Beware the “Common Law Marriage” Myth
If you live as a couple, avoid the trap of believing the myth of the “common law marriage”. It’s a very persistent myth, possibly because some other countries do indeed give formal recognition to certain forms of life partnership. But not in South Africa - there is no such thing in our law as a “common law marriage”. No matter how long you have lived together, if you break up or when one of you dies, neither of you automatically has any of the rights and protections afforded to a couple in a marriage or civil union. Apart from the…