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About Madelene (Leentjie) de Jong 

 Dr De Jong  completed her BLC degree in 1984 and her LLB degree in 1986 at the University of Pretoria. She started her working career in Pretoria in 1987 as a candidate attorney at Couzyn, Hertzog & Horak Inc. After her admission as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa, she joined Du Plessis & Eksteen, where she practised as an attorney from 1989 to 1990. She joined Unisa in 1991 as a lecturer in Family Law in the Department of Private Law. She was promoted to a senior lectureship in 1994, an associate professorship in 2004 and a full professorship in 2008. She retired from Unisa at the end of 2019 and is now a full-time mediator, parenting coordinator and divorce liquidator. She was also appointed as a research associate in the School of Law at the University of Limpopo at the end of 2020. 

In 2003 she obtained her LLD degree from Unisa on the strength of a thesis entitled “Divorce mediation in South Africa – a comparative study”. She is the co-author of four books and has published many articles on family law and, more specifically, matrimonial property law upon divorce, maintenance matters, divorce or family mediation, family arbitration and parenting coordination in various legal journals. 
In 2008 and 2013 she received the Hugo de Groot prize for the best short contribution to 
the Journal of Contemporary Roman Dutch Law and in 2018 she received the Hugo de Groot prize
for the best article in the Journal of Contemporary Roman Dutch Law. 

Dr De Jong is a C1 NRF rated researcher.

She has delivered papers at various national and international conferences, mainly on alternative family dispute resolution, matrimonial property law and maintenance matters.
About Madelene (Leentjie) de Jong 

Dr De Jong  completed her BLC degree in 1984 and her LLB degree in 1986 at the University of Pretoria. She started her working career in Pretoria in 1987 as a candidate attorney at Couzyn, Hertzog & Horak Inc. After her admission as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa, she joined Du Plessis & Eksteen, where she practised as an attorney from 1989 to 1990. She joined Unisa in 1991 as a lecturer in Family Law in the Department of Private Law. She was promoted to a senior lectureship in 1994, an associate professorship in 2004 and a full professorship in 2008. She retired from Unisa at the end of 2019 and is now a full-time mediator, parenting coordinator and divorce liquidator. She was also appointed as a research associate in the School of Law at the University of Limpopo at the end of 2020. 

In 2003 she obtained her LLD degree from Unisa on the strength of a thesis entitled “Divorce mediation in South Africa – a comparative study”. She is the co-author of four books and has published many articles on family law and, more specifically, matrimonial property law upon divorce, maintenance matters, divorce or family mediation, family arbitration and parenting coordination in various legal journals. 
In 2008 and 2013 she received the Hugo de Groot prize for the best short contribution to 
the Journal of Contemporary Roman Dutch Law and in 2018 she received the Hugo de Groot prize
for the best article in the Journal of Contemporary Roman Dutch Law. 

Dr De Jong is a C1 NRF rated researcher.

She has delivered papers at various national and international conferences, mainly on alternative family dispute resolution, matrimonial property law and maintenance matters.
Dr De Jong is a C1 NRF rated researcher. She has delivered papers at various national and international conferences, mainly on alternative family dispute resolution, matrimonial property law and maintenance matters.

Dr De Jong is accredited as a divorce and family mediator and as a parenting coordinator by the South African Association of Mediators. 
 She has been practising as a part-time family mediator since 2004.

Dr De Jong is also often appointed as liquidator by the High Court or Civil Regional Court to determine the accrual in 
spouses’ estates/divide spouses’ joint estate upon divorce. 

She is presently serving on the advisory committee of the South African Law Reform Commission’s Project 100D 
(Family Dispute Resolution: Care of and Contact with Children) and acting as project leader of the advisory 
committee of the South African Law Reform Commission’s Project 100B (Review of the Maintenance Act 99 of 1998).

Dr De Jong is also serving on the the Board of the South African Association of Mediators (SAAM).

More information about Prof/Dr de Jong

About Linda Nell

 

Ms Linda Nell completed her BA(SW) degree in 1976 and her BA(SW)(Hons) degree in 1977 at the University of Pretoria. She began her career at Pretoria Child Welfare in 1978 as a social worker. She was promoted to the rank of supervisor (a middle management post) in 1981. In 1985 she was promoted to Assistant Director and in 1987 to Director (CEO) of Pretoria Child Welfare, where she held the reins until 1998.

 

In 1998 she joined the Family and Marriage Association of South Africa (FAMSA), where she served as director and relationship therapist until 2002, when she joined Pam Golding Real Estates and Real Net Real Estate as a franchise owner.

 

In 2008 she went back to the social work profession and was appointed Principal (manager) of Bramley Child and Youth Care Centre, which falls under Child Welfare Tshwane. In 2010 she was appointed Director (CEO) of Child Welfare Tshwane, which she again headed until her retirement in March 2023.


In April 2023 she joined Family Dynamics Mediators as a full-time mediator and parenting coordinator.

 

Ms Nell is accredited as a divorce and family mediator and as a parenting coordinator by the South African Association of Mediators (SAAM) and the Social Justice Association of Mediators (SJAM).

 

In 1983 Ms Nell obtained a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Pretoria, with Supervision as her specialty. Her thesis was entitled “Motivation as an integral part of the supervision process” (Motivering as ’n integrale deel van die supervisie proses).

 

She has served on various national welfare boards and regional and local children’s forums and attended various national and international conferences on child and family welfare.

 

She is a registered social worker ((10-03501) with the South African Council for Social Service Professions.

 

She is a member of the South African Association of Social Workers in Private Practice (SAASWIPP). She practices as a social worker specialising in family and child protection matters, children’s socio-emotional assessment and evaluation matters, and parent effectiveness and co-parenting training.

 

Ms Nell often acts in the interests of children in child protection cases in the children’s court.


About Dr. Christo de Klerk

 
Dr. Christo de Klerk obtained his BA (Hons) and BD degrees at the University of Pretoria and holds three Master’s degrees from the University of the Free State. In 2002 he was awarded a DD degree by Unisa for a thesis entitled “Reconstruction of Life after Divorce”.  

In the course of his research for his doctorate he became aware of the emotional distress, financial burden and impact on the children of a marriage as well as the long-term negative effects of a traditional adversarial divorce. This motivated him to qualify as a divorce mediator and in 2004 he began practising as such. He is passionate about accompanying couples as they journey through this difficult and challenging life transition.  

Dr. Christo is a seasoned mediator with years of experience in resolving conflicts and guiding couples through the divorce process. He has worked with numerous couples over the years, helping them to navigate the complexities of divorce and reach mutually agreeable solutions. Through his experience, he has developed a deep understanding of the legal, financial and emotional aspects of divorce and how they impact the parties involved.

As a mediator, his approach is client-centred and solution-focused. He strives to create a supportive and safe environment where clients can express their needs and concerns openly and honestly. He works in collaboration with his clients to identify their priorities and goals and develop creative solutions that meet their unique needs and circumstances.

He has a proven track record of resolving complex disputes and achieving positive outcomes for all parties involved.
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