In general terms anyone may benefit from a will, however, an exception is made in the Roman-Dutch law: the court held that the bloedige hand rule,bloedige hand principle at papers.ssrn.com. which means that no one may benefit from the death of their own victim,Klein and Viljoen. Beginner's Guide for Law Students. Juta. Third Edition. 2002. Page 82. See also the Fourth Edition. still applies and has not become obsolete by disuse. Accordingly, the deceased's husband was not allowed to inherit but could take half of the common estate in terms of the matrimonial property law.
