Pension plain: can a girlfriend receive retirement fund death benefits instead of a spouse?

A recent ruling involving the BECSA Provident Fund highlights a crucial principle in South African retirement fund law: marriage alone does not guarantee a share of a deceased member’s death benefits. The Pension Funds Adjudicator and Financial Services Tribunal upheld a decision to allocate benefits to the deceased’s children and financially dependent partner, while excluding his separated wife who could not prove financial dependency. The case underscores the importance of documentary evidence when claiming retirement fund death benefits.

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