Case Law[2023] ZAGPPHC 615South Africa
Vercueil N.O v Huxley Trading 2 (Pty) Ltd (15695/22) [2023] ZAGPPHC 615 (28 July 2023)
Judgment
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# South Africa: North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria
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## Vercueil N.O v Huxley Trading 2 (Pty) Ltd (15695/22) [2023] ZAGPPHC 615 (28 July 2023)
Vercueil N.O v Huxley Trading 2 (Pty) Ltd (15695/22) [2023] ZAGPPHC 615 (28 July 2023)
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sino date 28 July 2023
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REPUBLIC
OF SOUTH AFRICA
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
GAUTENG
DIVISION, PRETORIA
Case No: 15695/22
(1)
REPORTABLE: NO
(2) OF
INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: NO
(3)
REVISED.
Date: 28 July 2023
In the matter between:
STEPHANUS
CORNELIUS VERCUEIL N.O.
Applicant
(In his official capacity
as Trustee of the JC Trust
[IT[....]4])
and
HUXLEY
TRADING 2 (PTY)
LTD
Respondent
(Registration number:
20[....]07)
JUDGMENT
SK HASSIM AJ
Introduction
1.
The applicant is the trustee of the JC
Trust (“
the Trust
”).
He applies in that capacity for the winding-up of the respondent on
the ground that it is unable to pay its debts alternatively
and in
the event that the respondent is found to be solvent he seeks to
wind-up the respondent under the provisions of section
81(1)(d) of
the Companies Act, Act No 71 of 2008 (“
the
Companies Act, 2008
”).
2.
The respondent is a property holding
company. It was formed in 2005 for the purpose of acquiring an
immovable property, portion
[....] F[....] N[...] 1[....] hectares
(“
the property
”)
for a purchase consideration of R300 000.00, which it did. The
acquisition was financed with a loan of R500 000.00
secured by a
mortgage bond registered over the property in favour of Nedbank. The
applicant, in his personal capacity, and Mr Ignatius
Willem Ferreira
Senior bound themselves as sureties and co-principal debtors to
Nedbank. The applicant does not dispute that Siboniseng
Construction
and Projects 130 (Pty) Ltd (“
Siboniseng
”)
holds the right to services to the property and the right to develop
it (“
the development rights
”).
3.
The authorised share capital of 100
ordinary shares was issued and allotted in the following proportions:
(a)
34% by the JC Trust;
(b)
33% by Mr Ignatius Willem Ferreira Senior
(Mr Ferreira); and
(c)
33% by the latter’s son Mr Ignatius
Willem Ferreira Junior (Mr Ferreira Junior).
4.
Mr Ferreira and the applicant were
appointed as the directors of the respondent. The applicant resigned
as a director on 8 August
2005. It is common cause he has not
participated in the company’s affairs since then.
5.
At around the time of the applicant’s
resignation as director, he offered to sell the Trust’s
shareholding to Mr Ferreira
for R10 000.00 being the value of
the monetary contribution to the respondent. The applicant claims
that Mr Ferreira accepted
the offer but failed to pay the money. Mr
Ferreria, on the other hand, contends that he attempted to pay the
money and he tenders
payment.
Locus
standi
of applicant
6.
The respondent contends that in view of the
sale of the Trust’s shares, the Trust does not have
locus
standi
to apply for the winding-up of
the respondent. To counter this, in the replying affidavit the
applicant refers to an e-mail in which
he was asked by Mr Ferreira’s
attorney, Mr Shepperson whether he would be willing to dispose of the
shares for R10 000.00.
The applicant contends that this goes to
show that the Trust remains the owner of the shares.
7.
I am not satisfied the applicant has made
out a case for the winding-up of the respondent. For this reason, and
without deciding
the issue, I am prepared to accept that the Trust is
a member of the respondent and as such has
locus
standi
to apply for its winding-up.
Solvency
8.
On 21 April 2022, Nedbank obtained default
judgment against the respondent for payment of R156 489.68
together with interest.
In consequence thereof the property was
attached and a sale in execution was scheduled. The amount in arrears
at the time was R52 623.38.
It, as well as Nedbank’s legal
costs were paid prior to the sale, and the sale in execution was
cancelled. Insofar as the
balance of the debt is concerned, the
respondent and Nedbank agreed that the debt will be liquidated at
R2 700.00 per month.
As at 28 October 2022, the amount owing to
Nedbank was R117 090.93.
9.
In his replying affidavit the applicant
disputes that the agreement with Nedbank has been adhered to. This
does appear to be the
case when regard is had to the statement of 28
October 2022 attached to the respondent’s answering affidavit.
It appears
therefrom that an amount of R1 579.22 was outstanding
for more than 90 days, R2 755.61 for more than 60 days, and
R2 755.61
for more than 30 days. On 24 November 2022, the
applicant established from Nedbank that R9 082.00 was in
arrears.
10.
The
respondent is indebted to the municipality for rates and taxes. The
applicant attaches to the replying affidavit a copy of the
statement
of account from the municipality which reflects R26 682.59 as
being overdue.
[1]
Based on the
monthly rates and taxes due on the property, the applicant estimates
that rates and taxes have not been paid for more
than five years.
11.
According
to the respondent Nedbank, and the municipality are the only
creditors. The applicant disputes this. According to him
the
respondent has contingent liabilities to the value of approximately
R12 150 000.00. The contingent liabilities will
arise if
the property is sold on the terms of a proposed draft sale of
agreement in that estate agent’s commission will have
to be
paid to Harcourts estate agency,
[2]
legal fees
[3]
to Mr Shepperson,
and an amount
[4]
to Siboniseng.
12.
It is trite that the onus rests on the
applicant to demonstrate insolvency. The applicant has produced no
evidence as to the value
of the property. In the replying affidavit
the applicant points out with reference to the municipal statement of
account that the
market value of the property is R915 000.00.
13.
The respondent’s liabilities comprise
the debt owed to Nedbank and that owed to the municipality. Combined
they are below
R915 000.00.
14.
The
applicant’s claim that the respondent has contingent
liabilities to the value of R12 150 000.00 arises from
the
failure to appreciate when a contingent or prospective liability
arises. The source of the contingent liabilities contended
for by the
applicant is a proposed draft of an agreement for the sale of the
property. No agreement has been entered into. A contingent
or
prospective liability arises from an existing
vinculum
juris
[5]
between the creditor and debtor. The respondent has no legal
obligation to pay the estate agent, the attorney or the holder of
the
development rights.
[6]
And none
of them have a legal right to enforce payment.
[7]
15.
Apart from Nedbank and the municipality,
there are no other liabilities; neither actual nor contingent or
prospective. The respondent’s
assets exceed its liabilities.
16.
The applicant’s case in the founding
affidavit for commercial insolvency was the default judgment granted
in favour of Nedbank.
However, the arrears were paid, and the
respondent entered into an agreement with Nedbank for the payment of
the outstanding amount.
The applicant argues that the failure to
adhere to the payment arrangement with Nedbank and the failure to pay
rates and taxes
for more than five years demonstrates that the
respondent is unable to pay its debts.
17.
The respondent’s only asset is
11,4212 hectares of agricultural land. The applicant knew that the
property was to be purchased
as an investment and he agreed to the
formation of the respondent on this basis and acquired shares
therein.
18.
Caney J in
Rosenbach
& Co (Pty) Ltd v Singh’s Bazaars (Pty) Ltd
set out the test for the winding-up of a company on the grounds of
commercial insolvency as follows:
“
The
proper approach in deciding the question whether a company should be
wound up on this ground appears to me, in the light of
what I have
said, to be that, if it is established that a company is unable to
pay its debts, in the sense of being unable to meet
the current
demands upon it, its day to day liabilities in the ordinary course of
its business, it is in a state of commercial
insolvency; that it is
unable to pay its debts may be established by the means provided in
para. (a) or para. (b) of
sec. 112
, or in any other way, by proper
evidence. If the company is in fact solvent, in the sense of its
assets exceeding its liabilities,
this may or may not, depending upon
the circumstances, lead to a refusal of a winding-up order; the
circumstances particularly
to be taken into consideration against the
making of an order are such as show that there are liquid assets or
readily realisable
assets available out of which, or the proceeds of
which, the company is in fact able to pay its debts. Cf. Chandlers
Ltd v Dealesville
Hotel (Pty.) Ltd.,
1954 (4) SA 748
(O) at p.
749. Nevertheless, in exercising its powers the Court will have
regard to the fact that 'a creditor who cannot obtain
payment of his
debt is entitled as between himself and the company ex debito
justitiae to an order if he brings his case within
the Act. He is not
bound to give time'. Buckley, p. 450. This view is supported also by
Palmer at p. 27:
'The fact that there is
due to the petitioner a liquidated sum, that the debt is not
disputed, and that the petitioner has demanded
payment without
success, affords cogent prima facie evidence of the company's
inability to pay its debts, and is the evidence most
commonly relied
on.'
This appears to me to
accord with sound business principles, for a concern which is not in
financial difficulties ought to be able
to pay its way from current
revenue or readily available resources.
19.
The respondent is not a trading company; it
does not carry on business and has no income. It is not a company
incurring debts on
a daily basis in the ordinary course of business.
Both the debt to Nedbank and the municipality stem from the ownership
of the
land and have not been incurred in the ordinary course of
business.
20.
Where
an applicant for the winding-up of a company is owed a debt that the
company cannot pay, the court’s discretion to refuse
a
winding-up order is limited.
[8]
The applicant is however not an unpaid creditor. This is therefore
not a case of an applicant having the right
ex
debito justitiae
to
an order winding up a company that has not discharged its debt.
21.
I consider now whether in the exercise of
my discretion I should find that the respondent should be wound up
for failure to pay
Nedbank and the municipality timeously.
22.
In exercising my discretion whether to
wind-up the respondent, I cannot ignore that the intrinsic value of
the property exceeds
the R915 000.00 which the applicant
contends is its value or R1 million which the respondent contends is
its value. The respondent’s
case is that the value of the
property rests in its sale together with the adjacent erf 17 which is
owned by one Mr Eldie Ferreira
and Siboniseng’s development
rights. I will later return to the proposed disposal of the property.
23.
The respondent does not hold the right to
services over the property nor the right to develop a township on the
property. These
are owned by Siboniseng. Siboniseng also holds these
rights over the adjacent erf 17.
24.
According to the respondent the individual
properties and the rights owned by Siboniseng will realise far less
if sold separately
than if the property is sold as a package with erf
17 and Siboniseng’s development rights. In the latter case, it
could realise
around R20 million. The applicant has not rebutted
this.
25.
There is no evidence that the two creditors
are demanding payment. Nedbank, a secured creditor, is armed with a
judgment. Since
the cancellation of the sale in execution it has not
taken steps to execute upon the judgment. The municipality has
remedies available
to it to enforce payment of rates and taxes. It
has not invoked them.
26.
In these circumstances, I am not inclined
to exercise my discretion in favour of winding up the respondent
notwithstanding that
it appears not to be making prompt payments to
Nedbank and the municipality.
Winding up the
respondent under
section 81(1)(d)
of the
Companies Act, 2008
on the
basis that it is just and equitable to do so
27.
I turn to consider the applicant’s
case for winding up the respondent in terms of
section 81(1)(d)
of
the
Companies Act, 2008
. In broad terms the applicant avers that the
respondent should be wound up for the following reasons:
(a)
A deadlock in the management of the
respondent.
(b)
An irretrievable breakdown in the trust
relationship between the applicant and Mr Ferreira.
(c)
Illegal activities in the management of the
respondent and potential fraud in relation to the sale of the
respondent’s assets
to undisclosed third parties.
(d)
Mismanagement of the affairs of the
respondent have been resulting in financially adverse consequences.
(e)
Governance irregularities.
Deadlock
28.
The respondent has one director, Mr
Ferreira. Therefore, there can be no deadlock between directors. No
cause of action avails the
Trust under
section 81(1)(d)
(i) of the
Companies Act, 2008
to seek the winding-up of the respondent. No case
is made out for the winding-up of the respondent under
section 81
(1)(d)(ii). The remaining cause of action under
section 81(1)(d)
is
that under
section 81(1)(d)(iii)
, namely whether it is otherwise just
and equitable to wind-up a company.
Breakdown of trust
29.
The essence of the applicant’s case
is that he does not trust Mr Ferreira. He believes Mr Ferreira is
intent on appropriating
the Trust’s shares in the respondent
and spiriting away the property to the detriment of the Trust, and
that he is mismanaging
the respondent, acting in breach of fiduciary
duties and contrary to the prescripts of sound corporate governance.
30.
He alleges irregularities by Mr Ferreira in
dealing with the respondent’s share capital including
increasing the authorised
share capital from 100 shares to 1 000
shares thereby diluting the value of the Trust’s shareholding,
and issuing shares
to one Mr Lucky Hatlane Makaringe (“
Mr
Makaringe
”) who the applicant
avers was appointed as a director on 2 November 2021 without a
meeting of shareholders having been convened.
31.
The applicant attaches to the founding
affidavit a CIPC Form COR 39 ostensibly signed by Mr Ferreira and Mr
Makaringe reflecting
the appointment of the latter as a director on 2
November 2021. A ‘board resolution’ ostensibly signed by
the two directors,
Mr Ferreira and Mr Makaringe on 4 November 2021
which records amongst others a decision to issue 50% of the shares in
the respondent
to Mr Makaringe is attached to the founding affidavit.
A resolution ostensibly signed by Mr Ferreira and one E Malatji
described
as ‘Secretary’ recording that a decision that
share certificate number 1 reflecting Mr Ferreira Senior’s
shareholding
in the respondent as 100% should be reissued and all
previous share certificates should be ‘discarded’ because
Mr Ferreira
Senior does ‘not know the whereabouts of the
company secretarial information’ is produced by the applicant.
32.
Mr Ferreira denies that he had anything to
do with Mr Makaringe’s appointment as a director, nor of the
authorised share capital
being increased. He also denies signing the
CIPC Form COR 39 and the two ‘board resolutions’. He
claims that Mr Makaringe,
who he believed was attached to a firm of
attorneys assisting him in resolving the proceedings brought by
Nedbank against the respondent,
was involved in ‘nefarious
activities’ thereby suggesting that the documents bearing his
signatures were a forgery.
Mr Ferreira’s claim that his
signatures were a forgery have a ring of truth to it. Mr Makaringe
did tell the applicant that
he does not know how it came about that
he is reflected as a director of the respondent, and offered to
resign and renounce any
shares that may have been issued to him. He
would not have offered to do this if he was legitimately a director
and shareholder.
Mr Makaringe’s involvement is by no means
clear from the papers. I must make it clear that I am not suggesting
that Mr Makaringe
forged the signatures nor that he was involved in
nefarious activities. It is possible that fraud was committed by
persons unrelated
to both Mr Ferreira and Mr Makaringe.
33.
In the replying affidavit the applicant
refers to an e-mail from Mr Makaringe on 13 May 2022 in which he
states that he paid an
amount of R21 600.00 for the benefit of
the respondent. The e-mail and the proof of payments to Nedbank Home
Loans are attached
to the replying affidavit. Mr Makaringe appears to
have paid an amount to RNK Inc Attorneys apparently in connection
with the litigation
by Nedbank against the respondent. The dispute of
facts relating to Mr Ferreira’s actions and his relationship
with Mr Makaringe
and the latter’s involvement in the
respondent are not capable of being resolved on the papers.
34.
My impression from a reading of the papers
is that the applicant is suspicious of Mr Ferreira’s actions
and the proposed transaction
for the sale of the property. He
questions Mr Ferreira’s motives and suspects that the disposal
of the property may constitute
fraudulent activity. He does not
however disclose the facts which give rise to the suspicion of
fraudulent activity save perhaps
that the company identified as the
purchaser in a draft version of a proposed sale agreement provided to
the applicant on 11 May
2022 (“
the
first draft sale agreement
”)
apparently does not exist.
35.
The applicant is sceptical of Siboniseng’s
involvement in the sale of the property. He suggests that Mr
Ferreira’s attempts
to sell the property without disclosing
these to him earlier supports his suspicion that Mr Ferreira is
dealing with the property
as if it belongs to him and intends
disposing of it to the detriment of the respondent and the Trust. The
applicant seeks support
for his suspicions in the first draft sale
agreement.
36.
The applicant points out that the
prospective purchaser is described therein as Hico Properties (Pty)
Ltd (registration no 20[....]07).
However, the registration number
belongs to a company ‘Craigieburn Agri Enterprises’ and
there is no company registered
with the name ‘Hico Properties’.
He says he queried this. There was however no response to the query.
Instead, on 3
June 2022, Mr Shepperson sent to him a ‘Development
Distribution Agreement’ signed by Mr Ferreira on 5 February
2020
(“
the signed Development and
Distribution Agreement
”), a draft
resolution for adoption by the respondent’s shareholders
authorising the sale of the property and ratifying
the actions of Mr
Ferreira, a draft deed of sale (“
the
second draft sale agreement
”) and
a draft “development distribution agreement” (“
the
proposed distribution agreement
”)
as attachments to an e-mail which reads as follows:
“
In
order to achieve maximum value for all the Parties concerned, it is
essential that the two properties and the basket of rights
be sold
together as a package. The individual elements are basically
worthless on their own in comparison to such a package deal.
In
recognition of this fact, the three parties have been working
together over an extended period of time (together with a number
of
service providers) in order to achieve such joint benefit by selling
the complete package. This cooperation has been recognised
by the
parties in various agreements and I attach hereto a prior
Distribution Agreement from 2020. You may also confirm all of
the
above with Martin Ferreira (a consultant at MacRoberts Attorneys),
who represents Eldie Ferreira in this transaction. Eldie
is willing
and ready to sign. I would humbly submit that any attempt to disrupt
these arrangements in creation [sic] of the package
would be to the
detriment of all the parties, including Huxley and its Shareholders.
I have attached the latest draft proposed
Agreements for the Sale of
the above property and I sincerely urge you to consider these
favourably. I still await the exact details
of the purchaser ad I
have Accordingly omitted these from the attached drafts. I believe
that the authenticity of the Purchaser
will be quickly established,
since it has 14 days to pay a R2.5m Deposit.
In the light of the
above, I look forward to receiving your feedback.”
37.
The signed Distribution Agreement reveals
who the role players referred to in the e-mail are. Mr Eldie Ferreira
is the owner of
portion 17 of the farm N [....], the respondent is
the owner of portion 18 and Siboniseng is the holder of the
development rights
in respect of Leeuwfontein Ext [....] which is to
be developed on the two erven. These parties entered into a
Development Distribution
Agreement on 5 February 2020. The agreement
records that the three parties will be entering into an agreement
with a developer
and another company which will result in the
transfer of the two erven and the development rights, and realise for
the parties
R25 million of which R7 million will be payable to the
three parties on transfer of the land. The amount will be distributed
amongst
the three parties. The respondent and Siboniseng to each
receive R1 750 000.00, and Eldie Ferreira R3 500 000
being the full purchase consideration for portion 17. The balance of
the purchase price, namely R18 000 000.00 will be
paid in
instalments on sales of erven or houses after the proclamation and
transfer of the erven. R8 500 000.00 of the
balance of the
purchase price will be paid to Siboniseng and R9 500 000.00
to the respondent who will also be responsible
to pay Harcourts’s
reasonable fees.
38.
The second draft sale agreement envisages a
sale of the respondent’s property (i.e., portion 18) and
Siboniseng’s development
rights for a combined purchase
consideration of R21.5 million. The identity of the purchaser does
not appear from this second draft
sale agreement. I do not find
anything sinister in this, nor in the fact that the company referred
to in the first draft sale agreement
was found not to exist. What is
clear from the papers is that there have been numerous attempts to
realise the best value for a
property which has the potential to be
developed for township establishment. Mr Shepperson in an e-mail to
the applicant informed
him that the respondent, Siboniseng and the
owner of erf 17 had been working together for an extended period of
time with a number
of service providers. The applicant has not
produced any evidence to controvert this. Mr Shepperson also informed
the applicant
that the exact details of the purchaser would be
inserted when he is told who it will be. In my view it is not
implausible that
negotiations are afoot with more than one
prospective purchaser. The ultimate purchaser will depend on the
outcome of the discussions
and other variables. Mr Shepperson pointed
out to the applicant in the e-mail that the purchaser will be obliged
in terms of the
agreement with it to pay to the respondent a deposit
of R2.5 million within 14 days of the signature of the agreement.
This Mr
Shepperson opined will prove the genuineness of the
purchaser. In my view the obligation to pay a deposit will separate
the chaff
from the grain. The proposed second draft sale agreement
contains a safety net for the respondent. The purchase price has to
be
secured by guarantees to be provided within 30 days of the payment
of the deposit.
39.
The distribution between the respondent and
Siboniseng of the proceeds of the sale of the property and
Siboniseng’s development
rights is set out in the proposed
distribution agreement to be entered into between the respondent and
Siboniseng. Siboniseng is
to receive R10 million and the respondent
R11.5 million.
40.
The parties envisage sharing the estate
agent’s commission. The respondent to pay R400 000.00, and
Siboniseng R250 000.00.
As far as Mr Shepperson’s legal
and advisory costs are concerned, the respondent and Siboniseng
envisage the respondent paying
R600 000.00 and Siboniseng
R1 100 000.00. There is also a provision for R5 000 000.00
to be held as a
retention amount for the benefit of the purchaser.
The purpose of the retention amount is identified in the second draft
sale agreement.
41.
I
am mindful that the first draft sale agreement envisaged the sale of
portion 17 and there was no reference therein to portion
18. Mr
Shepperson explained in his e-mail of 20 May 2022 that the potential
purchaser sent the agreement
[9]
for the purchase of erf 17 but not erf 18. There is again nothing
sinister in this. In terms of the signed Development and Distribution
Agreement the purchase consideration for erf 17, erf 18 and
Siboniseng’s development rights was to be R25 000 000.00.
Of this amount R3 500 000.00 constituted the purchase
consideration for erf 17. The remaining R21 500 000.00
being the purchase consideration for erf 18 and Siboniseng’s
development rights was to be distributed between the respondent
and
Siboniseng. The former to receive R11 250 000.00 and the
latter R10 250 000.00. In terms of the proposed
distribution agreement, Siboniseng will receive R10 million and the
respondent R11.5 million.
42.
The applicant considers payment of R10
million to Siboniseng as an assumption of a liability by the
respondent in favour of Siboniseng
without a valid cause. However,
the applicant ignores that the respondent would be selling the
property and Siboniseng would be
selling its right to develop the
property. The payment of R10 million to Siboniseng constitutes the
purchase consideration for
the sale of Siboniseng’s rights to
develop the property. It is the sale of the property together with
Siboniseng’s
rights that allows the respondent to command a
purchase consideration of R11.5 million for the property. If sold on
its own the
property will realise around R1 million. The payment to
Harcourts and Mr Shepperson is for services rendered by them.
43.
The applicant has failed to demonstrate
that his suspicions are reasonable. The allegation of fraud is not
supported by facts. I
see no justification for suspecting Mr Ferreira
of acting unlawfully or in bad faith. On the facts before me I cannot
conclude
that he is acting in bad faith or has an ulterior motive in
disposing of the property. Nor am I able to find any justification
for the misgivings regarding Siboniseng’s involvement. Far from
acting to the detriment of the respondent and shareholders,
Mr
Ferreira in my view has been astute in exploiting the value of the
property and realising the best value for the respondent
and its
shareholders. There is no merit in the claim that Mr Ferreira is
dealing with the property as if it is his own. Mr Ferreira
is the
director of the company. Nothing precludes him from exploring the
sale of a property and it is clear that he is mindful
that he
requires shareholder consent to dispose of the property.
44.
The applicant is frank that he will not
support the sale of the property. That is however not a reason to
wind up the respondent.
The company laws provide remedies in such an
instance.
Mismanagement and
governance irregularities
45.
The applicant raises management and
governance concerns. He alleges that shareholder meetings are not
convened. To demonstrate mismanagement,
he alleges that Mr Ferreira
does not know who the auditor of the company is. He alleges that he
discovered at a shareholders’
meeting on 15 June 2022 that Mr
Ferreira did not know when the last annual financial statements were
prepared as he had left this
to his wife who had passed away.
46.
Mr Ferreira’s explanation is that his
late wife was an accountant and she attended to the preparation of
the financial statements.
She died on 8 April 2020. And he believed
that Mr WJH Pretorius was the respondent’s auditor. The
applicant has however established
that Mr WJH Pretorius is not the
auditor.
47.
Mr Ferreira’s answers are not
satisfactory. However, this is not a reason to wind-up the
respondent. If the applicant is dissatisfied
with Mr Ferreira’s
management of the respondent (or mismanagement) or Mr Ferreira’s
failure to adhere to sound corporate
governance prescripts, his
remedies lie in the
Companies Act, 2008
. For instance, he has a right
to demand the holding of shareholder meetings. Shareholders also have
the right to remove directors.
The complaints directed against Mr
Ferreira can be addressed without having to resort to winding-up the
respondent.
Conclusion
48.
I am not persuaded that it is just and
equitable to wind-up the respondent be it in terms of
section
81(1)(d)(iii)
of the
Companies Act, 2008
or
section 344
(h) of the
Companies Act, Act
No 61 of 1973 read with
section 345
thereof.
Order
49.
Consequently, I make the following order:
The application is
dismissed with costs.
S
K HASSIM AJ
Acting
Judge: Gauteng Division, Pretoria
(electronic
signature appended)
This
judgment was prepared and authored by the Judge whose name is
reflected and is handed down electronically by circulation to
the
parties’ 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 28 July 2023.
Date of
Hearing:
8 May 2023
Applicant’s
Counsel: Adv J
H Lerm
Respondent’s
Counsel Adv S L P Mulligan
[1]
The
total amount outstanding being R27 058.86. R25 628.88 of
that was outstanding for more than 90 days, and R1 053.71
for
between 30 days and 90 days.
[2]
R650 000.00.
[3]
R1.5
million.
[4]
R10
million.
[5]
Holzman
NO and Another v Knights Engineering and Precision Works (Pty) Ltd
1979 (2) SA 784
(W) at 786F.
[6]
Siboneseng.
[7]
Holzman
NO and Another v Knights Engineering and Precision Work
at 787E-F
[8]
ABSA
Bank Ltd v Rhebokskloof (Pty) Ltd
1993
(4) SA 436
(C) at 440F-441A.
[9]
Referred
to in the e-mail as ‘OTP’ (i.e., presumably offer to
purchase).
sino noindex
make_database footer start
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