Mediation services to families and couples getting divorced.
Simpler
Kinder
Smarter
About Belinda
Belinda de Klerk is an admitted attorney with comprehensive expertise in family law, trust management, estate planning and administration, as well as commercial drafting. She is a NABFAM (The National Accreditation Board for Family Mediators) accredited divorce and family mediator and a member of SAAM (The South African Association of Mediators). Belinda provides mediation services to families and couples getting divorced to help them work together to find creative solutions to complex family problems. Belinda completed her legal studies at the University of Port Elizabeth. She completed her articles at Kaplan, Blumberg, Friedman and Scheckter. Once she was admitted as an attorney, she joined the Legal Aid Board where she focused on family law and the protection of the rights of children. After that, she joined Ernst & Young as a legal advisor until she was appointed as a director at the CA Trust Company. She completed the Law Society of South Africa Certificate Course in Wills, Estates and Trusts and the STEP (Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners) Certificate in International Trust Management.
After being on both sides of the divorce process, Belinda realised that in most divorces, no one wins when couples ’lawyer up’. Divorce is hard enough without unnecessary heartache, expensive legal fees and unkind litigation, which can continue for years. The divorce process often ends up in a broken, damaged relationship between two adults who still need to interact and work together as co-parents. With mediation, divorce can be more straightforward, kinder and cheaper as couples are focused on finding solutions and negotiating guidelines for raising healthy, happy and well-adjusted children. Not only does this benefit their children’s future but also their own as it minimises the conflict, confusion and complexity of co-parenting children beyond divorce.
Belinda now works in this field with the goal of helping couples focus on creative problem-solving for complex family problems. As such, she facilitates a space in which couples can come together to agree on decisions and put together a plan that works for both of them. Through this process, she aims to help them negotiate an agreement which will assist the move into the next chapter of their lives and their new relationship as co-parents.
Belinda offers online sessions through Zoom and Google Meet platforms.
Divorce and Family Mediation Services
Divorce mediation provides an alternative path for couples who don't want a court battle.
During divorce mediation, the couple works with a trained neutral third party (the mediator) to agree on the issues that must be settled in a divorce. These include all the same problems that must be decided in the court-based divorce process, such as parenting arrangements for children, child maintenance, just and equitable redistribution or division of assets/liabilities, and spousal maintenance. It is an attempt by the parties to settle the issues in dispute in a divorce amicably.
Divorce mediation offers a compassionate and supportive environment for couples to work with a mediator who facilitates the challenging process of coming to a resolution. The parties work together to find creative solutions to their problems, empowering both parties to create an agreement that works best for their specific circumstances. Every couple and family is different, and this process allows them to negotiate almost any part of their divorce.
It is important to note that the mediator remains neutral and doesn’t make decisions for the couple. Instead, they facilitate a space in which the couple can make decisions themselves. The mediator's role is to assist the couple in better understanding their options and to guide them regarding legal requirements. They do not take sides or impose solutions, but rather help the couple communicate effectively and reach their own agreements.
The main goal of divorce mediation is to reach a complete settlement agreement outside of court, thus avoiding the cost and the trauma of a court case. At the end of the mediation process, the mediator will set out the agreement reached by the parties in writing in a Memorandum of Understanding.
Unlike divorce mediation, which specifically focuses on issues related to divorce, family mediation can address a wide range of family conflicts, including parenting arrangements for children, child maintenance, grandparent contact with children, and other family issues. The key difference is that divorce mediation is specifically for couples going through a divorce, while family mediation can involve a wider range of family members and issues. For example: Family mediation can assist a single father of a child born out of wedlock in establishing parental rights and responsibilities regarding the child.
Family mediation is a helpful way for families to work together with a mediator to restructure their family dynamics and find solutions to their problems. The mediator guides the process and helps the family create the best plan for them. Family mediation allows for agreements that address present circumstances but also consider the future. If necessary, family meditators can meet with the co-parents and continue to work through any new co-parenting issues as circumstances with children change. This process can alleviate much of the conflict that arises in co-parenting and also ensure a more secure and constructive context for the children involved.
Successful divorce and family mediation can help save you money, time, and unnecessary emotional heartache. By avoiding lengthy court battles, mediation can provide a quicker resolution, allowing you to move forward with your life.
Fee Schedule & Service Offerings
Introduction
To provide complete financial transparency and peace of mind, we offer the flexibility of either individual service items or comprehensive structured packages.Our services are designed to be accessible to the everyday individual while strictly maintaining our high standard of professional excellence. Our structured packages are specifically created to offer significant savings over standard hourly rates, providing you with greater cost certainty and a clear roadmap for your matter. For all "contingent" service items, we maintain a policy of strict transparency, ensuring clients are consulted for approval before any such costs are incurred. With recent changes to the court process in Gauteng regarding mandatory mediation, it has become necessary to distinguish between various service paths to ensure both legal compliance and cost-efficiency.
Category 1: Voluntary Divorce Mediation
Ideal for couples seeking an amicable, private resolution.
| Service Item | Total Fee | Cost Per Person | Value / Strategic Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| File Admin & Intake | R500 | R250 | Setup & WhatsApp monitoring. |
| Standard Mediation | R1,200/hr | R600/hr | Professional neutral facilitation. |
| Pleadings & FDF Review | R1,500 | R750 | Only if necessary: High-level review. |
| Trust & Business Review | R1,500/hr | R750/hr | Only if necessary: Complex structures. |
| Memorandum (MOU) | R2,000 | R1,000 | If successful: Technical drafting. |
| Divorce Basic Package | R5,000 | R2,500 | Intake + 5 Sessions (Excl. MOU). |
Category 2: Co-Parenting & Maintenance
Focused on the best interests of the children and long-term stability.
| Service Item | Total Fee | Cost Per Person | Value / Strategic Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| File Admin & Intake | R500 | R250 | Setup & WhatsApp monitoring. |
| Standard Mediation | R1,200/hr | R600/hr | Focus on Best Interests of the Child. |
| Maintenance Review | R1,200 | R600 | Only if necessary: Maintenance review. |
| Drafting Parenting Plan | R3,000 | R1,500 | Drafting bespoke Parenting Plans. |
| Co-Parenting Package | R10,000 | R5,000 | Intake + 10 Sessions (Excl. Parenting Plan). |
Category 3: Gauteng Mandatory Rule 41A Compliance
Required for litigating parties to meet High Court jurisdictional standards.
| Service Item | Total Fee | Cost Per Person | Value / Strategic Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| File Admin & Intake | R1,500 | R750 | Attorney correspondence, Setup & WhatsApp monitoring. |
| Standard Mediation | R1,500/hr | R750/hr | Mandatory jurisdictional stress-test for the court. |
| Pleadings & FDF Review | R1,500 | R750 | High-level review. |
| Trust & Business Review | R1,500/hr | R750/hr | Only if necessary: Complex structures. |
| Memorandum (MOU) | R2,000 | R1,000 | If successful: Drafting. |
| Compliance Drafting | R1,500 | R750 | Mediator’s Report and Joint Minute. |
| Gauteng Package | R10,000 | R5,000 | Intake + 5 Sessions + All mandatory filings (Excl. MOU). |
Online Sessions through Zoom and Google Meet.
If you don't yet have Zoom installed, you will need to download the application and install it. You can do this by clicking on Download Zoom
When you open it you will find a option “Join Meeting”. Click it.
Enter your meeting id and your name (if needed/not necessary).
When you click Join meeting. It would ask for password if the one conducting had set a password . Enter it and click oK.
Follow the onscreen prompts to join the meeting.
FAQ
Divorce mediation provides an alternative path for couples who don't want a court battle.
During divorce mediation, the couple works with a trained neutral third party (the mediator) to agree on the issues that must be settled in a divorce. These include all the same problems that must be decided in the court-based divorce process, such as parenting arrangements for children, child maintenance, just and equitable redistribution or division of assets/liabilities, and spousal maintenance. It is an attempt by the parties to settle the issues in dispute in a divorce amicably.
Divorce mediation offers a compassionate and supportive environment for couples to work with a mediator who facilitates the challenging process of coming to a resolution. The parties work together to find creative solutions to their problems, empowering both parties to create an agreement that works best for their specific circumstances. Every couple and family is different, and this process allows them to negotiate almost any part of their divorce.
It is important to note that the mediator remains neutral and doesn’t make decisions for the couple. Instead, they facilitate a space in which the couple can make decisions themselves. The mediator's role is to assist the couple in better understanding their options and to guide them regarding legal requirements. They do not take sides or impose solutions, but rather help the couple communicate effectively and reach their own agreements.
The main goal of divorce mediation is to reach a complete settlement agreement outside of court, thus avoiding the cost and the trauma of a court case. At the end of the mediation process, the mediator will set out the agreement reached by the parties in writing in a Memorandum of Understanding.
Alternatively, please complete the contact form and Belinda will respond to you as soon as possible.
