Can a testator disinherit their surviving spouse?
The Maintenance of Surviving Spouses Act 27 of 1990 permits surviving spouses to seek maintenance from the deceased spouse’s estate upon the marriage ending due to death. This claim lasts until the survivor’s death or remarriage and factors in estate value, the survivor’s financial circumstances, marriage duration, living standards, and age. It is widely recognised […]
ESTATE PLANNING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBDIVISION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND ACT
Scenario Mr Reyneke owns a farm in South Africa and in terms of his last will and testament he bequeathed the said farm to his two sons in equal shares. Mr Reyneke died in 2019 and the executor of his estate requires clarification concerning the farm and the two sons. Firstly, the distribution of a […]
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO DEAL WITH COLLATION IN YOUR WILL?
The South Africa common law presumption of collation (collatio bonorum) is alive and well. This presumption is rooted in the belief that a testator intended that there should be equality in the distribution of his estate among his descendants (“children”). Collation is the process by which the inheritance of certain descendants (heirs)of the deceased is […]
PROPERLY EXECUTING A WILL IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
I gave instructions to my attorney to prepare a last will and testament for me as my will no longer reflected my wishes. At my request, my attorney emailed the will to me with clear instructions as to how I should go about signing it. I asked my neighbours to act and sign as witnesses. […]
WHAT ARE MUTUAL WILLS?
The most general mutual will is that of a married couple. This does not mean, however, that the estates are joined and that the Testator and Testatrix have to make a joint decision about the distribution of their estates. Each party may still make independent decisions about the distribution of his/her estate within one will. […]