Case Law[2024] ZAGPPHC 1175South Africa
Mnguni v Government Employee Pension Fund (20042/2021) [2024] ZAGPPHC 1175 (22 November 2024)
Headnotes
under membership number ……., pending the finalisation of the rescission application before this Court;
Judgment
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# South Africa: North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria
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## Mnguni v Government Employee Pension Fund (20042/2021) [2024] ZAGPPHC 1175 (22 November 2024)
Mnguni v Government Employee Pension Fund (20042/2021) [2024] ZAGPPHC 1175 (22 November 2024)
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sino date 22 November 2024
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REPUBLIC
OF SOUTH AFRICA
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
GAUTENG
DIVISION, PRETORIA
Case
Number: 20042/2021
REPORTABLE:
NO
OF
INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: NO
REVISED:
YES
DATE:
22 NOVEMBER 2024
SIGNATURE
In
the matter between:
G[...]
S[...]
M[...]
APPLICANT
And
GOVERNMENT
EMPLOYEE PENSION FUND
RESPONDENT
JUDGMENT
THOBANE, AJ
Introduction and
background
[1]
The applicant seeks a declaratory order directing the respondent, the
Government Pension
Fund (GEPF), to pay to the applicant 50% of a
pension interest of B[...] I[…] M[...] (the deceased), within
30 days of the
order of this court as well as costs of suit.
[2]
By way of background, the applicant and the deceased got married in
community of property
on 13 April 1991. In circumstances that the
applicant describes as ‘behind her back’ and ‘fraudulent’
in
that she was never served with summons, divorce proceedings took
place on 22 January 2015, seemingly unbeknown to her. At the time
of
the divorce the deceased was a member of the Government Employees
Pension Fund and had an interest in it. By virtue of the deceased’s
marriage to the applicant, which was in community of property, she
too had a 50% interest in the pension, it was submitted on her
behalf.
[3]
When the parties were divorced, the decree of divorce issued the
following orders;
“
1.
That the bonds of marriage subsisting between the plaintiff and the
defendant be and are hereby dissolved;
2. That the joint estate
shall be dissolved;
3. That there is no order
as to costs.”
[4]
On 13 March 2015, just less than two months after the divorce, the
deceased married
Duduzile Princess Nombika by civil rites. Four
months later on 26 July 2015 the deceased died. His then wife lodged
claims for
herself and two dependants with the GEPF between July and
October 2015 culminating in the allocation of percentages to the
claimants
in June 2021.
[5]
It must be mentioned that the founding affidavit was very scant and
did not disclose
much. It was in fact the respondent’s
answering affidavit that disclosed more facts, which were helpful in
the adjudication
of this matter.
[6]
In the respondent’s answering affidavit and this became common
cause at the
hearing, the respondent pleaded that the applicant
approached the Regional Court, Pietermaritzburg seeking to interdict
the respondent
from paying out the pension proceeds or benefits. The
order obtained reads as follows;
“
1.
The Government Employee Pension Fund is hereby interdicted,
restrained and prevented from distributing and/or paying out the
Late
BI M[...] (membership number ………) benefit
pending finalisation of the rescission application before this
court;
2. Alternatively, the
Government Employees Pension Fund be and is hereby directed to
withhold the member’s benefit held under
membership number …….,
pending the finalisation of the rescission application before this
Court;
3. The Old Mutual Group
Scheme, be and is hereby interdicted, restrained and prevented, from
distributing and or paying out the
Late BI M[...] with identity
number …………. group scheme-benefit pending
the finalization of the rescission
application pending before this
honourable court;
4. There is no order as
to court;
5. Paragraphs 1,2, and 3
will operate (illegible manuscript) as interim interdict return date
07 February 2018.”
[7]
It was not disclosed by the applicant what happened on the return
date, that of 07
February 2018, nor did the respondent say anything
in that regard. On 06 September 2019, nevertheless, the application
for rescission
was dismissed and the costs were awarded against the
applicant.
[8]
The applicant contends that by operation of the law half the pension
interest belonged
to her but was wrongly paid to the deceased’s
wife. In these proceedings the applicant therefore is seeking an
order directing
the respondent to pay to her what she calls her “half
share”. It must be mentioned that the pension benefits were
paid
over to the deceased’s new wife and other beneficiaries
(the applicant’s children), after GEPF calculated the
percentages.
I will return to the parties’ submissions in due
course.
Issues
[9]
The issue for determination in this matter is whether the applicant
has made out a
case for an interdict. The contention by the applicant
is that as of right and by operation of the law, half the pension
proceeds,
at the time of divorce, belonged to her. Counsel for the
applicant submitted that there was no dispute about the chronology.
Further
that the nub of the dispute was among others the provisions
of section 7(7)(a), 7(8)(a) of the Divorce Act
[1]
[10]
Counsel for the respondent on the other hand accentuated a number of
huddles which in his view
the applicant will struggle to clear,
namely;
·
That the applicant has relied on incorrect
legislation;
·
That
the applicant utilised the Pension Fund Act
[2]
read together with the Divorce Act instead of the Government
Employees Pension Law;
·
That there is a non-joinder of the correct
entity that adjudicates or adjudicated over claims as well as the
surviving spouse and
·
That the applicant failed to refer the
matter for arbitration insisting instead to proceed with litigation.
Submissions
[11]
Both counsel prepared comprehensive heads of argument for which this
court is grateful and also
made full submissions in open court. Ms.
Mbanjwa gave the factual matrix of the matter from the time of
marriage between the deceased
and the applicant up until the time of
his death. The applicant in the founding affidavit does not say when
exactly she became
aware for the first time that she had been
divorced without her knowledge. Attached to the affidavit however is
the court order
interdicting the payment of the pension interest. The
date depicted thereon is 28 December 2017. The further submission by
counsel
was that as soon as the decree of divorce was granted, by
operation of the law, her 50% of the pension benefits accred to her
and
that the respondent was well aware of this. That since the
chronology, as filed on CaseLines, is not disputed, the respondent
would
have been aware as far back as 28 December 2017 and 10 December
2020 that her share was due to her.
[12]
She submitted further that the applicant was a beneficiary of half
the pension proceeds both
in terms of section 37 the Pension Fund Act
as well section 7(7) read with section 7(8) of the Divorce Act. To
the extent that
it is argued by the respondent that there is a
non-joinder, counsel was of the view that on the authority of
Ndaba
v Ndaba
[3]
it was not necessary. The surviving spouse has not been joined in
this application because at the time of divorce she was not in
the
picture, it was submitted. The source of the right remains even if
the court does not issue a specific declarator. The failure
to
rescind the divorce order was said to be of no moment. Lastly, that
there was no need to join GPAA in these proceedings, as
no case
exists against them. The case that exists is against the GEPF as the
“custodian” of the funds.
[13]
Mr. Maputla submitted on behalf of the respondent that the law which
is applicable in this instance
is the Government Employees Pension
Fund Law, 1996 as amended and not the Pension Fund Act as submitted
by counsel for the applicant.
He submitted that in terms of the
Government Employees Pension Law, the pension fund for government
employees is to be administered
by Board of Trustees established in
terms of that Act. The administrative arm of the GEPF however is the
Government Pensions Administration
Agency (the GPAA). Moreover, the
deceased’s wife has also not been joined. In the absence of
them in these proceedings, the
applicant’s application is
doomed, he submitted.
[14]
Counsel further made the point that the GEPF or the GPAA, cannot be
compelled to pay when there
has not been proper compliance with the
GEPF Law or applicable regulations promulgated in terms of that Law.
The facts in
Ndaba
, which were heavily relied upon by the
applicant, he argued, are different to those of this case. In
Ndaba
the Supreme Court of Appeal was called upon to determine whether it
is necessary for a court granting a decree of divorce to specify,
as
contemplated by sections 7(7)
(a)
read with 7(8)
(a)
of
the Divorce Act, that a pension interest be paid to the member
spouse.
Legal principles
[15]
It is convenient to first deal with the respondent’s
application for condonation of the
late service and filing of its
answering affidavit. The deponent to the answering affidavit states
therein that he a Legal Advisor:
Legal Services who serve both the
GEPF and GPAA. Litigated matters emanating from the GEPF, are dealt
with by them but within the
GPAA. The grounds in support of the
application for condonation are set out in the affidavit. The
applicant listed five which are
summarised as follows;
·
The respondent did not wish for the matter
to proceed to litigation but the applicant pressed on with
litigation;
·
As early as 23 June 2021 the respondent was
desirous of settling the matter. Towards that historical documents
were sourced as this
matter was complex in nature dealing with
important issues, unfortunately COVID-19 struck;
·
Documents were sourced from the Regional
Court, Durban for the period 2015, being the year of divorce and
2021, the year of correspondence
from the applicant’s legal
representatives;
·
2020 and 2021 were the so called COVID
years. During those years the investigation process was seriously
hampered, as the Disaster
Management Act gripped everyone;
·
That the respondent will demonstrate that
there is a full defence to the application launched by the applicant
and
·
That there will be no prejudice to the
applicant.
[16]
The applicant briefly dealt with the approach in a condonation
application, emphasising that
it all is within the court’s
discretion in the end. In addition, stating that in this matter there
is a reasonable explanation
for the default or delay. Further that,
in the case of the applicant in this matter; they (respondent) have
shown a clear indication,
it was submitted, that there is a
bona
fide
case on the merits of the matter; that there exists a clear
indication that the granting of the indulgence will not unduly
prejudice
the applicant.
[17]
The principles for granting condonation are trite.
Simply
put, an
application
for
condonation must
set
out
justifiable reasons for non-compliance.
In
Melane
v
Sanlam
lnsurance
Co
Ltd
[4]
,
Holmes JA
stated
the
principle as follows:
“
In
deciding whether sufficient cause has been shown, the basic principle
is that the court has
a
discretion
to be exercised judicially
upon
a consideration
of
all
the
fact and, in essence, is a matter of fairness to both
sides.
Among the facts usually
relevant
are the degree of lateness, the
explanation thereof, the prospect of success
,
and the importance of the case.
Ordinarily these facts are interrelated,· they are not
individually decisive
,
for
that would be a piecemeal approach
incompatible with a true discretion..
.
”
[18]
The court possesses wide d
i
scret
i
onary
powers which it
exercises
judicially
in the evaluation of relevant
factors in a condonation application.
The factors for consideration in a condonation applicat
i
on
are closely related
,
a
reasonable explanation for the delay coupled with a good prospect of
success may augment the chances of success of the application
for
condonation; a weak explanation
,
but
good prospect of success and the importance of the case will permit
for the granting of an application for condonation
.
The
i
nterests
o
f
just
i
ce
underpin
the
court's
exercise
of
its
discretionary
powers
.
A good explanation without prospect of success
on the merits warrants a refusal of condonation.
[19]
The court may grant condonation despite a poor explanation for the
delay where doing so will
be in the interests of justice. This will
be the case for example where an appellant seeks an erroneous
judgment and order
to be set aside, but had failed to comply with the
time frames provided for the lodging and prosecution of the appeal.
The interests
of justice will necessitate the granting of
condonation.
[20]
The respondent has in my view made out a case for condonation. The
late filing of the respondent’s
answering affidavit is
condoned.
[21]
It is not easy to immediately discern, in exact terms, the true
nature of the relief sought by
the applicant, whether it is a
mandatory interdict or a
mandamus
. This is because the main
relief that the applicant seeks is couched in the following terms;
“
Respondent
must
pay
Applicant 50% of the pension fund interest of the deceased B[...]
I[...] M[...], Identity number (…………….)
within 30 days of this order.” (The underlining is my
emphasis).
Given
the facts of the matter it however does not matter. In his seminal
work
Interdicts
[5]
Johan Meyer says the following; “A
mandamus
and a mandatory interdict is one and the same thing. There is no
difference except to indicate the involvement of a public or
governmental body on the one hand and a private person on the other
hand. Except for this there is no reason to differentiate. A
mandamus
is an interdict. The requisites for interdicts considered in chapter
C, apply to all three kinds of interdicts…”
[22]
What this means though is that the applicant, in order to succeed in
this application, must show
that the requirements for a final
interdict have been met and that she is entitled to an order.
It
is trite that the three requirements for a final interdict as
mentioned above are, a clear right; a threat to breach such
right (in
the case of a prohibitory interdict) or a refusal to act in
fulfilment of such right (in the case of a mandatory interdict)
and
no other remedy. (See
Rail
Commuters Action Group and Others v Transnet Ltd t/a Metrorail and
Others
[2004] ZACC 20
;
2005
(2) SA 359
(CC)
para
107- 108).
A declaratory
order is an order by which a dispute over the existence of a legal
right is resolved which right can be existing,
prospective or
contingent. I will return to the nature of the relief sought in due
course.
Non-joinder
[24]
On the topic of non-joinder, the principles applicable are trite. In
order to determine whether
a party, who is not part of the
proceedings before court, should have been joined, one must ask if
that person had a direct and
substantial interest in the order
sought.
The
question as to whether all necessary parties have been joined depends
not on the nature of the subject matter of suit but upon
the manner
in which as well as extent to which the court’s order may
affect the interest of third parties. The test is simply
whether or
not a party has a direct and substantial interest in the subject
matter of the action or suit. The interest envisaged
is a legal
interest in the subject matter of the litigation which may be
negatively impacted on by the judgment or order sought
from the
court
[6]
.
[25]
The principle is that a person is a necessary party and should be
joined if such a person has
a direct and substantial interest in any
order the court might take or if such an order cannot be sustained or
carried out or put
into operation without prejudicing that party
[7]
.
Analysis
[26]
The nub of the applicant’s submission in so far as being
married in community of property
to the deceased and being divorced
subsequently is concerned, is that by operation of the law, as soon
as the deceased obtained
the decree of divorce, half the pension
interest accrued to her. The deceased’s wife therefore ought
not to have been paid
a share, so the argument goes by the
respondent, the pension interest which rightly belonged to her. What
I consider to be the
starting point of which very little was said by
the applicant, is the assertion that the deceased obtained a decree
of divorce
behind her back. It can be so only if the decree of
divorce was obtained under fraudulent circumstances. This is so
because it
is trite that a divorce summons must be served personally
on the defendant and if that service cannot be achieved, then a court
order should be obtained for court sanctioned non-personal service.
[27]
The fact that the summons was not served personally on the applicant,
on the face of it, is not
an indication of fraud nor does it point to
something untoward. If a plaintiff does not know the whereabouts of
the defendant,
the court can be approached for an order of
substituted service. The applicant however did not say much about the
return of service
other than to say in the founding affidavit; “
It
is common cause in the divorce papers that there was no return of
service indicating that I was served with the divorce papers”.
[8]
[28]
According to the founding affidavit, the applicant abandoned the
common household in 2001, she
says it was due to the abuse she
suffered at the hands of the deceased. In 2004 she left KwaZulu Natal
for Gauteng. It cannot be
ruled out therefore that the summons was
served by way of substituted service as her whereabouts may have been
unknown to the deceased
at the time.
[29]
It is awkward that the applicant did not disclose in the founding
affidavit that she obtained
interim relief to restrain the respondent
from paying out the pension benefits, pending as application to
nullify the divorce.
Further that an application to nullify the
divorce was heard in the Regional Court, Durban and was dismissed. It
was in fact the
respondent that gave the relevant and detailed
historical perspective.
[30]
It is not in dispute that the administration arm of the respondent is
the GPAA which operates
through a Board of Trustees in accordance
with regulations or rules that came into operation on 01 May 1996. It
is also common
cause that the Board of Trustees manages the Pension
Fund and exercises the powers, performs the functions and carries out
the
duties conferred upon, assigned to or imposed upon it, in
accordance with the Regulations
[9]
.
After assessing the claim the Board of Trustees decided to award
death benefits as follows; 50% to the surviving spouse Duduzile
M[...], the balance that of 50% was allocated to the children of the
applicant, Z
[…]
and S
[…]
M[...] in equal shares (25% each). The relief sought by the applicant
is a declaratory order that the respondent “must pay
applicant
50% of the pension fund interest of the deceased B[...] I[...]
M[...],………. within 30 days,,,”.
The
applicant knows however exactly how the pension interest was
distributed by the GEPF which included payment to two of her own
children. The remaining 50% was paid to the surviving spouse. An
order directing the GEPF to pay the applicant 50% of the deceased’s
pensionable interest, when the applicant knows that the GPAA decided
otherwise and in fact that all the benefits were paid out
including
her 50% portion, will affect the GPAA being the decision maker, the
surviving spouse Duduzile M[...] and the applicant’s
own
children Z
[…]
and S
[…]
M[...], the three being the recipients of all the pension or the
beneficiaries. Counsel for the applicant was flippant about the
non-joinder argument, stating that there was no need to join the GPAA
as the administrator because it is the GEPF who are the custodians
of
the funds. The order sought by the applicant will indubitably
prejudice them all. The decision maker as well as the beneficiaries
have a direct and substantial interest, yet they are not before
court. I find that a case has been made for non-joinder.
[31]
The proposition by counsel for the applicant that upon divorce, by
operation of the law, her
50% accrued to her, is in line with the
law.
Sections 7(7)
and (8) of the
Divorce Act 70 of 1979
read as
follows;
“
(7)
(a)
In
the determination of the patrimonial benefits to which the parties to
any divorce action may be entitled, the pension interest
of a party
shall, subject to paragraphs
(b)
and
(c)
,
be deemed to be part of his assets.
(b)
The
amount so deemed to be part of a party's assets, shall be reduced by
any amount of his pension interest which, by virtue of
paragraph
(a)
,
in a previous divorce ─
(i)
was paid over or awarded to another party; or
(ii)
for the purposes of an agreement contemplated in subsection (1), was
accounted in favour of another party.
(c)
.
. .
(8)
Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law or of the rules of
any pension fund ─
(a)
the
court granting a decree of divorce in respect of a member of such a
fund, may make an order that ─
(i) any
part of the pension interest of that member which, by virtue of
subsection (7), is due or assigned to the other party
to the divorce
action concerned, shall be paid by that fund to that other party when
any pension benefits accrue in respect of
that member;
(ii)
the registrar of the court in question forthwith notify the fund
concerned that an endorsement be made in the records of that
fund
that that part of the pension interest concerned is so payable to
that other party and that the administrator of the pension
fund
furnish proof of such endorsement to the registrar, in writing,
within one month of receipt of such notification;
(b)
.
. . .
”
[32]
In
Ndaba
the Supreme Court of Appeal had occasion to deal with
section 7
and
8
of the
Divorce Act. The
pertinent issue that was
before that court was framed as follows at paragraph 11;
“
[11]
As indicated, the real issue on appeal is therefore whether a
non-member spouse in a marriage in community of property, is
entitled
to the pension interest of a member spouse in circumstances where the
court granting the decree of divorce did not make
an order declaring
such pension interest to be part of the joint estate.”.
[33]
The court went further to consider judgments from various
divisions
[10]
which pertain to
sections 7(7)(a)
and
8
of the Act. Although the facts may have
differed here and there, the common thread was the legal principle
which had to be analysed.
One of the cases referred to is that of
Kotze
where the Full Court said the following;
“
[32]
I am of the view that where parties who were married to each other in
community of property in subsequent divorce proceedings
do not deal
with a pension or provident fund interest which either or both of
them may have had in separate pension or provident
funds either by
way of a settlement agreement or by an order of forfeiture, each of
them nonetheless remain entitled to a share
in the pension or
provident fund to which the other spouse belonged to and such share
is to be determined as at the date of divorce
by virtue of the
provisions of
section
7(7)(a)
of
the
Divorce
Act 70 of 1979
.”
Counsel
for the respondent submitted that whereas the applicant relied on
section 37D(1)(d)(
i
) of the Pension Act 24 of 1956 which makes
reference to section 7(8)(
a
) of the
Divorce Act, the
correct
applicable legislation is the Government Employees Pension Law. While
it might be so that section 37D of the Pensions Act
gives effect to
section 7(8)(a)(
i
) of the
Divorce Act, so
does
section 21
of
the Government Employees Pension Law. The following was said in
Ndaba
;
“
[13]
Section 21(1)
of the Government Employees Pension Law 1996 which came
into operation on 1 May 1996 is to the same effect. The section
reads:
‘
Subject
to
section 24A
, no benefit or right in respect of a benefit payable
under this Act shall be capable of being assigned or transferred or
otherwise
ceded or of being pledged or hypothecated or, save as is
provided in . . . section 7(8) of the Divorce Act, 1979 (Act 70 of
1979),
be liable to be attached or subjected to any form of execution
under a judgment or order of a court of law.’”
[34]
Section 24A of the Government Employees Pension Law reads as follows;
“
24A Payment of
pension interest upon divorce or dissolution of customary marriage
(1) The Board shall
direct the Fund to reduce a member's pension interest by any amount
assigned from the member's pension interest
to the member's former
spouse in terms of a decree of divorce granted under section 7 (8)
(a)
of the Divorce Act, 1979 (Act 70 of 1979), or a decree for
the dissolution of a customary marriage.
(2)
(a)
Subject to paragraph
(j)
, for purposes of section 7
(8)
(a)
of the Divorce Act, 1979 (Act 70 of 1979), the portion
of a member's pension interest assigned to the member's former spouse
in
terms of a decree of divorce or a decree for the dissolution of a
customary marriage is deemed to accrue to the member on the date
on
which the decree of divorce or the decree for the dissolution of a
customary marriage is granted.”
[35]
On the authority of
Ndaba
, the pathway to a pension interest
of or by a non-member spouse after a decree of divorce is obtained,
for purposes of division
of the joint estate is both section 97D of
the Pensions Act as well as section 24A of the Government Employees
Pension Law. The
respondent was well aware of this because in a
letter addressed to the applicant’s erstwhile legal
representatives, VB Tshabalala
Attorneys dated 07 August 2015, the
respondent advised the applicant’s legal representative as
follows;
“
You are hereby
informed that the final Decree of Divorce has been received in this
office and as it does not comply with
section 7(8)(a)(i)
and (ii) of
the
Divorce Act, 1979
, as amended, no endorsement has been made
against the Fund.
For the GEPF to comply
with
section 7(8)
of the
Divorce Act 70 of 1979
, the following
requirements must be adhere to
·
Identify the Fund;
·
Identify the parties correctly;
·
Indicate a percentage or amount to be paid to the ex-spouse;
·
Direct the Fund to pay the ex-spouse pension interest; and
·
The pension benefit value must still accrue to the member at time
of Divorce.
Payment of the pension
interest is therefore regarded as a personal agreement between the
two parties and must be dealt with as
any other asset in the estate
of the parties.”
The contention on behalf
of the applicant that there ought to be specific reference in the
decree of divorce specifically dealing
with the provisions of
sections 7
and
8
of the
Divorce Act, for
entitlement of the 50%
pension to be triggered, is therefore not meritorious.
[36]
The Supreme Court of Appeal having briefly analysed the conflicting
decisions as well as the
law applicable thereto, succinctly stated
the correct legal position as follows;
“
[31]
In the result those decisions which held that if there is no
reference in the divorce order of parties married in community
of
property to a member spouse’s pension interest, the non-member
spouse is precluded in perpetuity from benefitting from
such pension
interest as part of his or her share of the joint estate, were
wrongly decided…”
The
upshot of this is that the decree of divorce as it currently stands,
dissolving the marriage and ordering division of the joint
estate,
without making reference to the provisions of
section 7
and
8
of the
Divorce Act, is
sufficient for purposes of entitling the applicant to
50% of the pension of the deceased as at the date of divorce. Thus a
clear
right has been established.
[37]
It must be noted that the relief sought by the applicant, that of
directing the respondent to
pay to her 50% of the deceased’s
pension at the time of divorce, begs the question whether such an
order is competent in
light of the fact that all the pension proceeds
have been allocated, calculated and distributed. An order directing
the respondent
to pay the applicant in these circumstances would in
my view be incompetent particularly when all those stand to be
affected by
such an order, namely, the decision maker and the
beneficiaries are not before court.
[38]
Which brings me to the question whether the applicant is without
alternative remedies. In light
of my posture on the non-joinder
issue, the fact that the applicant is by law entitled to 50% of the
pension interest as well as
the common cause fact that the pension
benefits have been distributed, an order dismissing the application
will in my view not
be appropriate as it my channel the applicant’s
case on a trajectory which will be costly, protracted and which may
not necessarily
result in a just finding. The applicant has other
alternative remedies.
[39]
The applicant had all the information at her disposal to direct the
case properly and ensure
that all those with a direct interest in the
relief sought are joined in these proceedings. The applicant should
therefore be mulcted
with costs.
Order
[40]
In the result the following order is made;
1. The
application is struck from the roll;
2. The
applicant is directed to pay the costs.
SA
THOBANE
ACTING
JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT
GAUTENG
DIVISION, PRETORIA
For
the Applicant:
Ms. Mbanjwa
Instructed
by:
Mbanjwa Incorporated,
Pretoria.
For
the Respondent:
Adv. Maputla
Instructed by:
Bonoko & Maphokga Attorneys,
Pretoria.
Heard:
20 May 2024
Judgment:
22 November 2024
This
judgment was prepared and authored by the Judge whose name is
reflected and is handed down electronically by circulation to
the
parties/their legal representatives by e-mail and by uploading it to
the electronic file of this matter on Caselines. The
date for
hand-down is deemed to be 22 November 2024.
[1]
Divorce
Act 70 of 1979
[2]
Pension
Funds Act 24 of 1956
section 37C.
[3]
Ndaba
v Ndaba
2016
(600/2015)
[2016]
ZA
(4
November 2016)
[4]
Melane
v
Sanlam
lnsurance
Co
Ltd
1962
(4)
SA 531 (A) at C-F
[5]
Interdicts
and Related Orders
,
Published by Legal Publication Services, July 1993, Author Johan
Meyer, page 16.
[6]
Amalgamated
Engineering Union v Minister of Labour
1949 (3) SA 627
(A) at 657 and
Henri
Viljoen (Pty) Ltd v Awerbuch Bros
1953 (2) SA 151
(O) at 168-70.
[7]
Kethel
v Kethels’ Estate
1949
(3) SA 598
(A) at 610.
[8]
CaseLines
002-5 para 5.9.
[9]
Section
6
(2) of
Proclamation
21 in
GG
17135
of 19 April 1996
[10]
Sempapelele
v Sempapelele & another
2001
(2) SA 306
(O);
YG
v Executor, Estate Late CGM
2013
(4) SA 387
(WCC);
Maharaj
v Maharaj & others
2002
(2) SA 648
(D);
Fritz
v Fundsatwork Umbrella Pension Fund & others
2013
(4) SA 492
(ECP);
Elesang
v PPC Lime Ltd & others
2007
(6) SA 328
(NC);
Kotze
v Kotze & another
[2013]
JOL 30037
(WCC);
Macallister
v Macallister
[2013]
JOL 30404
(KZD);
Motsetse
v Motsetse
[2015]
2 All SA 475
(FB);
M
v M
(LPD)
unreported case no 18/15 of June 2016.
sino noindex
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