Case Law[2023] ZAGPPHC 217South Africa
Rooyen N.O and Another v Nkwinika and Another [2023] ZAGPPHC 217; 18665/2021 (20 March 2023)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)
20 March 2023
Headnotes
at which the first respondent gave evidence. Information was extrapolated from that enquiry which, together with the documents in the possession of the applicants, have resulted in this application.
Judgment
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# South Africa: North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria
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## Rooyen N.O and Another v Nkwinika and Another [2023] ZAGPPHC 217; 18665/2021 (20 March 2023)
Rooyen N.O and Another v Nkwinika and Another [2023] ZAGPPHC 217; 18665/2021 (20 March 2023)
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sino date 20 March 2023
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IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
(GAUTENG
DIVISION, PRETORIA)
CASE
NO: 18665/2021
(1)
REPORTABLE: NO
(2)
OF INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: NO
(3)
REVISED. YES
DATE:
20 MARCH 2023
In
the matter between:
ADRIAAN
WILLEM VAN ROOYEN N.O.
First
Applicant
JUSTI
STRӦH N.O.
Second
Applicant
[In
their capacities as joint liquidators of Fawcett Security
Services
(Gauteng Province) (Pty) Ltd (in liquidation)]
and
PITSO
GEORGE NKWINIKA
First
Respondent
(Identity
No: [....] )
LEA
NOMPOPI KABINI NKWINIKA
Second
Respondent
(Identity
No: [....] )
NEUKIRCHER J:
1]
This is the return day of an opposed
application for sequestration. The provisional order was granted on 4
November 2021. In the
interim, the respondents brought an urgent
application to anticipate that order which was struck from the roll
due to lack of urgency
with costs. Since then, the respondents have
been given several opportunities to file further answering
affidavits, and the applicants
have also filed responses to those.
Thus, at the hearing, both sets of parties had filed several
affidavits and had been given
every opportunity to put their
respective cases before court.
2]
Section 12(1) of the Insolvency Act 24 of
1936 (the Act) provides:
“
12.(1)
If at the hearing pursuant to the aforesaid rule or dismissal of nisi
the Court is satisfied that -
(a)
the petitioning creditor has
established against the debtor a claim such as is mentioned in
subsection (1) of section 9; and
(b)
the debtor has committed an act of
insolvency or is insolvent; and
(c)
there is reason to believe that it
will be to the advantage of creditors of the debtor if his estate is
sequestrated,
it may sequestrate the
estate of the debtor.”
3]
Unlike at the provisional order stage where a
prima
facie
case must be established, the bar at the hearing of a final order is
higher - the applicant must establish the requirements of
section
12(1) on a balance of probabilities
[1]
.
4]
Given these provisions the question is simply whether the applicants
have made out a case
for the confirmation of the rule. This issue
must be seen in light of the trite principle that winding-up
proceedings are not to
be used to enforce payment of a debt that is
disputed on
bona
fide
and reasonable grounds
[2]
as the
procedure is not designed for the resolution of disputes as to the
existence or non-existence of a debt.
[3]
SOME BACKGROUND
5]
Fawcett Security (Gauteng Province) (Pty) Ltd (the company), from its
inception in 2015,
provided security services in both the public and
the private sectors. Its main source of income however appears to
have been derived
from tenders awarded to it from various Government
entities. The two respondents were the company’s sole directors
with the
first respondent acting as managing director and the second
respondent overseeing its financial management. Both respondents had
sole access to the company’s bank accounts and financial
records.
6]
According to them, the company was experiencing financial
difficulties and so, on the advice
of their bookkeeper at the time,
they placed the company in voluntary liquidation on 31 July 2017 and
on 11 April 2018 the applicants
were appointed as joint liquidators
by the Master and they took over its books and accounts. According to
the applicants, the liquidation
process has proven to be a difficult
task as the respondents simply refused to co-operate with the process
and refused to turn
over the books and accounts of the company,
including the debtor and creditors details.
7]
On 25 October 2018 an insolvency inquiry
[4]
was held at which the first respondent gave evidence. Information was
extrapolated from that enquiry which, together with the documents
in
the possession of the applicants, have resulted in this application.
THE APPLICATION
8]
The application before me is based on the following:
8.1 the
company is a creditor in the respondents’ estates in the amount
of R51 368 017-50 (or at least R100-00).
In essence, the
applicants argue that the respondents defrauded the company in this
amount and that as a result, the company has
a claim of at least
R100-00 which means that the have
locus standi;
8.2 the
respondents are factually insolvent;
8.3
there is reason to believe that
it is to the advantage of creditors that the
respondents are
sequestrated.
9]
At this stage it is necessary to point out that the applicants’
case in their founding
papers was that the respondents are married to
each other in community of property and that therefore it is the
joint estate that
will be sequestrated. In the answering papers, the
respondents stated that they were divorced in 2020. Accordingly, it
is no longer
the joint estate that falls to be sequestrated, but
rather the individual estates of the respondents. Nothing turns on
this according
to the applicants as the debt arose long before the
respondents were divorced, and each one participated in the denuding
of the
company’s assets and therefore each is equally
responsible for the outcome, and they are each factually insolvent.
In essence,
the applicants papers are such that they have attempted
to demonstrate that a case is made out against each of the
respondents
individually.
PRELIMINARY ISSUES
10]
There are a few preliminary issues that need to be discussed before I
delve into the merits of the application.
These are:
10.1
the application to strike out paragraphs in the answering affidavits
which applicants state are vexatious, scandalous
and irrelevant to
the determination of the issues
[5]
;
10.2 whether
the transcript of the s417 hearing should be allowed as it was not
annexed to the founding affidavit, but
rather to the replying
affidavit.
THE APPLICATION TO
STRIKE OUT
11]
The respondents have made a number of allegations against the
applicants and their previous attorney
of record
[6]
,
including allegations of collusion and improper conduct. The
applicants have, in reply, sought to strike out these allegations
as
being scandalous, vexatious and irrelevant. In argument, the
applicants submitted that it is unnecessary to deal separately
with
this issue as it can be dealt with as part of the merits and instead
of striking the offending matter, I can simply ignore
it. This is for
two reasons: firstly, because the allegations made by the respondents
serve no purpose other than to create atmosphere,
and secondly
because these allegations don’t actually engage with the facts
of the matter. I agree that this is the most
efficient approach and
it is dealt with in paragraphs 18 to 22 below.
THE TRANSCRIPT
12]
In the founding affidavit the applicants state that they don’t
attach the transcript of the enquiry
because of the confidential
nature thereof, and state “…
but do hereby tender
copies thereof if this Court so orders.”
They also set out
evidence gleaned,
inter alia
during the inquiry, which informs
this application.
13]
In their first answering affidavit
[7]
,
the respondents state:
“
86.7
I challenge the applicants to avail transcripts of the inquiry held
on 22 June 2019.”
As a result of this
challenge the applicants sought, and obtained, the permission of the
Master to utilize the transcript of the
enquiry in this application.
The permission was given on 8 March 2022 and extracts of the
transcript are now attached to the applicants
supplementary replying
affidavit dated 22 June 2022.
14]
The respondents have objected to what they term is “new
evidence” which they say was introduced
for the first time in
reply. But the objection is misplaced as:
14.1 the
basis was laid in the founding affidavit;
14.2 they
challenged the applicants to disclose the transcripts;
14.3 the
transcripts simply provide further proof of the allegations contained
in the founding affidavit and the respondents
dealt with these
allegations in their first answering affidavit;
14.4 on 10
August 2022 I gave respondents an opportunity to file a 3
rd
answering affidavit in which they could again deal with the
allegations made by applicants - which they did on 25 August 2022.
15]
Therefore whilst it is a trite principle that applicants must make
out their case in their founding
affidavit, a court may allow the
filing of further affidavits and the respondents have grasped that
opportunity and were not left
without recourse
[8]
.
16]
The objection is therefore without merit.
THE ISSUES
17]
The respondents’ defence is predicated upon the following:
17.1 they
deny that the applicants have
locus standi
;
17.2
that there is a material dispute of fact on the papers such that a
court cannot even exercise a robust approach
and decide the disputes
on the papers
[9]
;
17.3
that, irrespective of the above, their indebtedness is disputed on
bona
fide
and reasonable grounds
[10]
;
17.4 that
they are neither insolvent nor have they committed an act of
insolvency nor is there proof that it would be
advantageous to
creditors were an order for sequestration to be granted;
17.5 the
application was brought with ulterior motive.
THE
ULTERIOR MOTIVE
18]
It is prudent to deal with this first. This argument is based on the
complaint that the respondents’
previous bookkeeper, one Mr
Tayob, recommended that the company be voluntarily wound up and the
respondents, in good faith, relied
on this advice. The next they know
is that Tayob seemed to be working with the applicants and was
participating in overseeing the
company’s liquidation process.
19]
They objected to his participation and alleged collusion as,
according to them, he was responsible for
the company’s tax
affairs, submitting a claim of his own in the liquidation for
services rendered as a bookkeeper and fabricated
a claim of R21
million owed to SARS.
20]
The respondents also make allegations against applicants’
previous attorney of record, Mr Roestoff
(who has since passed away).
They allege that at a round table meeting on 22 June 2019 they were
told to make payments to certain
persons/entities “
to
make the matter go away
”
– these payments were to be made to the applicants, Mr
Roestoff, Mr Tayob and one Mr Laros
[11]
.
As a result of this allegedly collusive and abusive behavior, the
respondents laid criminal charges.
21]
The applicants have sought to strike out these allegations as being
scandalous, vexatious and irrelevant.
They state that:
21.1 the liquidators
“heavily” rely on auditors and/or bookkeepers who were
involved in the business of any liquidated
company for purposes of
their investigation and winding-up duties. This is because these
people generally have knowledge of the
company’s affairs;
21.2 secondly the meeting
referred to in paragraph 20 supra was called at the behest of
respondents own attorneys to discuss the
possibility of a compromise
and/or settlement – the discussion must therefore be seen in
that light. It must also be seen
in the light of the fact that the
applicants’ act in the interests of the creditors of the
company who’s proven claims
must be settled before the
liquidation may be settled. In any event, it is clear from
correspondence addressed to the respondents
subsequently, that the
applicants proposed that any agreement “
be subjected to
approval by the Master
.”
22]
I am of the view that these allegations are made simply to create
atmosphere and in an attempt to draw
the attention away from the main
issue in this matter. It cannot be ignored that irrespective of the
advice upon which they acted,
the respondents are the ones who owe
the company a fiduciary duty. They cannot abdicate their
responsibility to a third party and
ultimately they are responsible
for the liquidation as it was they, and only they, who could and did
pass the resolution that placed
the company in liquidation.
Presumably they would not do so without cogent reason. The
allegations made by them are therefore irrelevant
to the issue of
whether the final order should be granted and will be ignored for
determination of whether a final order should
be granted.
THE LOCUS STANDI
ISSUE
23]
Section 9(1) of the Act provides that a creditor, who has a
liquidated claim of not less than R100-00,
or two or more creditors
who in aggregate have liquidated claims of not less than R200-00
against a debtor who has committed an
act of insolvency, or is
insolvent, may petition the court for the sequestration of the estate
of the debtor.
24]
In this matter, that translates to the following allegations made by
the applicants:
24.1 that
whilst the respondents were the directors of the company and then
also subsequent to the company’s liquidation,
they
misappropriated company funds for their own benefit;
24.2 that the
total amount of the funds so misappropriated is
R51 368 017-50, but even if not
that amount at least
an amount of R109 852-50 with which the respondents paid their
childrens’ tuition fees.
25]
The latter is an important issue as if established, then establishes
the liquidated claim of not less
than R100-00, so
prima facie
conferring
locus standi
on applicants. In this regard the
following have been conceded by respondents:
25.1 in their
first answering affidavit the respondents admit that they made the
following payments from the company’s
bank account:
a)
to Conerstone College of R66 950-00; and
b)
to Lord Milner Primary School of R44 882-50.
25.2 in the
joint practice note the particular common cause fact is recorded as
follows:
“
12.4
That the Respondents utilized the funds of Fawcett Security in the
amount of R109 852-50 for personal expenses…”
25.3 in
argument, the respondents counsel made the following submission:
“
There
is no doubt that respondents have conceded that there is
misappropriation of funds
.”
[12]
(my emphasis)
26]
Given that the respondents have vehemently denied that they
misappropriated funds or that they used
any company money for
personal use, the concessions set out
supra
are somewhat
startling.
27]
Be that as it may, the applicants go further than just the
R109 852-50 – they state that
at the very least the
following must be taken into account:
27.1 the
respondents made cash withdrawals in the total amount of
R7 287 950-00;
27.2
there are transactions for The Carousel
[13]
totaling R764 100-00;
27.3
payments made to or on behalf of “George”
[14]
totaling R283 500-00;
27.4
payments made to or on behalf of “Leah N Nkwinika”
[15]
totaling R1 093 150-00.
28]
Over and above these, the applicants allege that respondents failed
to comply with the company’s
tax obligations which has resulted
in a SARS claim of R 21 422 802-83 in the liquidation.
29]
To add insult to injury, the applicants allege that between the time
the company was placed in voluntary
liquidation on 31 July 2018, and
the time they were appointed as liquidators on 11 April 2018, the
respondents continued to operate
the company’s bank account –
but they diverted payments from the company’s debtors into
their own personal account.
According to the applicants, an analysis
on the bank statements attached to the respondents’ final
affidavit reveal that
between September 2017 and March 2018, an
amount of R117 800-00 was paid to first respondent and
R27 700-00 to the second
respondent. Thus, these further sums
must be added to the R109 852-50.
30]
The transcripts of the s417 enquiry also evidence the following
admissions made by first respondent:
30.1 that he
was in possession of the company’s bank card with which he made
purchases and withdrawals;
30.2 that he
withdrew money for “
(c)ompany, personal, entertainment and
my child
”;
30.3 that the
majority of the money from the company’s Nedbank account went
to The Carousel for mostly personal
expenses;
30.4 that the
children’s’ tuition fees were paid by the company; and
30.5 that
company money was used to pay the rental of his residence of
± R15 000-00 per month.
31]
Thus, say the applicants, the respondents used the company bank
account as if it were their own and
the misappropriation of company
funds establishes the fraud perpetrated by respondents vis-à-vis
the company. However, say
the applicants, I am not required to make a
finding that the misappropriation has been established. This, of
course, in light of
the fact that the respondents admitted the
misappropriation in argument before me simply establishes the
applicants’ allegations
on this issue as common cause.
32]
Given the above, I am satisfied that the applicants’ have
locus
standi
and the onus is on the respondents now to show that the debt is
disputed on
bona
fide
and reasonable grounds.
[16]
BONA FIDE AND
REASONABLE GROUNDS
33]
It is the respondents case that despite the admissions set out in
paragraph 25 supra, no monies are
owed by them to the company and
whatever funds they misappropriated were in fact repaid. This they
say is because the monies the
applicants state were paid “to or
on behalf” of them as reflected in the bank statement, were not
paid
to
them
but
by
them
[17]
to the company. The amount was R1 376 650-00 and they
state:
“
46
… On the version of the applicant, we paid the amount of R1
376 650-00 of our own money into the bank account of
the
company. This means that even if we used any company monies these
were paid back.”
34]
But there is no proof of these payments made by either of the
respondents and they failed to identify
any transactions on the bank
statements placed before court to confirm their allegations. They
also failed to provide any other
proof of this allegation.
35]
What the respondents have, in fact, done is throw up a denial of
applicants’ allegations in general
and submitted at the hearing
that, as a result, there is a material dispute of fact such that the
court cannot take even a robust
approach and the application should
not have been brought in this form.
36]
But their argument goes further – they argue that, applying the
tried and true principles of the
Plascon-Evans rule, their version
must triumph and the application be dismissed with costs and that
motion proceedings should never
have been brought.
37]
But motion proceedings are specifically used in applications of this
nature:
“…
There
are certain types of proceedings (eg, in connection with insolvency)
in which by Statute Motion proceedings are specially
authorized or
directed: in these the matter must be decided upon affidavit and Rule
9 may be invoked, as shown in
Moahmed
v Malik
(1930 TPD 615)
,
to permit viva voce evidence to be led in order to counteract any
balance of probability appearing from affidavits
…”
[18]
38]
Furthermore, it is only in exceptional circumstances that an
applicant of this nature will be referred
to oral evidence
[19]
.
39]
The respondents also deny that any amount is owing by the company to
SARS. They again argue that there
is a material dispute of fact in
respect of this issue. But what they lose sight of is the affidavit
of one Hester Elizabeth de
Wet, a registered Tax Practitioner and
formally the bookkeeper of the company until 2012, who was appointed
by the respondents
to analyse the SARS claim. According to her
“
7.
Based on the above and SARS records I have calculated that the actual
amount owing to SARS is R5 495 821-00. This amount
excludes
input costs claimable.”
40]
Thus the respondents’ dispute regarding the SARS claim is
simply a ruse – their own expert
has confirmed that SARS does
indeed have a claim and the fact that the claim may be R5,4 million
rather than R21,4 million does
not render the claim illiquid for
purposes of this application
[20]
.
41]
As to the remainder of the allegations, the respondents have also
failed to explain their drawings from
the company after it was placed
in voluntary liquidation.
42]
I am also unpersuaded that there is a real, genuine and
bona fide
dispute of fact on these papers:
“
[13]
A real, genuine and bona fide dispute of fact can exist only where
the court is satisfied that the party who purports
to raise the
dispute has in his affidavit seriously and unambiguously addressed
the fact said to be disputed. There will of course
be instances where
a bare denial meets the requirement because there is no other way
open to the disputing party and nothing more
can therefore be
expected of him, But even that may not be sufficient if the fact
averred lies purely within the knowledge of the
averring party and no
basis is laid for disputing the veracity or accuracy of the
averment...factual averment seldom stand apart
from a broader matrix
of circumstances all of which needs to be borne in mind when arriving
at a decision…”
[21]
43]
Given the respondents admissions in these papers, read with the
evidence tendered by the first respondent
during the s417 enquiry and
the documentary evidence, there is certainly evidence on a
preponderance of probabilities
[22]
to show that the respondents misappropriated funds in excess of the
R100-00 threshold.
[23]
44]
Thus I am of the view that the respondents have failed to raise a
bona
fide
dispute on reasonable grounds.
[24]
ARE THE RESPONDENTS
INSOLVENT
45]
The respondents argue that the applicants have failed to demonstrate
that they have committed an act
of insolvency as enumerated in s8 of
the Act. According to them, this omission renders the application
fatally defective and thus
the application must be dismissed on this
basis alone.
46]
But the respondents have misconstrued the provisions of s12 (1)(b) of
the Act. That section does not
require solely the commission of a
deed of insolvency - it is framed in the alternative ie either a deed
of insolvency or that
the respondents are insolvent. It is the latter
upon which the applicants rely.
47]
As has been pointed out in the preceding paragraphs, the respondents
did not raise any
bona fide
or reasonable grounds upon which
their indebtedness can be disputed, and certainly none which raise a
bona fide
dispute of fact such that the Plascon-Evans rule
must be applied or that the issue be referred to oral evidence.
48]
The respondents have simply failed to set out any evidence to
demonstrate that they are solvent. Faced
with the debt (supra), and
the applicants’ allegations that they own two immovable
properties worth a total of ± R231 929-00
and a motor
vehicle, the respondents simply thrust and parry without any attempt
at hitting the target of bringing the court into
their confidence
regarding the true state of their financial affairs.
49]
At best, their argument is that they are not insolvent as:
49.1 the
properties situated at Farm Blaauwboschkuil, Limpopo and Erf [....]
Soshanguve South Ext are theirs;
49.2 they own
a 2009 Range Rover motor vehicle;
49.3 that the
first respondent is “in the advanced stages of finalizing
approvals of a property development project
for resident houses which
estimate at R8 000 000-00;
49.4 and he
has “
another security business which has a contract with
Dikala Plant. The effect of the sequestration is that I can no longer
lawfully
run this business. I am also negotiating a number of other
business opportunities with various third parties including acquiring
a 51% shareholding in a sand mining business.”
50]
Given that the respondents have both been provisionally sequestrated
it is puzzling how any of these
negotiations/acquisitions could have
been, or are being, conducted without the knowledge or consent of
their trustee. As none is
attached to these papers, I can only assume
that this is absent. Be that as it may, all of these efforts do not
assist respondents
because of the absence of any detail. Were this a
summary judgment application the respondents defence would be
described as bald,
vague and sketchy.
51]
The failure to take the court into their confidence is simply
demonstrative of the fact that they have
failed to show assets in a
sum exceeding their liabilities
[25]
ADVANTAGE TO
CREDITORS
52]
The applicants state:
“
59
The applicants do not have intricate details of the respondents’
financial affairs, however do know that they live a lavish
lifestyle.
The respondents continue to drive luxury vehicles and are extremely
well-dressed individuals who wear mostly luxury
branded items.”
53]
The respondents argue that there is therefore no proof that their
sequestration will be to the advantage
of creditors and therefore the
application must be dismissed.
54]
But the applicants do not need to prove that the respondents have any
assets as the
onus
to demonstrate their solvency lies on the respondents. In
Meskin
& Co v Friedman
[26]
,
Friedman J held
“
(T)he
facts put before the Court must satisfy it that there is a
reasonable prospect — not necessarily a likelihood,
but a
prospect which is not too remote — that some pecuniary benefit
will result to creditors. It is not necessary to prove
that the
insolvent has any assets. Even if there are none at all, but there
are reasons for thinking that as a result of enquiry
under the
[Insolvency] Act some may be revealed or recovered for the benefit of
creditors, that is sufficient.”
55]
In
Stratford
and Others v Investec Bank Ltd and Others
[27]
the Constitutional Court defined the meaning of the word “advantage”
as follows:
“
[44]
The meaning of the term 'advantage' is broad and should not be
rigidified. This includes the nebulous 'not-negligible' pecuniary
benefit on which the appellants rely. To my mind, specifying the
cents in the rand or 'not-negligible' benefit in the context of
a
hostile sequestration where there could be many creditors is
unhelpful. Meskin et al state that —
'the
relevant reason to believe exists where, after making allowance for
the anticipated costs of sequestration, there is a reasonable
prospect of an actual payment being made to each creditor who proves
a claim, however small such payment may be, unless some
other
means of dealing with the debtor's predicament is likely to yield a
larger such payment. Postulating a test which is predicated
only on
the quantum of the pecuniary benefit that may be demonstrated may
lead to an anomalous situation that a debtor in possession
of a
substantial estate but with extensive liabilities may be rendered
immune from sequestration due to an inability to demonstrate
that a
not-negligible dividend may result from the grant of an order.'
[45]
The correct approach in evaluating advantage to creditors is for a
court to exercise its discretion guided by the dicta outlined
in Friedman. For example, it is up to a court to assess
whether the sequestration will result in some payment to
the
creditors as a body; that there is a substantial estate from which
the creditors cannot get payment, except through sequestration; or
that some pecuniary benefit will redound to the creditors.”
56]
I am therefore satisfied that there is a reasonable prospect that
some pecuniary benefit will result
to creditors and that as a result
of an enquiry under the Act, same assets may be revealed or recovered
for the benefit of creditors
[28]
.
CONCLUSION
57]
In the result, I am satisfied that the application should succeed.
COSTS
58]
The applicants have asked that the liquidators costs of
sequestration, including the reserved costs
of the previous
extensions of the
rule nisi
and the costs of 8 and 10 August
2022, be costs in the sequestration on an attorney and client scale.
They argue that the costs
of 8 and 10 August 2022 were incurred when
respondents wanted a third bite at the cherry, but they squandered
the opportunity given
to them as they filed an affidavit which simply
rehashed the same issues.
59]
In my view the manner in which respondents have conducted themselves
leaves much to be desired. They
have played a game of cat-and-mouse,
employed delaying tactics and have failed to provide the court with a
full and frank disclosure
of their financial position. As a result,
an attorney and client costs order is warranted. However, no costs
for 10 August 2022
are allowed as there was no appearance – a
draft order was sent to me which I edited and which was then uploaded
to Caselines.
ORDER
60]
The order I grant is the following:
1.
A final order of sequestration is granted
against 1
st
and 2
nd
respondents.
2.
The liquidator’s costs of
sequestration, including any reserved costs in respect of any
previous extensions of the
rule nisi
to facilitate the hearing of the application, and specifically the
reserved costs of 8 August 2022, shall be costs in the sequestration
on an attorney and client scale.
B NEUKIRCHER
JUDGE OF THE HIGH
COURT
Delivered: This judgment
was prepared and authored by the Judges whose names are reflected and
is handed down electronically by
circulation to the Parties/their
legal representatives by email and by uploading it to the electronic
file of this matter on CaseLines.
The date for hand-down is deemed to
be 20 March 2023.
Appearances:
For
1
st
& 2
nd
Applicants: Advocate
SN Davis with Advocate PWT Lourens4
Instructed
by: Strydom
Rabie & Heijstek Inc.
For
1
st
2
nd
Respondents: Advocate
P Mthombeni with Advocate Mukwevho
Instructed
by: Biyela
and Associates
Heard
on: 8
February 2023
[1]
London Estates (Pty) Ltd v Nair
1957 (3) SA 591
(D) at 593
[2]
Also
known as the “
Badenhorst
rule”
referring to the case of Badenhorst v Northern Construction
Enterprises (Pty) Ltd
1956 (2) SA 346
(T) at 347H–348C
[3]
Imperial
Logistics Advance (Pty) Ltd v Remnant Wealth Holdings (Pty) Ltd 2022
JDR 3071 (SCA)
[4]
In
terms of section 417 and section 418 of the Companies Act 61 of 1973
(the 1973 Act)
[5]
Rule
23 (2)
[6]
Who
has since passed away
[7]
Dated
14 January 2022
[8]
Shepherd
v Mitchell Cotts Seafreight (SA) (Pty) Ltd
1954 (3) SA 202
(T) at
250 G-I- and 206 F
[9]
Room
Hire Co (Pty) Ltd v Jeppe Street Mansions (Pty) Ltd 1949 (3) SA 1155
(T)
## [10]Hannover
Group Reinsurance Africa (Pty) Ltd and Another v Gungudoo and
Another [2011] 1 All SA 549 (GSJ) at para 13
[10]
Hannover
Group Reinsurance Africa (Pty) Ltd and Another v Gungudoo and
Another [2011] 1 All SA 549 (GSJ) at para 13
[11]
He
was also part of the liquidators “team”
[12]
The
submission was checked 3 times with respondents’ counsel and
is quoted verbatim.
[13]
An
entertainment and gambling establishment in Hammanskraal
[14]
T
he
1
st
Respondent
[15]
T
he
2
nd
respondent
[16]
Hülse-Reutter
and Another v HEG Consulting Enterprises (Pty) Ltd (Lane and Fey NNO
Intervening)
1998 (2) SA 208
(C) at 218D-219C
[17]
My
emphasis
[18]
Room
Hire Co (Pty) Ltd v Jeppe Street Mansions (Pty) Ltd
1949 (3) SA 1155
(T) at 1161
[19]
The
Premier Western Cape v Parker and Mohammed 1998 JDR 0999 (C)
[20]
Irvin
and Johnson Ltd v Basson
1977 (3) SA 1067
(T) where the court
rejected an argument that the applicant’s claim could not be
regarded as a liquidated claim because
the full extent of the theft
had not been finally established, but evidence showed that applicant
had a claim for at least R103 925-49
against respondent which
established a claim of at least R100. The court found that it was of
“no consequence” that
the respondents’ liability
any eventually be proven to be in excess at that amount.
[21]
Wightman
t/a JW Construction v Headfour (Pty) Ltd and Another 2008 (3) SA 371
(SCA)
[22]
Kalil
v Decotex (Pty) Ltd
1988 (1) SA 943
(A) at 976C-980A
[23]
Kleynhans
v Van der Westhuizen NO 1970 (2) SA 742 (A)
[24]
Exploitatie
- en Beleggingsmaatschappij Argonauten 11 BV and Another v Honig
2012 (1) SA 247 (SCA)
[25]
Mackay
v Cahi
1962 (4) SA 193
(O) at 194 F-H, 195 C-E, 204 F-H
[26]
1948
(2) A 555 (W) at 559
[27]
2015
(3) SA 1
(CC) at par 44- 45
[28]
Per
Stratford supra at paragraph 43
sino noindex
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