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1. X and Y executed their antenuptial contract while on holiday in the Kruger National Park in
the presence of their friend, who is a notary public. Where will the antenuptial contract be
registered?
An antenuptial contract is a fundamental legal agreement that must be properly executed and
registered to be enforceable against third parties. In the case of X and Y, who executed their
antenuptial contract while on holiday in the Kruger National Park in the presence of a notary public,
the crucial question arises as to where this contract should be registered.
The registration of an antenuptial contract is governed by the Deeds Registries Act, which stipulates
that such a contract must be registered in a deeds registry to ensure its enforceability. The law allows
for the registration of an antenuptial contract in any deeds registry in South Africa, regardless of
where it was executed, where the parties reside, or where the notary practices. This means that even
though X and Y executed their contract in the Kruger National Park, they are not restricted to
registering it in a specific deeds registry tied to that location.
The requirement for registration exists to ensure that third parties dealing with either spouse can
ascertain the applicable matrimonial property regime. If an antenuptial contract is not registered
within the prescribed period, it remains valid and enforceable between the spouses but is not
enforceable against third parties. This distinction is important, as an unregistered contract may result
in the default matrimonial property system, which in South Africa is marriage in community of
property.
The Deeds Registries Act prescribes a strict timeline within which an antenuptial contract must be
registered. Specifically, the contract must be registered within three months of its execution.
However, if the contract was executed outside South Africa, the registration period extends to six
months. If this period lapses without registration, the parties must apply to the High Court for
permission to register it post-nuptially, which is not automatically granted. The court will consider
whether there were good reasons for the delay and whether the rights of third parties will be
prejudiced by the late registration.
Since X and Y executed their antenuptial contract within South Africa, they must register it within
three months. They can choose any deeds registry in the country for this purpose. It is common
practice for parties to register the contract in the deeds registry closest to where they reside or where
they plan to own property, as this can simplify matters when dealing with property transactions.
However, the law does not impose such a restriction.
The flexibility in choosing the place of registration is particularly beneficial in cases where the
parties relocate or have property interests in different parts of the country. For instance, if X and Y
reside in Johannesburg but executed their contract while on holiday in the Kruger National Park,
they may prefer to register it in the Johannesburg Deeds Registry for convenience. Alternatively,
they could choose the Pretoria Deeds Registry if they foresee dealing with property transactions in
that jurisdiction.