{"id":43930,"date":"2025-12-02T09:55:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T07:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/?p=43930"},"modified":"2025-12-02T09:53:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T07:53:28","slug":"pulse-december-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/pulse-december-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Pulse | December 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Taking legal action: How to apply for a protection order in South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Towards the end of November, South Africa formally declared gender-based violence and femicide a \u2018national disaster\u2019. For survivors and individuals at risk, the most pressing need is often personal safety. In this article, we outline the process to apply for a protection order \u2013 and how STBB can help.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/blog-taking-legal-action-how-to-apply-for-a-protection-order-in-south-africa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>Learn more<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Muslim marriages: Does issuing a <em>talaq<\/em> after divorce proceedings have been instituted prevent a spouse from claiming maintenance?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Reaffirming the application of <a href=\"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/stbb-newsflash-a-new-dawn-for-muslim-marriages-historic-divorce-amendment-act-signed-into-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>the Divorce Amendment Act to Muslim marriages<\/u><\/a>, the Western Cape High Court recently ruled that issuing a talaq cannot oust a court\u2019s jurisdiction to dissolve a marriage or grant interim maintenance.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/pulse-muslim-marriages-does-issuing-a-talaq-after-divorce-proceedings-have-been-instituted-prevent-a-spouse-from-claiming-maintenance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>Tell me more<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>In case you missed it: STBB\u2019s attorneys recognised by <em>Best Lawyers<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last month, some of STBB\u2019s exemplary legal practitioners were recognised in the 2026 edition of <em>The Best Lawyers in South Africa<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/insights-stbb-celebrates-top-attorneys-recognition-in-2026-edition-of-best-lawyers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>See the list<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Assessing \u2018cogent reasons\u2019: When can litigants bypass mandatory mediation in Gauteng\u2019s High Courts?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Following the <a href=\"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/pulse-watershed-directive-mandatory-mediation-for-gauteng-civil-cases-proposed\/\"><u>introduction of mandatory mediation in Gauteng<\/u><\/a>, a recent Johannesburg case provides practical guidance on the threshold for opposing mediation in acrimonious matters.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/pulse-assessing-cogent-reasons-when-can-litigants-bypass-mandatory-mediation-in-gautengs-high-courts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>Read more<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Getting your business affairs in order: Start 2026 prepared and compliant<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As we approach the end of the year, now is an opportune time to comprehensively review and update your business collateral. From corporate governance documents, employment contracts, workplace policies, and commercial leases, a careful review of your documentation is imperative to minimise risk and ensure compliance.<\/p>\n<p>For sound legal guidance, contact our team of specialist attorneys to set up a consultation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:info@stbb.co.za?Subject=Pulse%20Getting%20your%20business%20affairs%20in%20order%20enquiry\"><u>Contact our team<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taking legal action: How to apply for a protection order in South Africa Towards the end of November, South Africa formally declared gender-based violence and femicide a \u2018national disaster\u2019. For survivors and individuals at risk, the most pressing need is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":364,"featured_media":43932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,193],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-pulse"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pulse | December 2025 - STBB<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For important legal updates and insights in litigation and family law, read our latest edition of STBB Pulse.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/pulse-december-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Samantha Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stbb.co.za\\\/dev2\\\/pulse-december-2025\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stbb.co.za\\\/dev2\\\/pulse-december-2025\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Samantha Smith\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stbb.co.za\\\/dev2\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/805b4884d2d0620da8c730a20588b52a\"},\"headline\":\"Pulse | December 2025\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-02T07:55:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stbb.co.za\\\/dev2\\\/pulse-december-2025\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":272,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stbb.co.za\\\/dev2\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stbb.co.za\\\/dev2\\\/pulse-december-2025\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stbb.co.za\\\/dev2\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Cover_Pulse_Dec_2025.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Latest\",\"Pulse\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stbb.co.za\\\/dev2\\\/pulse-december-2025\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stbb.co.za\\\/dev2\\\/pulse-december-2025\\\/\",\"name\":\"Pulse | December 2025 - 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