claim is built from your actual medical costs, your lost earnings and, only if your injury is assessed as serious, general damages for pain and suffering. Two people with the same injury can receive very different amounts.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
No. A landlord may not cut off your electricity or water to force you to pay or to make you move out. That is an unlawful self-help eviction, and you can have the supply restored through an urgent court order or the Rental Housing Tribunal.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
A parenting plan is a written agreement between parents setting out how they will care for their child: where the child lives, contact arrangements, schooling, healthcare and money. It can be registered with the family advocate or made an order of court.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
A simple CCMA case can be finished in about two to four months. Conciliation is aimed at happening within 30 days of the referral, arbitration follows if it does not settle, and an award normally comes within about two weeks of the hearing ending.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
To check whether a debt has prescribed you need three dates: when the debt became due, when you last paid or acknowledged it, and whether a summons was ever served on you. For most ordinary debt, three clear years with no payment and no acknowledgement means it has prescribed.
5 min read · Reviewed 4 Sep 2026
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