Where an order was sought declaring immovable property specially executable but no facts had been placed before the court by the defendant, the court authorised the sale. The court held that to deny an order declaring a property specially executable where the summons clearly draws a debtor’s attention to their right to lead evidence and … Continue reading
The Supreme Court of Appeal found that if the underlying cause of a settlement does not fall within the parameters of the National Credit Act (NCA), then the settlement agreement cannot logically be converted to a credit agreement under the NCA. The underlying cause (in this case the rental agreement) is of vital significance because … Continue reading
The appeal court has found that the requirement to register as a credit provider is applicable to all credit agreements once the prescribed threshold is reached (currently zero), irrespective of whether the credit provider is involved in the credit industry and irrespective of whether the credit agreement is a once-off transaction. The appeal court reluctantly … Continue reading
If a company goes into liquidation claims must be lodged and proved within three months as from the conclusion of the second meeting of creditors of the insolvent company. The case of Wishart v Billiton is a reminder that although the Companies Act 1973 was largely repealed, the provisions relating to winding-up of companies remain … Continue reading
In our blogs from July 2015 and August 2015 we dealt with the High Court’s judgment declaring certain aspects of the long-established but often abused debt collecting process of emolument attachment orders unlawful. On 13 September 2016, the Constitutional Court confirmed that changes must be effected to section 65J (2)(a) and (b) of the Magistrates … Continue reading
On 11 May 2016, the Department of Trade and Industry announced in Government Gazette 39981 that the new credit provider registration threshold will be Nil (R0). Is the threshold rational and reasonable? If the threshold is not rational, credit providers whose credit agreements are to be declared void may be able to challenge the threshold. … Continue reading
A settlement agreement concluded outside South Africa between a foreign company and a person resident in the United Kingdom that was concluded completely outside the South African credit market and has no bearing on accessibility to credit by South Africans or the nature of credit products available within South Africa does not “have an effect … Continue reading
A plaintiff who was a shareholder in a liquidated company sued the company’s bank for a R50 million loss in value of his indirectly held shareholding allegedly caused by intentional conduct of the bank for lending money beyond the means of the company and then liquidating the company. The delictual claim for pure economic loss failed … Continue reading
Default judgment, without any evidence being led, was granted against a director under section 424(1) of the Companies Act 1973 on the basis that the business of the company was carried on recklessly or with intent to defraud creditors or for some other fraudulent purpose. No evidence was led to establish these allegations. Even though the … Continue reading
In early July 2015 the High Court declared aspects of a long-established but often abused debt collecting process unlawful, with potential wide-ranging consequences. It could render hundreds of thousands of salary attachment orders unenforceable. In our recent blog post we highlighted the findings of what is known as the Desai Judgment (after the judge who … Continue reading
The High Court has declared aspects of a long-established but often abused debt collection process unlawful, with potentially wide ranging consequences, as it could render hundreds of thousands of salary attachment orders unenforceable. Aspects of a salary attachment process, known as an emoluments attachment order (EAO), was declared unconstitutional in The University of Stellenbosch Legal … Continue reading
The Minister published the draft regulations on the review of the limitations of fees and interest rates on 25 June 2015. The regulations will increase and decrease interest rates and fees that credit providers can levy on consumers’ mortgage agreements, credit cards, store cards and unsecured credit transactions. The proposed changes to the interest rates … Continue reading
The high court has confirmed that a simple acknowledgement of debt is a credit agreement as envisaged in section 8(4)(f) of the National Credit Act, 2005. But a credit provider who only enters into one such agreement does not have to register as a credit provider under the NCA even if the principal debt is more … Continue reading
The National Credit Act (NCA) sets out the maximum service fees allowed in credit agreements. The supreme court of appeal in Barko Financial Services v National Credit Regulator confirmed the National Consumer Tribunal’s power to order reimbursement by credit providers to consumers for service fees paid in excess of the statutory limits. The extra fee … Continue reading
The appeal court has reaffirmed that a credit provider can proceed and take judgment against a consumer who defaults on any obligation under a debt re-arrangement that was agreed between the consumer and the credit provider or ordered by a court. That is the plain meaning of section 88(3) of the National Credit Act (NCA). … Continue reading