Topic: Drafting tips

Interpretation of contract: What is a ‘supermarket’?

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 5, 2016 Posted in Drafting tips

The court in Masstores (Pty) Ltd v Pick n Pay Retailers (Pty) Ltd had to decide whether a retailer was breaching its lease by operating a supermarket selling a range of perishable and non-perishable food products within its general retailer store. The court said that regard must first be had to the word “supermarket” itself. The … Continue reading

Arbitrator cannot fix scope of arbitration

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 13, 2016 Posted in Drafting tips

An arbitrator has no power to fix the scope of the arbitrator’s jurisdiction. Jurisdiction must be fixed by the terms of reference of the arbitration. Its scope must be objectively ascertainable in advance of the arbitration. An arbitrator cannot make a decision conferring jurisdiction on the arbitrator that is not possessed in law. That is … Continue reading

Statutes interpreted in conformance with common law

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on December 7, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

A statute should be construed to conform with the common law unless the statute itself evidences a plain intention on the part of the legislature to change the common law. This observation was made in Engen Petroleum Limited v The Business Zone 1010 CC t/a Emmarentia Convenience Centre. The court found that section 12B of the Petroleum … Continue reading

Interpreting messy contracts

By Gareth Munnick on October 23, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

A commercial agreement should not lightly be determined unenforceable simply because the parties set out the terms in an unclear manner. The Supreme Court of Appeal, in Novartis v Maphil, dealt with whether a pharmaceutical drug manufacturer and a medical device supplier had concluded a contract. The court had to consider written documents, oral agreements … Continue reading

What does mutatis mutandis mean?

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on October 8, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

When you import the provisions of one document or statute into another it is common to do so “mutatis mutandis”. The Supreme Court of Appeal in Mayo No v De Montlehu reminded us that there is an imperative nuance when you use that Latin expression. The words mean “subject to the necessary alterations” not the … Continue reading

Interpret statutes according to the purpose

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on August 25, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

In a recent decision the Constitutional Court reminded us that where there is a constitutional issue there is a new approach to interpreting statutes. The courts must seek an interpretation that promotes the spirit, purport and objects of the Bill of Rights. The courts will apply a generous construction over a merely textual or legalistic … Continue reading

Headings will be taken seriously

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 29, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

Where a suretyship was headed “Deed of Suretyship – Tuning Fork (Pty) Limited t/a After Market Products” it was held that the surety only owed money for the debts incurred by the After Market Products division of the company even though that division was not a separate legal person. The court in Ian Kilburn v … Continue reading

Contracting with a trust

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 21, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

Ideally, when you contract with a trust, the agreement should be in the name of the trustee or trustees acting on behalf of the named trust. But where the trust is named as a party to the contract that does not render the contract invalid. This is the welcomed finding by the Supreme Court of … Continue reading

Bond securing invalid agreement may cover the enrichment claim

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 21, 2015 Posted in Banking, Drafting tips

The Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa lent the sum of R18.5 million to Panamo Properties 103 (Pty) Limited to enable it to purchase agricultural land that was going to be developed into a township. That agreement was invalid. The mortgage bond registered over the property to secure the loan was nonetheless valid to … Continue reading

Interpretation of contracts: you may not get a judgment if you do not set out the factual matrix

By Rashaad Sujee on June 9, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

The factual matrix may have to be set out and proved in a case involving the interpretation of an ambiguous contract. We have previously written about the method of interpreting a contract in our posts Golden rule of interpretation – Good riddance and Interpret contracts according to words, purpose and context. The Supreme Court of … Continue reading

Ambiguity in contracts

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on May 12, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

In recent blogs we have made the point that the background and context of an agreement will be taken into account in the interpretation of an ambiguous provision. Here are two quotes from US cases which have a neat approach to ambiguity: “It is well settled that ‘[a] contract is unambiguous if the language it … Continue reading

Contract interpretation and the ‘value’ of a company

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on May 11, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

The evidence of the parties to a written agreement about what either of them may have had in mind when they concluded the agreement is irrelevant for the purpose of finding the meaning of the words they used. The process of giving meaning to the words used in a contract has regard to the context … Continue reading

Unspecified interest is simple, not compound interest

By Yasmin Kadwa on May 8, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

A contract specifying that interest must be “calculated daily” does not mean compounded daily or capitalised daily. Simple interest therefore applies. In Euro Blitz 21 (Pty) Ltd and Another v Secena Aircraft Investments CC the appeal court found that the words “calculated daily” in a written lease agreement and consequent court order did not mean … Continue reading

General words followed by specific words

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on May 8, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

A recent tax case has a nice illustration of the ejusdem generis rule that where general words follow specific words, the general words must be confined to things of the same kind as those specified. The words in question are in the Eighth schedule of the Income Tax Act where section 35(3)(c) provides that the proceeds … Continue reading

Interpret contracts according to words, purpose and context

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 24, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

We make no apologies for repeating what we have said in previous blog posts about how contracts are interpreted. Old habits with emphasis on the words used are difficult to break. In the latest case (Cloete Murray v FirstRand Bank Limited) the court said: “The inevitable point of departure in interpreting a statute is the … Continue reading

Good faith negotiations before arbitration clause enforceable

By Donald Dinnie on March 31, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

An English court has held that a dispute resolution clause in a contract that requires the parties to try to resolve a dispute by friendly discussions in a limited period of time before referring the dispute to arbitration is enforceable. Where commercial parties have agreed a dispute resolution clause which purports to prevent them from … Continue reading

Government’s way of interpreting a statute may help to indicate meaning

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 28, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

In any marginal question of statutory interpretation, evidence that it has been interpreted in a consistent way for a substantial period of time by those responsible for the administration of the legislation is admissible. The evidence may be relevant to tip the balance in favour of a particular interpretation. It is consistent with the modern … Continue reading

Registrar’s practice directives are irrelevant to interpretation of the law

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 28, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

It is ultimately up to the court to determine the meaning of a statute. If the meaning of a law is clear and unambiguous, any other views expressed by a regulator, for instance in a registrar’s practice directive, are irrelevant to the proper interpretation of the statute. This was held in an interesting battle under … Continue reading

Repudiation of a contract

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 28, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

Parties to contracts frequently allege that the other party has repudiated the contract by expressing an intention not to be bound by its terms and cancelling the agreement as a consequence. That step must be taken with care. The Supreme Court of Appeal in Braun Medical (Pty) Limited v Ambasaam CC pointed out that the … Continue reading

Arbitration by foreigners in South Africa

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 20, 2015 Posted in Drafting tips

There is no reason why foreign companies and individuals should not arbitrate their disputes in South Africa according to South African law. The South African courts will encourage the selection of South Africa as a venue for international arbitrations. Where a dispute “arising out of” the relationship between the parties is subject to arbitration, the … Continue reading

How to ensure an arbitration clause survives the agreement

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on November 5, 2014 Posted in Drafting tips

An arbitration clause should include an express provision that the clause survives the agreement. There was an important shift in Cool Ideas 1186 CC v Hubbard. An unregistered homebuilder was trying to recover the costs of building a home even though the Housing Protection Act prohibits payment and makes it a criminal offence to build … Continue reading

Drafting tips: How not to draft an arbitration clause

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on September 23, 2014 Posted in Drafting tips

In a UK case, the contract included a provision that “the parties will endeavour to first resolve the matter through Swiss arbitration. Should a resolution not be forthcoming the courts of England will have non-exclusive jurisdiction”. It was held that this is not an arbitration agreement. The parties did not specifically agree to refer the … Continue reading

Drafting tip: “any” v “in accordance with”

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on September 2, 2014 Posted in Drafting tips

A statute referred to termination of service “in accordance with any applicable regulations”. It was held in Minister of Defence v SANDU that if there are no applicable regulations then there are simply no regulations that the functionary needs to follow. It does not mean that nothing can be done at all. It would be … Continue reading

Interpretation of clumsy laws

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on August 7, 2014 Posted in Drafting tips

Clumsy laws must be constructively dealt with. Even where laws are clumsily and inelegantly drafted, the courts should be slow to alter the words actually used. In Kalil v Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality the court said that it must guard against the temptation to substitute what the court regards as reasonable, sensible or businesslike for the words … Continue reading