45bis. Endorsement of deeds on divorce, division of joint estate, or change of matrimonial property system.—(1) If immovable property or a lease under any law relating to land settlement or a bond is registered in a deeds registry and it— (a) formed an asset in a joint estate of spouses who have been divorced, and one of them has lawfully acquired the share of his or her former spouse in the property, lease or bond; or (b) forms or formed an asset in a joint estate, and a court has made an order, or has made an order and given an authorization, under section 20 or 21 (1) of the Matrimonial Property Act, 1984 (Act No. 88 of 1984), or under section 7 of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998, as the case may be, in terms of which the property, lease or bond is awarded to one of the spouses,the registrar may, on written application by the spouse concerned and accompanied by such documents as the registrar deems necessary, endorse on the title deeds of the property or on the lease or the bond that such spouse is entitled to deal with such property, lease or bond, and thereupon such spouse shall be entitled to deal therewith as if he or she had taken formal transfer or cession into his or her name of the share of the former spouse or his or her spouse, as the case may be, in the property, lease or bond. (1A) If immovable property or a lease under any law relating to land settlement or a bond is registered in a deeds registry and it— (a) formed an asset in a joint estate of spouses who have been divorced, and such property, lease or bond accrues to both the former spouses in undivided shares in terms of the division of the joint estate; or (b) forms or formed an asset in a joint estate and a court has made an order, or has made an order and given an authorization under section 20 or 21 (1) of the Matrimonial Property Act, 1984 (Act No. 88 of 1984), or under section 7 of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998, as the case may be, in terms of which the property, lease or bond is awarded to both spouses in undivided shares,the registrar may on written application by both spouses, accompanied by such documents as the registrar deems necessary, endorse on the title deeds of the property, or on the lease or bond, that such spouses are entitled to deal with such property, lease or bond, and thereupon such spouses shall be entitled to deal therewith as if they had taken formal transfer or cession into their names of their respective shares in such property, lease or bond. (2) (a) If immovable property referred to in subsection (1) is hypothecated under a registered mortgage bond, the provisions of subsections (2), (3) and (4) of section 45 shall mutatis mutandis apply. (b) If immovable property referred to in subsection (1A) is hypothecated under a registered mortgage bond, the endorsement provided for in the said subsection shall not be made unless— (i) such bond is cancelled; or (ii) the said property is released from the bond; or (iii) the former spouses jointly and severally assume liability in writing (in the prescribed form and signed by both such spouses and the legal holder of the bond) for all the indebtedness and renounce the exception de duobus vel pluribus reis debendi. (3) The reference in subsection (2) to a bond shall include a charge in favour of the Land and Agricultural Bank of South Africa or any Department of State.
