Topic: General

Gross negligence carve-outs

By Donald Dinnie on February 19, 2020 Posted in General

Often ‘gross negligence’ is used as a carve-out from a no-liability clause. The Consumer Protection Act expressly provides that a supplier cannot exclude liability for gross negligence. Negligence is the deviation from the standard of care expected of a reasonable person in the particular circumstances. Clearly more than mere negligence is involved when a person … Continue reading

Arm’s length acknowledgement of debt is an NCA credit agreement

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on February 16, 2020 Posted in General

An acknowledgement of debt relating to a loan from one friend to another for a capital amount of R831 000 and interest at 18% per year was held to be a credit agreement for the purposes of the National Credit Act. The agreement identified the capital, the interest at 18%, deferred payments, collection fees to be … Continue reading

Amendment to HPCSA Inquiry Regulations

By Yash Naidoo on February 5, 2020 Posted in General

The regulations relating to inquiries into alleged unprofessional conduct of healthcare practitioners registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) have been amended. Practitioners must ensure that their current and correct e-mail address is in the HPCSA’s records. Two of the three amendments bring the regulations up to speed with modern times. A … Continue reading

Euthanasia in South Africa

By Donald Dinnie on February 4, 2020 Posted in General

The debate around euthanasia and its legal implications has stirred again due to the 2019 case of Professor Sean Davison, charged with three counts of murder in circumstances where the individuals had asked him for assistance in their deaths. Understandably, faced with a long prison sentence if convicted of murder, Professor Davison concluded a court-approved … Continue reading

POPI – possible date of full commencement 1 April 2020

By Priyanka Naidoo on January 30, 2020 Posted in General

In a January 2020 interview, the Chairperson of the Information Regulator, Pansy Tlaluka, indicated that her office has requested President Ramaphosa to sign the remaining provisions of POPI into full force by 1 April 2020. These provisions will establish the minimum requirements for lawful processing of personal information with which all private and public persons … Continue reading

Responsibility of resort for sexual assault of guest

By Donald Dinnie on January 26, 2020 Posted in General

The terrible and harrowing tale of an 18 year old mildly intellectually impaired woman can be read in the judgments of the high court (Bridgman NO v Witzenberg Municipality and others) and the appeal judgment of Witzenberg Municipality v Bridgman NO and others of 3 December 2019. Both the lower and appeal court had no … Continue reading

Jurisdiction of the National Consumer Tribunal

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 22, 2020 Posted in General

The Supreme Court of Appeal discussed, without deciding, the jurisdiction of the National Consumer Tribunal to deal with matters arising under sections 90 and 91 of the National Credit Act relating to the declaration of a provision as unlawful in terms of section 90(2) and void. It appears from section 164(1) that no unlawful provision, … Continue reading

No case for sub-threshold hypoxic ischemic injury in cerebral palsy claims

By Carol Holness (ZA) and Deniro Pillay (ZA) on January 22, 2020 Posted in General

In December 2019, the Durban High Court rejected expert evidence attempting to introduce a third type of hypoxic ischemic injury as the basis for a damages claim by a child born with cerebral palsy. A hypoxic ischemic event is caused by a lack of oxygen or a lack of blood flow in the brain which … Continue reading

Section 129 National Credit Act notice must state the amount in arrears

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 20, 2020 Posted in General

Section 129 of the National Credit Act requires the creditor to specify the default including the actual amount of the arrears. The requirement for ‘drawing the default to the attention of the consumer’ means more than just the fact that the consumer is ‘in default’. Section 130(4) gives the debtor an opportunity to remedy the … Continue reading

Incomplete or inaccurate record of agreement does not make it void (NCA extended warranties in issue)

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 14, 2020 Posted in General

The Supreme Court of Appeal upheld the validity of extended warranties in respect of goods sold on credit under the National Credit Act 2005 despite the fact that the warranties were filled in incompletely or inaccurately. The evidence was that, despite the inaccuracies, the extended warranties were correctly applied and gave extended warranty cover for … Continue reading

Where there is a right there is a remedy

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 8, 2020 Posted in General

The granting of a full pardon by the State President to a veteran pensioner entitled the pensioner to continue receiving payment from the date of the pardon. The Special Pensions Appeal Board was obliged to restore the pension from the date of the pardon. The pensioner could not be deprived of his pension on the … Continue reading

Women’s rights upheld in landmark gender-based violence judgement

By Nicki van't Riet on December 12, 2019 Posted in General

As 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence drew to a close, the Constitutional Court has sent out an unequivocal message of the judiciary’s commitment to develop and implement the strongest laws to fight South Africa’s scourge of gender based violence. The judgment of Tshabalala v S takes a firm stand which protects the values … Continue reading

Limits of self-defence

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on December 11, 2019 Posted in General

The Supreme Court of Appeal reminded us that the act of self-defence is justifiable if it is reasonable defensive action taken against an imminent act of aggression. Future danger, danger which is not imminent or conduct that has ceased to constitute danger does not entitle one to raise the defence. The act of defence is … Continue reading

What is ‘reasonably practicable’ for preferred language education?

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on December 5, 2019 Posted in General

The South African Constitutional Court was called on to examine the 2016 Language Policy of Stellenbosch University which effectively gives preference to English in the circumstances specified in the Policy to advance the university’s goals of equal access, multi-lingualism and integration. The policy maintains and preserves Afrikaans but this is now subject to demand and … Continue reading

You don’t have to own property to sell it

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on November 28, 2019 Posted in General

The South African Supreme Court of Appeal has again reminded us that it is not a requirement for a valid contract of sale that the seller must be the owner of the thing sold. Although the parties to a contract of sale usually contemplate the transfer of ownership, this is not an essential feature of … Continue reading

Constitutional values of ubuntu and fairness are not the basis for the courts’ interference with contractual relationships

By Siyabonga Mathe on November 28, 2019 Posted in General

It has long been held that although values such as good faith, reasonableness and fairness are fundamental to our law of contract, they do not constitute independent rules that courts can employ to intervene in contractual relationships (South African Forestry Co Ltd v York Timbers Ltd). The fact that a term of a contract is … Continue reading

Proroguing the United Kingdom Parliament – The Supreme Court speaks

By Donald Dinnie on November 24, 2019 Posted in General

The case of R (Miller) v The Prime Minister and Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland dealt with whether the advice given by the UK Prime Minister to Her Majesty the Queen to prorogue Parliament (that is, discontinue its session) for a number of days between September and October 2019 was lawful. The Supreme Court … Continue reading

Valuation of stock at year end: time-based write-down not enough

By Siyabonga Mathe and Dale Cridlan on November 22, 2019 Posted in General

The Income Tax Act 1962 requires opening and closing trading stock to be taken into account in determining taxable income derived from carrying on any trade in any assessment year. Section 22(1)(a) of the Act deals with the valuation of the stock, and provides that in respect of a taxpayer’s trading stock that is held … Continue reading

Things done contrary to law are not always a nullity

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on November 18, 2019 Posted in General

Where an attorney had acted in two litigation matters whilst not holding a fidelity fund certificate that is compulsory for all practising attorneys, it was held that the litigation was not a nullity. The Attorneys Act (in force at the time) prescribed the consequences of not having a certificate as disentitlement to a fee for … Continue reading

South Africa 2019 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement

By Dale Cridlan on November 13, 2019 Posted in General

The 2019 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) was recently delivered by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and recognises that South Africa’s economic growth has been slowing alongside productivity and competitiveness. South Africa’s debt-to-GDP ratio is among the highest of its peer countries, with only Argentina, Croatia, Ukraine and Zambia worse off. It is projected that the … Continue reading

Mediation in the High Court

By Donald Dinnie on November 12, 2019 Posted in General

Successful mediation of any dispute is largely dependent on the skills and expertise of the mediator and the willingness and good faith of the parties to the mediation to engage in that process. So it is to be welcomed that the proposed new High Court Rule 41A doesn’t make mediation compulsory but is rather intended … Continue reading

A luta continua: Caster Semenya’s story

By Gregory Nott, Patrick Bracher (ZA) and Andrew Keightley-Smith on November 11, 2019 Posted in General

On a clear and sunny Friday afternoon in July 2009, Ms Mokgadi Caster Semenya ascended to athletics greatness. On day two of the African Junior Athletics Championships, at the Stade Germain Comarmond in Bambous, Mauritius, Caster Semenya won the women’s 800m race in a time of 1:56:72. Her time was a new personal best, a … Continue reading

Vicarious liability for creating a risk

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on November 5, 2019 Posted in General

The Supreme Court of Appeal has again extended the scope of vicarious liability. A security company was found liable for a murder committed by their site supervisor in an attempt to rob the deceased who was the financial manager at the premises which the security company were required to guard. The court held that placing … Continue reading

Nike out-bids New Balance for branded Liverpool FC shirts

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on November 5, 2019 Posted in General

Liverpool Football Club had an existing deal with New Balance to manufacture and sell replica football shirts with their logo. At renewal time Nike out-bid New Balance’s terms and were held entitled to the contract. The question was whether New Balance had matched Nike’s offer. Nike made a detailed offer including a large number of … Continue reading