Meet The Team

Zenobia
Elizabeth du Toit

Zenobia obtained her B.A LLB from the University of Stellenbosch and was admitted as an Attorney in April 1982 and practiced as such to date.

She is a director of Miller du Toit Cloete Inc and has worked exclusively in family law, human rights and related constitutional law and commercial law issues from 1 April 1998 onwards.

Zenobia deals with matters from various jurisdictions.

She has presented various workshops and talks regarding family law matters, developing family law and gender equality, children’s rights and constitutional law aspects relating to family law.

She comments regularly on draft Bills relating to family law to Government, the Law Commission and to the relevant institutions in South Africa, inter alia relating to AAART, Children’s rights and responsibilities, matrimonial property law, ADR, civil union, cohabitation, muslim law, religious laws relating to family law, traditional law relating to family law matters, domestic violence, same sex unions, etc.

About


She regularly presents papers and participates at international conferences inter alia:

  • “Representation of children” at the Commonwealth Association and Law Societies Conference, London (2006)
  • “Domestic and same sex relationships and children” at the International Bar Association Conference, Singapore (2007)
  • Workshops nationally on “Developments in Family Law and the new Children’s Act” (2007 & 2008) for LEAD and the Cape Law Society Family Law Committee
  • “Relocation – the Facts, the Law, the Future” at the First International Family Law & Practice Conference 2011:  London Metropolitan University; and
  • “Child Custody Law in South Africa” at the Second International Family Law & Practice Conference in 2013:  London Metropolitan University.
  • Relocation in South Africa at the Third International Family Law and Practice Conference in 2016:  London Metropolitan University.
  • ART session at the IAFL conference in Iceland September 2017
  • Professor Marilyn Freeman – Westminster University :  Hague and Representation of the child.


Zenobia has been the coordinator and chair or co-chair of sessions at the annual conferences of the IBA:

  • 2010 – Vancouver – Adoption
  • 2011 – Dubai – Children and Family Financial Matters for Collaboration and Mediation
  • 2012 – Dublin – Children’s Rights and Legal Representation
  • 2013 – Boston – Mediation & Arbitration in Family Law matters.
  • 2016 – Washington – Rights of the child
  • 2017 – Sydney – Property
  • 2018 – London – Prenuptial contracts
  • 2018 – Rome – Busting International Trusts
  • Committee member Cape Attorneys’ Association of Family Lawyers Committee (1999 to 2018)
  • Committee member Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) Family Law Committee (2002 to 2018)
  • Member of the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates (IAYFJM)
  • Committee member of the Family Law Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) (2007 to 2018)
  • Co-chair of the IBA Family Law Committee (2016 to 2018)
  • Member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL).
  • Appointed in 2013 to the International Working Group at the Hague Conference on Private International Law to develop a Guide to Good Practice on the Interpretation and Application of Article 13(1)(b) of the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention.
  • Invitee to 2017 Westminster Law School (Professor Marilyn Freeman) Experts meeting on Issues of Domestic / Family Violence and the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention.
  • Invitee to 2018 Westminster Law School (Professor Marilyn Freeman) Experts meeting on The Role of Children in 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention Proceedings.
  • Co-edited a collection of papers presented at the annual conference “The Trials and Tribulations, Trends and Triumphs: Developments in International African and South African Child and Family Law”, which is published by Juta.
  • Contributed to various articles for publication in “Family Law” and to papers at conferences.
  • Presented papers at the South African Law Society and Cape Law Society AGMs, workshops and seminars and to the Rules Board of South Africa (inter alia on Family Law Arbitration, Antenuptial contracts, proprietary claims, etc).
  • Qualified family law mediator and arbitrator.


Non-legal positions:

  • Deputy chair St Cyprian’s School Council 2013 – 2017
  • Expert member of TEC technical drafting committee at the Codesa South Africa process 1994 during the constitutional negotiations.
  • Founder member of the AIDS foundation of South Africa
  • Chairperson of the Carinus Nursing College, Cape Town, South Africa (two years)
  • Chairperson of Soroptomists International Lion’s Head division (2 years)
  • Steering committee member FLAFSA (SA) promoting family law arbitration in South Africa