Tag archives: supreme court of appeal

Contract from an unlawful administrative decision may be declared invalid by collateral challenge without a review application

This blog was co-authored by Felix Le Roux, Candidate Attorney. In a September 2023 judgment, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) affirmed that a court is entitled to declare a contract unlawful and invalid on administrative law grounds, even in the absence of a review application by the party raising such grounds.              In October … Continue reading

Loss of SA citizenship when acquiring foreign citizenship is irrational and constitutionally invalid

The Supreme Court of Appeal held in June 2023 that section 6(1)(a) of the South African Citizenship Act, 1995 by which South African citizenship is lost when acquiring citizenship of another country is constitutionally irrational and invalid . The section was declared invalid and citizens who lost their citizenship by operation of section 6(1)(a) are deemed not … Continue reading

PAJA applies to regulations made by a Minister

The Supreme Court of Appeal has reaffirmed that the making of regulations by a Minister acting in terms of a statute constitutes administrative action within the meaning of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 2000.  This means that such regulations can be challenged if they are outside the powers of the Minister under the enabling … Continue reading

Rejection of ‘the matter speaks for itself’ doctrine and the Onus of Proof in Medical Negligence cases (Part 3)

This blog was co-authored by: Caitlin Gardiner, Candidate Attorney In this judgement in the Supreme Court of Appeal the claimant submitted that the hospital breached its statutory duty in that it failed to ensure the proper safe-keeping of the hospital records of the claimant and her cerebral palsied child. The court considered the application of res … Continue reading

Evaluating Expert Medical Evidence (Part 2)

This blog was co-authored by: Caitlin Gardiner, Candidate Attorney In this claim, alleging that the hospital staff’s negligence during the claimant’s labour resulted in her child’s cerebral palsy, the Supreme Court of Appeal addressed the issue of how to assess expert evidence in a field where medical certainty is virtually impossible. In such circumstances a … Continue reading

Missing Hospital Records and Adverse Inference (Part 1)

This blog was co-authored by: Caitlin Gardiner, Candidate Attorney In this case, the Claimant sued for damages, alleging that the hospital staff’s negligence during her labour resulted in her child’s cerebral palsy. The Supreme Court of Appeal found that no adverse inference should be drawn because the hospital records are missing. Nor could any negative … Continue reading
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