Case Law[2024] ZAGPPHC 1092South Africa
Ntlokwana v Sanlam Life Insurance Limited (2023-053497) [2024] ZAGPPHC 1092 (22 October 2024)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)
22 October 2024
Headnotes
by the Applicant under policy numbers 1[...]2, 1[...]6 and 1[...]3 to the Applicant within 45 days of service of the Court Order on the Respondent.’
Judgment
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## Ntlokwana v Sanlam Life Insurance Limited (2023-053497) [2024] ZAGPPHC 1092 (22 October 2024)
Ntlokwana v Sanlam Life Insurance Limited (2023-053497) [2024] ZAGPPHC 1092 (22 October 2024)
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sino date 22 October 2024
SAFLII
Note:
Certain
personal/private details of parties or witnesses have been
redacted from this document in compliance with the law
and
SAFLII
Policy
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
GAUTENG DIVISION,
PRETORIA
CASE
NUMBER:
2023-053497
1. REPORTABLE:
YES
/NO
2. OF INTEREST TO
OTHER JUDGES:
YES
/NO
3. REVISED
DATE: 22 October 2024
SIGNATURE:
In the matter between:
EDMUND
GREGORY MISELO NTLOKWANA
APPLICANT
and
SANLAM
LIFE INSURANCE LIMITED
RESPONDENT
JUDGMENT
COERTZEN AJ:
THE APPLICATION AND
THE AFFIDAVITS:
[1]
The applicant seeks the following
declaratory and ancillary relief by way of motion proceedings:
‘
1.
That the non-surrender clause contained in the Capital Preserver:
Whole Life policy under policy number
1[...]2, the Single Life
Annuity policy under policy number 1[...]6 and the Single Life
Annuity policy under policy number 1[...]3
concluded between the
Applicant and the Respondent on 17 September 2020 be declared
unreasonable, unlawful and unenforceable.
2.
That the refusal by the Respondent to accept the Applicant's notice
of termination dated 01 December
2020 of the Capital Preserver: Whole
Life policy under policy number 1[...]2, the Single Life Annuity
policy under policy number
1[...]6 and the Single Life Annuity policy
under policy number 1[...]3 be declared unreasonable and be set
aside.
3.
That the notice of termination given by the Applicant to the
Respondent on 01 December 2020 in respect
of the Capital Preserver:
Whole Life policy under policy number 1[...]2, the Single Life
Annuity policy under policy number 1[...]6
and the Single Life
Annuity policy under policy number 1[...]3, be declared to be
reasonable notice of termination.
4.
That the insurance contract concluded between the Applicant and the
Respondent on 17 September 2020
under policy numbers 1[...]2, 1[...]6
and 1[...]3 be declared to be cancelled.
5.
That all obligations and rights under the insurance contract
concluded between the Applicant and the
Respondent on 17 September
2020 under policy numbers 1[...]2, 1[...]6 and 1[...]3 be declared to
come to an end.
6.
That the Respondent be ordered to release and pay all the monies held
by the Applicant under policy
numbers 1[...]2, 1[...]6 and 1[...]3 to
the Applicant within 45 days of service of the Court Order on the
Respondent.’
[2]
I deal below with the allegations in the
affidavits.
THE APPLICANT’S
CASE IN THE FOUNDING AFFIDAVIT:
[3]
The applicant’s case in the founding
affidavit may be summarised as follows:
(a)
The applicant retired from his employment
with the South African National Defence Force in 2020. On date of his
retirement, the
applicant had a retirement benefit with the
Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) to the value of
R9,445,893.01.
(b)
The applicant instructed the GEPF to
transfer his full retirement benefit to the respondent. According to
the applicant, the GEPF
did so on 29 July 2020, and gave a tax
directive which indicated that the applicant would be entitled to a
tax free lump sum of
R3,528,985.63.
(c)
The applicant alleges that the respondent
only on 17 September 2020, paid an amount of R3,132,068.94 according
to a ‘
tax directive’
generated by ‘
Personal
Preservation Pension Fund’
.
(d)
On the advice of an adviser, one Mr Glen
Domingo, who was employed by the respondent at the time, the
applicant took out the three
policies referred to in the notice of
motion.
(e)
According to the applicant, Mr Domingo
informed him that the applicant would be charged commission of 0,6 %.
The applicant alleges
that he was charged amounts of commission and
interest which he did not agree to.
(f)
On 20 September 2020, the applicant lodged
a complaint to the Sanlam arbitrator (‘the arbitrator’),
in terms of which
the applicant complained about the ‘
mismanagement’
of his investment. The complaint centred around the commission, and
with the failure of the respondent to speedily deal with his
investment, and to pay the ‘
shortfall’
between the amounts of R3,132,068.94 and R3,528,985.63.
(g)
On 14 October 2020, the arbitrator ruled in
the respondent's favour. According to the applicant, the arbitrator
held that the reduction
in the one-third lump sum was caused by the
reduced investment value. According to the applicant, the arbitrator
gave no explanation
for the reduction in the investment value; and
the arbitrator did not rule on the commission charged.
(h)
The applicant alleges that he was not aware
of the contents of his policy documents until he
was provided with a copy on 25 October 2020, and that he did not sign
a record
of advice.
(i)
The applicant alleges that he gave the
respondent a notice of termination of the policies on 1 December
2020. According to the applicant,
he informed the respondent that the
advice he was given was ‘
not
proper’
and that the adviser
failed to present the applicant with a financial means test.
(j)
The applicant alleges that Mr Domingo did
not provide him with the option of a joint life annuity despite being
informed that the
applicant is married. According to the applicant,
he and his wife would have benefited from a joint life annuity.
(k)
The applicant alleges that Mr Domingo
failed to inform him that no amendments to his investment could be
made and/or that the guaranteed
annuities cannot be cancelled or
‘
transferred to another service
provider’
.
(l)
The applicant alleges that he requested the
respondent to ‘
cancel or reverse’
his investment, but the respondent refused to do so.
(m)
The applicant alleges that the consensus between
the parties was that they would ‘
carry
on’
with the policies, for as
long as the policies benefitted their mutual interests. The policies
no longer benefitted the applicant.
(n)
The applicant contends that because he only
received the record of advice from Mr Domingo on 25 October 2020, the
applicant’s
notice of cancellation given on 1 December 2020,
was still within the prescribed 30 day period in terms of the
applicable Policyholder
Protection Rules.
THE RESPONDENT'S
ANSWER:
[4]
The respondent’s answer to the
application may be summarised as follows:
(a)
The answering affidavit is deposed to by
one Alma Nefdt, who is a consultant in the employ of the respondent.
She points out that
Mr Domingo died before the institution of the
present proceedings.
(b)
She confirms that Mr Domingo was the
financial adviser who advised the applicant.
(c)
The deponent relies,
inter
alia
, on correspondence received by her
from Mr Domingo, relating to the applicant’s complaint
concerning policy number 1[...]4.
(d)
The deponent further relies on the record
of advice which Mr Domingo had prepared for the applicant.
(e)
The deponent alleges that by virtue of the
position that she holds, she is the best person to answer to the
applicant’s allegations
on behalf of the respondent. The
deponent declares that she has access to, and where necessary,
consulted the relevant books, records,
and documents of the
respondent.
(f)
To the extent that the respondent relies on
hearsay evidence, the respondent seeks that such evidence be admitted
in terms of
s 3(1)
of the
Law of Evidence Amendment Act 45 of 1988
.
(g)
After
considering the relevant factors, I am of the opinion that the
evidence of the respondent, as contained in the records and
correspondence prepared by the respondent’s adviser, Mr
Domingo, prior to his death, should be admitted in the interests
of
justice.
[1]
(h)
The deponent points out that upon
retirement, the applicant as a member of the GEPF, withdrew a portion
of his gross retirement
benefit.
(i)
On 25 and 28 September 2020, the applicant
utilised the remaining balance of his gross retirement benefit, to
purchase two investment
products from the respondent. These were:
(i) A Single Life
Annuity which provides the applicant with a guaranteed annuity income
for life, under policy number 1[...]4
('the stand- alone annuity');
(ii) An Income with
Capital Preservation Plan, comprising of a life policy under policy
number 1[...]2 (which provides the
applicant with life cover); an
annuity under policy number 1[...]6 (the proceeds of which fund the
life policy); and an annuity
under policy number 1[...]3 (which
provides the applicant with a guaranteed annuity income for life). It
is the investment under
the Capital Preservation Plan (‘the
preservation plan’ or ‘the policies’) which is the
subject of the dispute.
(j)
On 1 December 2020, the applicant lodged a
complaint concerning the stand-alone annuity. The complaint served
before the arbitrator.
The arbitrator
determined that the applicant cannot cancel the stand-alone policy.
(k)
The present application was launched in a
bid to cancel the preservation plan and to obtain payment of the
monies held by the applicant
under the policies comprising the
preservation plan.
(l)
The respondent’s opposition to the
application is based on the following:
(i)
That the preservation plan is subject to
legislative regulation which precludes the granting of the relief
sought by the applicant.
(ii)
That the allegations in the founding
affidavit are not supported by the objective documents evidencing the
parties' consensus on
the terms of
the
agreements entered into.
(m)At
the time of his retirement, the applicant's gross retirement benefit
stood at approximately R9,445,893.01.
(n)
On 30 July 2020, and after numerous
telephonic discussions and meetings,
the
applicant met with Mr Domingo. The applicant was presented with
various quotations and permutations to assist him to make an
informed
decision.
(o)
On 30 July 2020, the applicant applied to
transfer his gross retirement benefit out of the pension fund and
into the Personal Portfolio
Preservation Pension Fund ('the
preservation fund') where it would be 'parked'.
(p)
On 24 August 2020, the respondent provided
the applicant with a written quotation in respect of the preservation
plan. The applicant
accepted the quotation.
The
preservation plan enabled the applicant to buy an income for life and
a guaranteed amount that will be payable when the applicant
passes
away. The life cover which provides the guaranteed amount is funded
through a life annuity, resulting in two annuities being
issued. The
quotation authorised by the applicant, and which contains his
signature, expressly provides that the preservation plan
may not be
cancelled, commuted or reduced, with reference to the Pension Funds
Act 24 of 1956 (‘the Pension Funds Act’).
The applicant
also
completed and signed a Retirement
Notification in respect of the preservation fund, which reflects his
election to
take one third as a cash lump
sum and to use the balance to purchase a compulsory annuity from a
registered insurer; and to transfer
the retirement benefit to the
respondent for the purchase of the investment products.
(q)
On 17 September 2020, the respondent
confirmed in writing to the applicant that an amount of R6,280,061.42
was transferred from
the preservation fund in payment of policy
premiums. The applicant did not object to the confirmation.
(r)
On 25 September 2020, the respondent issued
three related policies under policy numbers 1[...]2, 1[...]6 and
1[...]3, and sent copies
of the policy documents and the record of
advice to the applicant by mail.
(s)
On 25 August 2020, the respondent provided
the applicant with a written quotation in respect of the stand-alone
annuity. The applicant
also accepted the quotation on the same day
that he received it.
The stand-alone
annuity enabled the applicant to buy an income for life. The
quotation similarly expressly provides that the product
may not be
cancelled, and that the annuity may not be commuted or reduced, with
reference to the
Pension Funds Act.
(t)
On 28 September 2020, the respondent issued
policy number 1[...]4 and sent a copy of the policy document to the
applicant by mail.
The stand-alone annuity policy document also
includes a non-surrender clause.
(u)
A record of advice dated 25 August 2020,
was prepared by Mr Domingo. I do not propose to quote the contents
herein, suffice it to
point out that Mr Domingo recorded in the
record of advice that the applicant indicated that he did not wish to
speculate with
his pension income or to become exposed to the
fluctuations of the markets and that the applicant ‘
preferred
the guaranteed Capital Preservation Plan and Life Annuity.’
As for commission, Mr Domingo and the applicant agreed on a 0.75%
upfront commission on the original investment. It is further
recorded
in the record of advice that the Life annuity was chosen as it
provides a higher income due to no life cover being deducted
from the
income. After the guaranteed term of 20 years there is no inheritance
for beneficiaries. When the respondent posted the
acceptance letters
and policy documents to the applicant on 25 and 28 September 2020,
the record of advice was attached.
(v)
The
complaint lodged by the applicant on 20 September 2020, was about the
commission due to Mr Domingo in respect of the preservation
fund
investment; and the calculation of the one-third of the applicant's
total retirement interest that could be commuted for a
single
payment; and the timing of the single payment; and the question of
interest on the investment amount. It is common cause
that the
arbitrator dismissed the complaint on 14 October 2020. It appears
from the arbitrator’s ruling that commission on
the
preservation fund investment was negotiated and appears on the signed
application form. It also appears from the arbitrator’s
ruling
how the amount of the maximum allowable one-third at retirement was
calculated, and what amount was paid to the applicant
on 15 September
2020. It is common cause that there was a delay in the payment as a
result of an apparently incorrect tax directive
issued by the South
African Revenue Service ('SARS'), an issue that was only resolved as
between SARS and the GEPF on 14 September
2020. It is common cause
that in the interim an advance payment was made to the applicant from
Glacier’s
own funds.
[2]
(w)
On 1 December 2020, the applicant lodged a
second complaint titled
'Grievance on
advice given’
. The second
complaint concerned the stand-alone annuity and the applicants
dissatisfaction with the advice he received from Mr
Domingo. The
applicant claimed,
inter alia
,
that the record of advice was only provided to him on 25 October 2020
'after the retirement case was processed
and finalised'
, and was never signed by
the applicant; and that at the advice stage, the applicant was not
presented with a financial needs analysis;
and that the applicant was
not presented with the option of a joint-life annuity, and now he has
R2 million invested in a Single
Life Annuity with a 20-year guarantee
term, which he signed for but did not fully understand; and that he
was not informed that
no amendments to his investment selection can
be made, and that guaranteed annuities cannot be transferred to other
service providers;
and that there was no full disclosure of the fees
and commission applicable. The applicant concludes in numbered
paragraph 7 of
the second complaint:
'I
hereby request Sanlam to reverse my retirement case as I am not happy
with the guaranteed annuity investment options offered
to me by Glen
Domingo because I did not fully understand the technicalities of the
annuity/investment options he advised me to
take.'
The
applicant states in the founding affidavit that the second complaint
(as attached to the founding affidavit) is the
'notice
of termination'
. On 11 January 2021,
the arbitrator informed the applicant that the applicant could not
cancel the stand-alone policy and agreed
with the respondent’s
explanation and decision.
(x)
Mr Domingo provided the deponent with his
response to the second complaint on 14 December 2020. I similarly do
not propose to quote
the contents herein. On 15 December 2020, Mr
Domingo provided the deponent with further correspondence, where he
stated that he
informed the applicant that he is obliged to utilise
two thirds of his total fund value to obtain a pension and that he is
only
entitled to withdraw one third in cash. The applicant was at no
stage placed under the impression that these funds could be placed
or
invested in a 'normal investment plan'.
(y)
Whichever product the applicant chose, he
was obliged to either purchase a pension or an annuity with the
two-thirds balance of
his retirement benefit in order to assure the
receipt of a monthly pension / annuity income.
(z)
The respondent submits that in terms of the
relevant provisions of the
Pension Funds Act and
the Income Tax Act
58 of 1962 ('the Income Tax Act'), the applicant may not receive the
commutation benefit or any funds from the
preservation plan, and
specifically policies 1[...]2, 1[...]6 and 1[...]3, referred to in
the notice of motion. Legislation requires
the imposition of the
impugned non-surrender clauses.
THE APPLICANT’S
REPLY:
[5]
The applicant disputes in reply that the
contents of the documents were fully explained to him by Mr Domingo.
The applicant alleges
that Mr Domingo never informed him before the
applicant concluded the investment, that the applicant could not
cancel his investment
or transfer it to another financial service
provider, should the applicant not be satisfied with the policies or
the manner in
which they are dealt with.
[6]
The applicant again alleges in reply that
Mr Domingo never provided him with the option of a joint life
annuity. According to the
applicant he would have taken out a joint
life annuity policy, instead of a single life annuity.
[7]
The applicant further alleges in reply
that, although he admittedly signed the Single Life Annuity policy
documents, the terms thereof
were not fully explained to him. The
applicant disputes in reply that he informed Mr Domingo that capital
protection is more important
to him. According to the applicant, the
Single Life Annuity does not provide his wife monetary protection.
[8]
According to the applicant it was only when
the applicant lodged a complaint, that Mr Domingo stated in an email
that he had provided
the applicant with the option of a Joint Life
Annuity. The applicant alleges that Mr Domingo, and now the
respondent, ‘
are twisting the
truth to suit their narrative.’
[9]
The applicant alleges in reply that Mr
Domingo deceived him into signing the quotations without the
applicant seeing the material
terms thereof.
[10]
The applicant further alleges in reply that
Mr Domingo failed to explain to him that his investment could not be
cancelled or withdrawn.
According to the applicant, Mr Domingo was
quick to charge the applicant exorbitant commission, while Mr Domingo
failed in his
duties, and misrepresented the policies, causing
prejudice to the applicant.
[11]
The applicant denies in reply that Mr
Domingo engaged extensively with the applicant and thoroughly
explained the different options
available to the applicant.
[12]
According to the applicant, Mr Domingo
failed to provide the applicant with clear information regarding his
investment options,
and Mr Domingo’s commission, throughout the
investment process and before finalising the investment.
[13]
The applicant alleges in reply that Mr
Domingo’s advice was not suitable and that he misrepresented
his commission.
[14]
The applicant submits in reply that the
Pension Funds Act and
the Income Tax Act do not preclude the transfer
of annuities between pension funds and/or financial services
providers. According
to the applicant, these Acts merely protect the
member against the use of their pension benefits to settle their
debts. Therefore,
the respondent is not entitled to rely on these
Acts to prevent the applicant from cancelling his investment with the
respondent
and taking it elsewhere.
EVALUATION
OF THE ISSUE FOR DETERMINATION:
[15]
In light of the relief as framed in the
notice of motion, and in light of the factual allegations in the
affidavits, the issue to
be determined is whether the non-surrender
clauses in the policies are unreasonable, unlawful, and
unenforceable; and whether the
applicant is entitled to cancel the
preservation plan which he purchased from the respondent by utilising
the remaining balance
of his gross retirement benefit.
[16]
It is common cause that the policies at
issue contain the non-surrender clauses which the applicant seeks to
be declared unreasonable,
unlawful, and unenforceable. These clauses
in each case provide under the heading
'What
are the legal restrictions on the policy?'
,
as follows:
(a)
In the life cover policy document issued
under policy number 1[...]2:
'This
policy has no cash value. The policy may therefore not be surrendered
or converted into a paid-up policy. Loans can also not
be taken
against it. The policy may only be ceded as security.'
(b)
In the annuity policy document issued under
policy number 1[...]6:
'This policy may not
be surrendered, pledged or ceded, or its pension payments commuted.’
(c)
In the annuity policy document issued
under policy number 1[...]3:
'This policy may not
be surrendered, pledged or ceded, or its pension payments commuted.'
[17]
The non-surrender clauses have their origin
in legislation. In terms of
s 37A
of the
Pension Funds Act:
‘
[N]o
benefit provided for in the rules of a registered fund (including an
annuity purchased or to be purchased by the said fund from
an insurer
for a member), or right to such benefit, or right in respect of
contributions made by or on behalf of a member, shall,
notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the rules of
such a fund, be capable of being reduced, transferred or otherwise
ceded, or of being pledged or hypothecated, or be liable to be
attached or subjected to any form of execution under a judgment
or
order of a court of law…’
[3]
[18]
General Note 18 issued by SARS under the
Income Tax Act, which applied when the policies were issued in
September 2020, required:
‘
The
annuity so purchased, as is the case with an annuity purchased in the
name of a retirement fund or paid directly by such a fund,
must be
compulsory, non-commutable, payable for and based on the lifetime of
the retiring member and may not be transferred, assigned,
reduced,
hypothecated or attached by creditors as contemplated by the
provisions of
sections 37A
and
37B
of the
Pension Funds Act,
1956
.’
[4]
[19]
The
onus is on the applicant to plead and prove the facts upon which he
wishes to impugn the policy agreements on public policy
grounds.
[5]
In light of the above I am unable to find that the non-surrender
clauses at issue may be struck down as against public policy.
[20]
The
applicant seeks final relief in motion proceedings. The Court must
operate on the basis of the evidence presented to it.
[6]
It is submitted in the applicant’s heads of argument that the
non-disclosure by Mr Domingo that the policies are not cancellable
or
transferable before the applicant concluded the policies, is material
and would have influenced the applicant's decision whether
or not to
conclude the policies; and further that such non-disclosure was a
contravention of the Policyholder Protection Rules
under the
Long-Term Insurance Act 52 of 1998 (‘Long-Term Insurance Act’).
[21]
In
terms of s 62 of the Long-Term Insurance Act, the Authority,
[7]
by notice in the
Gazette
,
‘
may
prescribe rules not inconsistent with the Act, aimed at ensuring for
the purpose of policyholder protection that policies are
entered
into, executed and enforced in accordance with sound insurance
principles and practice in the interests of the parties
and in the
public interest generally’
.
Such rules may provide
that
a policyholder may cancel a policy ‘
under
particular circumstances and within a determined period, and what the
legal consequences shall be if he or she does so’
.
[8]
[22]
The
Policyholder Protection Rules published under Government Notice
R.1129 in Government Gazette 26854 of 30 September
2004 and
amended by Government Notice 1214 in Government Gazette 33881
of 17 December 2010, were repealed, and replaced
by the Policyholder
Protection Rules (Long-term Insurance), 2017 (‘PPR 2017’).
[9]
[23]
It is common cause that the policies in
question were taken out by the applicant. The relevant quotation,
which was accepted and
signed by the applicant, expressly records
under the heading: ‘
Cancellation
of policy’
; that the preservation
plan (against which the relief sought in the notice of motion is
directed) may not be cancelled, commuted
or reduced, with reference
to ‘
Requirements in terms of the
Pension Funds Act, 1956
’
.
[24]
The respondent contends that the policies
in question can in law not be cancelled, and, by virtue of their
terms and nature, are
not capable of being cancelled as contemplated
in
Rule 4.5
of the PPR 2017; and further that such fact was disclosed
to the applicant, before entering into the policies, as required by
the
said rule. On the evidence presented, I must agree.
[25]
I
cannot find that the contracts were not freely concluded or that the
clauses in question were not drawn to the attention of the
applicant.
To the extent that a dispute of fact exists, I similarly cannot find
the respondent’s allegations as being
‘
so
far-fetched or clearly untenable’
,
that I would be justified in rejecting them merely on the papers.
[10]
[26]
As
for cancellation, the applicant relies on a ‘
notice
of termination’
dated 1 December 2020.
[11]
It
is evident that the applicant refers to quoted paragraph 7 of his
second complaint of 1 December 2020.
[12]
The applicant alleges in paragraph 8.8 of the founding affidavit:
‘
As
already mentioned, I received the summary or record or
(sic)
advice from Mr. Domingo on
25
October 2020
. Therefore, my
notice of cancellation given on
01
December 2020
was within the
prescribed 30 days period.’
–
[emphasis added].
[27]
The
allegation in the founding affidavit appears to be factually and
legally incorrect.
Rule
4.2(b)
of the PPR 2017 provides that a policyholder may ‘
within
a period of 31 days after the date of receipt of
[the
record of advice in the present matter]
cancel
a policy entered into with an insurer…by way of a cancellation
notice to the insurer.’
There is no basis in fact or law to declare the applicant’s
‘notice’ ‘
to
be reasonable notice of termination’
.
[13]
[28]
I have in any event found that the policies
in question can in law not be cancelled.
CONCLUSION:
[29]
In
the foregoing, I am not persuaded that the applicant has made out a
case for the relief sought. I agree with counsel for the
respondent
that should the relief sought by the applicant be granted, I would
effectively be directing the respondent to act unlawfully.
[14]
[30]
Upon a consideration of the relief sought
in the notice of motion, and the evidence presented in the
affidavits, and the applicable
law, I must therefore conclude that
the application cannot succeed.
[31]
Costs should follow the result.
[32]
In the result I make the following order:
1.
The application is dismissed;
2.
The applicant is to pay the respondent’s
costs.
Y COERTZEN
ACTING JUDGE OF THE
HIGH COURT
GAUTENG DIVISION,
PRETORIA
Date of hearing:
18 March 2024
Date of judgment:
22 October 2024
The judgment was provided
electronically by circulation to the parties’ legal
representatives by email and by uploading the
judgment to the
electronic case file on Caselines. The date and time for
delivery of the judgment is deemed to be at 10h00
on 22 October 2024.
Appearances:
Counsel
for the applicant:
SN
Maseko
(heads
of argument prepared by JV Skosana)
Instructed
by:
JV
Skosana Attorneys, Pretoria
Counsel
for the respondent:
S
Mathiba
(heads
of argument prepared by T Sarkas)
Instructed
by:
Werksmans
Attorneys, Stellenbosch
[1]
In
terms of
s 3(1)(b)
of the
Law of Evidence Amendment Act 45 of 1988
,
the Court may admit such evidence, if it is of the opinion that such
evidence should be admitted in the interests of justice,
having
regard to:
(i)
the nature of the proceedings;
(ii)
the nature of the evidence;
(iii)
the purpose for which the evidence is
tendered;
(iv)
the probative value of the evidence;
(v)
the reason why the evidence is not given
by the person upon whose credibility the probative value of such
evidence depends;
(vi)
any prejudice to a party which the
admission of such evidence might entail; and
(vii)
any other factor which should in the
opinion of the court be taken into account.
[2]
An entity related to the respondent.
[3]
Section
37B
of the
Pension Funds Act further
provides that in the case of the
sequestration or surrender of the estate of person
entitled
to a benefit payable in terms of the rules of a registered fund
,
such
benefit (subject to certain exceptions)
not
be deemed to form part of the assets in the insolvent estate of that
person and may not in any way be attached or appropriated
by the
trustee in his insolvent estate or by his creditors, notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in any law relating to insolvency.
[4]
General Note 18 has since been withdrawn and replaced by
Binding
General Ruling 58, dated 4 November 2021, which provides that any
annuity so purchased in the name of the retiring member,
in the name
of the retirement fund or paid directly by such a retirement fund
must be compulsory, non-commutable, payable for
and based on the
lifetime of the retiring member or the value of the member’s
retirement interest, if applicable. The annuity
may not be
transferred, assigned, reduced, hypothecated or attached by
creditors as contemplated by the provisions of
sections 37A
and
37B
of the
Pension Funds Act.
[5
]
Caratco
(Pty) Ltd v Independent Advisory (Pty) Ltd
2020 (5) SA 35 (SCA), 26.
[6]
Barkhuizen
v Napier
2007
(5) SA 323 (CC); 2007 (7) BCLR 691 (CC), 66.
[7]
Defined in
s 1
as t
he
Financial Sector Conduct Authority established by the Financial
Sector Regulation Act.
[8]
In terms of subsection 2(c). See also:
Sanlam
Life Insurance Limited v Chigombo
(A14/2024)
[2024] ZAMPMBHC 71 (30 September 2024), 18.
[9]
GN
1407 of 15 December 2017 in Government Gazette No. 41321.
[10]
Wightman
T/A JW Construction v Headfour (Pty) Ltd and Another 2008 (3) SA 371
(SCA),
[11]
In terms of prayers 2 & 3 of the notice of motion.
[12]
Para
4(w) of this judgment.
[13]
See
prayer 3 of the notice of motion.
[14]
See also:
Sanlam
Life Insurance Limited v Chigombo
,
24.
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