Case Law[2022] ZAGPPHC 454South Africa
Dalmar Plant Hire (Pty) Ltd v RMB Structured Insurance Ltd and Another (A219/2018) [2022] ZAGPPHC 454 (24 June 2022)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)
24 June 2022
Judgment
begin wrapper
begin container
begin header
begin slogan-floater
end slogan-floater
- About SAFLII
About SAFLII
- Databases
Databases
- Search
Search
- Terms of Use
Terms of Use
- RSS Feeds
RSS Feeds
end header
begin main
begin center
# South Africa: North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria
South Africa: North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria
You are here:
SAFLII
>>
Databases
>>
South Africa: North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria
>>
2022
>>
[2022] ZAGPPHC 454
|
Noteup
|
LawCite
sino index
## Dalmar Plant Hire (Pty) Ltd v RMB Structured Insurance Ltd and Another (A219/2018) [2022] ZAGPPHC 454 (24 June 2022)
Dalmar Plant Hire (Pty) Ltd v RMB Structured Insurance Ltd and Another (A219/2018) [2022] ZAGPPHC 454 (24 June 2022)
Download original files
PDF format
RTF format
make_database: source=/home/saflii//raw/ZAGPPHC/Data/2022_454.html
sino date 24 June 2022
IN THE HIGH COURT OF
SOUTH AFRICA
(GAUTENG DIVISION,
PRETORIA)
Case number: A219/2018
Date:
REPORTABLE: NO
OF INTEREST TO OTHERS
JUDGES: NO
REVISED
24.06.2022
In the matter between:
DALMAR PLANT HIRE
(PTY) LTD
APPELLANT
AND
RMB STRUCTURED
INSURANCE LTD
FIRST RESPONDENT
OPTIMUM GROUP 4 (PTY)
LTD t/a
OPTIMUM FINANCIAL
SERVICES
SECOND RESPONDENT
JUDGMENT
TOLMAY,
J: (BAQWA J et SARDIWALLE J CONCURRING)
INTRODUCTION
[1]
This is an appeal against the judgment of the Court
a quo
in
which absolution of the instance was granted against the appellant
(Dalmar). The Court
a quo
granted leave to appeal.
[2]
Dalmar initially issued summons against the first respondent (“RMB”)
and
second respondent (“Optimum”). Dalmar’s claim
was based on an insurance agreement and the claim against Optimum,
an
insurance broker, was based on an alleged failure of Optimum to
properly advise Dalmar of the requirements for adequate insurance
cover. Dalmar, in due course, amended its particulars of claim and
formulated its claim exclusively against Optimum. In the amended
particulars of claim Dalmar accepted that it did not have a claim
against the insurer, RMB. Before the commencement of the action
Dalmar settled its claim against RMB on the basis that RMB was
entitled to repudiate its claim. The trial proceeded against Optimum
only.
[3]
Dalmar’s case was that Optimum, which was its insurance broker
during the period,
advised a change of insurers, from Centriq
Insurance Company Limited (“Centriq”) to RMB. There was
one very significant
difference between the requirements of the
Centriq and RMB policies which ultimately led to the dispute between
the parties, this
was that Centriq only required one tracking device
to be installed to the insured vehicle, whereas RMB required that two
such devices
should be installed.
[4]
It was common cause, on the pleadings, that Dalmar and Optimum during
May 2010 concluded
an oral agreement in terms of which Optimum was
appointed to act as its insurance broker. It was also common cause
that in terms
of the agreement Optimum was obliged to exercise its
duties with reasonable skill and care and without negligence and
that, in
terms of the agreement, Optimum would take all reasonable
steps to convey material changes to the insurance agreement to
Dalmar.
[5]
The facts pertaining to the insurance claim reflects that, during
July 2012 Dalmar,
represented by Optimum, concluded an insurance
agreement with Centriq. On 10 December 2012 a Hino 500 1726 TIP C/C
tipper truck
(“the insured vehicle”) was added to the
policy schedule. In the particulars of claim Dalmar alleged that on 1
July
2013 the rights and obligations of Centriq were ceded to RMB,
alternatively a new insurance agreement with RMB was entered into
and
the one with Centriq was cancelled. Optimum admitted this in its
plea. Despite this the Court
a quo
stated in its judgment that
no evidence in this regard was led. However, in the light of the
admission no evidence in this regard
was required.
[6]
Dalmar’s case was that both the insurance agreements concluded
with Centriq
and RMB contained specific, but different endorsements,
regarding the requirement relating to the installation of a tracking
device
or devices, which had to be fitted to the insured vehicle.
Delmar’s case was that there was a material change to what was
required by the two insurers and Optimum, as the insurance broker,
had a duty to communicate this specific change to Dalmar. Optimum’s
case was that the change was not material.
ABSOLUTION FROM THE
INSTANCE
[7]
As the Court
a quo
granted absolution from the instance, after
Dalmar closed its case, this Court is not required to make a final
finding regarding
liability, but merely has to decide whether
absolution from the instance should have been granted at the end of
Dalmar’s
case.
[8]
It is trite that the test to be applied, when absolution is sought at
the end of the
plaintiff’s case, is not whether the evidence
led by the plaintiff established what would finally have to be
established,
but whether there is evidence upon which a court, when
applying its mind reasonably, could or might find for the plaintiff.
This
implies that a plaintiff has to make out a
prime
facie
case, it has been pointed out that absolution should be granted
sparingly.
[1]
At absolution
stage there should be no weighing up of inferences, but what should
be established is, whether one of the reasonable
inferences is in
favour of the plaintiff.
[2]
In
view of the aforesaid a trial court should be circumspect when it
considers granting absolution at the end of a plaintiff’s
case.
[9]
In
the matter of
De
Klerk v Absa Bank Ltd and others
[3]
the Court stated the following:
“
Counsel
who applies for absolution from the instance at the end of a
plaintiff’s case takes a risk, even though the plaintiff’s
case be weak. If the application succeeds the plaintiff’s
action is ended, he must pay the costs and the defendant is relieved
of the decision whether to lead evidence and of having his body of
evidence scrutinised should he choose to provide it. But time
and
time again plaintiffs against whom absolution has been ordered have
appealed successfully and left the defendant to pay the
costs of both
the application and the appeal and with the need to decide what is to
be done next. The question in this case is
whether the plaintiff has
crossed the low threshold of proof that the law sets when a
plaintiff’s case is closed but the
defendant’s is
not
.”
[4]
[10]
This appeal should accordingly be considered whilst taking
consideration of the “low threshold
of proof that the law sets”
when a decision is made on whether absolution should be granted or
not.
THE DUTIES OF AN
INSURANCE BROKER
[11]
There is no doubt that an insurance broker owes a duty to an insured,
in
Stander
v Raubenheimer
[5]
the Court referred with approval to the following statement in
Ivamy’s
General
Principles of Insurance Law
5
th
edition at 516 where the following is stated:
“
It
is the duty of the agent, in the exercise of the authority entrusted
to him, to act with reasonable and proper care, skill and
diligence.
If
he is a professional agent, such as a broker, the standard by which
the duty is to be measured is that of persons of experience
and skill
in his profession and in the place where he was employed to perform
it. …
Whether
he has actually acted with the required degree of skill depends in
each case on the circumstances
.”
[6]
[12]
The Court in
Stander
v Raubenheimer
found that the broker was liable for the loss suffered by the insured
where the insured claimed against its insurer due to the
fact that
there was an exclusion in the policy based on the fact that the
insured house had a thatched roof. The duty owed by an
insurance
broker was also confirmed in various other matters.
[7]
It follows that Optimum had a duty to inform Dalmar of any material
change to the policy.
THE PLEADINGS AND
EVIDENCE
[13]
Optimum in its plea admitted that it did not convey the change in
wording to Dalmar it is stated
as follows in the plea:
“
Save
to admit that the Second Defendant did not convey the immaterial
change in wording between the endorsement in “POC2”
and
“POC1”, the remaining allegations contained in this
paragraph are denied
.”
[14]
Optimum pleaded
that it was necessary for Dalmar to install two self arming tracking
devices in terms of both the Centriq policy and the RMB policy.
Optimum contended that the requirement to install two self arming
tracking devices was communicated to Dalmar by both Centriq and
by
Optimum on 11 December 2012.However, the communications predates the
RMB policy and
prima
facie
could not have
applied to it, but seems to deal with only the Centriq policy.
[15]
Optimum admitted that it was obliged to take all reasonable steps to
convey material changes
to the insurance agreement to Dalmar. Optimum
pleaded however that the changes were not material.
[16]
It is apparent that in order to determine whether there was a
material change in the requirement
relating to the installation of
the tracking devices, the provision in the Centriq policy must be
interpreted. In this regard the
first sentence of the endorsement in
the Centriq policy refers in the singular to “
a self arming
tracking device
” which must be fitted to “
the
vehicle
”. That sentence seems to indicate that a single
self arming tracking device must be fitted to the insured vehicle.
The second
sentence in the endorsement states that “
the self
arming tracking device
must be fitted to both units
”.
That raised the question what is meant by “
both units
”.
It was common cause that the vehicle in question consisted of a
single unit and not of two units.
[17]
The uncontested evidence of Ms. Smuts was that Dalmar queried the
meaning of the sentence in
the Centriq policy with Optimum, which
took the matter up with Centriq, and then confirmed to Dalmar that if
the vehicle consists
of two units, such as a truck and trailer, a
self arming tracking device must be installed to both units of the
vehicle, being
the truck as well as the trailer. What was conveyed
and understood by both Dalmar and by Optimum, under the Centriq
policy, was
that two units need only be installed if the vehicle
consists of two units. This evidence is supported by a trail of
emails that
confirmed that two devices were only required if the
vehicle consisted of two units.
[18]
The evidence of Ms. Smuts was that Optimum at all relevant times from
December 2012 understood
the endorsement in the Centriq policy to
mean that only one tracking and recovery device was required for the
insured vehicle.
[19]
Dalmar’s case was that in terms of the Centriq policy two self
arming tracking devices
were only required if a vehicle consisted of
two separate units. The endorsement that was made on the RMB
insurance policy schedule
makes it clear that the insured was
required to have two self arming tracking devices installed to the
vehicle. Based on the wording
of the agreement it was necessary to do
so, regardless of the fact that the insured vehicle did not consist
of two separate units
i.e. a horse and a trailer.
[20]
Ms. Esterhuizen conceded in her evidence that the quotation which was
presented to and initialled
by Mr. Swart, constituted a communication
to Dalmar that two self activating tracking and recovery units must
be fitted to the
vehicle in terms of the new RMB policy. It is common
cause that it contained the endorsement requiring the fitting of two
tracking
units. The relevant question however was whether Dalmar’s
attention was pertinently and sufficiently directed to the fact
that
two tracking units were now required under the RMB policy. This
evidence must be considered in the light of the Centriq policy,
which
only required two devices, if the vehicle consisted of two units. She
pointed out that in email correspondence clarification
was obtained
from Optimum that two devices were only required if the vehicle
consisted of two units. Dalmar acted on the basis
that in terms of
the first Centriq policy, only one tracking unit was required if the
vehicle consisted of one unit.
[21]
Dalmar pleaded that it was a term of the broker agreement that
Optimum would take all reasonable
steps to convey material
information from an insurer to Dalmar, and this term was admitted in
Optimum’s plea. It was argued
that the taking of reasonable
steps to convey the information to Dalmar implied that Optimum should
not merely have given a copy
of the document in which the material
change or information was contained to it, but should have seen to it
that Optimum’s
attention was drawn to the material change.
Optimum should have ensured that the insured was aware of the
requirement and complied
therewith.
[22]
It was furthermore argued on behalf of Optimum that it was necessary
for Dalmar to present expert
evidence at the trial. Based on the
admissions, referred to above, however the contractual terms were
admitted by Optimum and accordingly
such evidence was not required,
at least not at absolution stage.
[23]
In paragraph 5.2.3 of the defendant’s plea it was pleaded that:
“
The requirement
to install two self arming tracking devices was communicated to the
plaintiff both by the first defendant and the
second defendant on 11
December 2012. These communications are annexed hereto and marked
“P1” and “P2”
respectively
.”
[24]
These communications however clearly relate to the Centriq policy to
which the Hino vehicle was
added on 10 December 2012. The RMB policy
only came in force long after the aforesaid date.
[25]
In paragraph 11.2 of the defendant’s plea it was pleaded that:
“
The second
defendant was not required to communicate the change between the
endorsement found at “POC1” and “POC2”
as the
second defendant had, at all material times, advised the plaintiff
that it was required to attach two self arming and tracking
devices
to the vehicle, at all times
.”
[26]
However, the only version in this regard which was put to Ms.
Esterhuizen and Ms. Smuts
was that the communication was
contained in the quotation which Mr. Swart initialled and signed on 5
July 2013. The December 2012
communications obviously did not address
the provision in the RMB policy, as that policy was only issued some
seven months later.
[27]
In considering the evidence and pleadings one must at all times be
cognisant of the fact that
the test to be applied is the one that
finds application at absolution stage.
JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
A QUO
[28]
The Court
a quo
identified the first issue to be decided as
being whether the provision in the two agreements constituted a
material change that
was abnormal and required Optimum to convey the
information to Dalmar. It then found that the Centriq agreement had
no relevance
to the RMB agreement. This finding seems to be based on
a misdirection, as it must be kept in mind that the Centriq agreement
did
not require the installation of two tracking devices to the
insured vehicle, unless it consisted of two units. The RMB agreement
however, specifically required this. The crux of the dispute between
the parties and before the court was the difference between
the
conditions relating to the installation of tracking devices and
whether this constituted a material deviation.
[29]
The Court
a quo
furthermore concluded that, apart from the
above, that the two agreements are totally separate and independent
of each other and
should be interpreted separately. However, the
interpretation of the RMB agreement and the Centriq agreement was not
contentious,
what was of importance was the difference in
requirements, which
prima facie
placed a duty on the insurance
broker to inform Dalmar of the variation contained in the RMB
agreement.
[30]
The Court
a quo
seemed to have concluded that there was no
material change in the RMB policy compared to the Centriq policy, but
this conclusion
is incorrect as the Centriq policy, in terms of the
evidence led, only required one anti-theft device to be installed,
whereas
the RMB policy required two.
[31]
The
Court
a
quo
made the following findings:
“
In
my view there cannot be any dispute that the information contained
under the heading referred to above was brought to the plaintiff’s
attention, as can be inferred from the plaintiff’s director’s
initial on this page and his subsequent signature at
the end of this
document.”
The
plaintiff’s director, who signed this document, failed to
testify. It must therefore be inferred that he was fully aware
of the
requirement and condition that two safety devices be installed, and
he accepted those conditions on behalf of the plaintiff
.”
[32]
The Court
a quo
placed great emphasis on the fact that the
representative of Dalmar signed the terms and conditions of the RMB
agreement.
[33]
With reference to
Mr. Swart’s signature of the quotation, it was submitted on
behalf of Optimum that it was not merely a financial
quote, it was
argued that it contained a warranty that “
the
insured warrants that the above vehicle is fitted with two CIB
approved self arming tracking and recovery devices
”.
Dalmar argued that there is however no such warranty in the document
which Mr. Swart signed. The warranty referred to is
in the RMB policy
document, which was not in existence on 5 July 2013, which was not
attached to the quotation, and was only issued
after the quotation
had been accepted by Mr. Swart. Despite the contradictory arguments
one needs again to apply the principles
applicable to the granting of
absolution of instance.
[34]
Importantly, the wording of the quotation does not state that all new
requirements have been
explained, it merely states that all covers
were accepted, discussed and explained. Taking into consideration the
requirements
at absolution stage, the Court
a quo
was not in a
position to find that these words exclude the possibility that the
relevant requirement was not explained.
[35]
The Court
a quo’s
finding implies that the insured, who
signed the insurance agreement, fully appreciated the totality of the
contents of the insurance
agreement. However, one must consider that
despite the fact that the insured is legally bound by the terms of
the insurance agreement,
this case is not about that agreement, but
deals with the duty of the insurance broker towards his client,
namely to communicate
material changes to his client, if that duty is
not recognizes there would be no point in appointing an insurance
broker.
[36]
The
Court
a
quo
furthermore made the following finding:
“
On
a proper interpretation of the relevant policy agreement it is quite
clear that two tracking devices were required and that the
plaintiff
was fully aware of that condition when the quotation was accepted.
There was no misunderstanding, and the only conclusion
that can be
drawn is that a binding agreement was concluded. In the absence of
the evidence of Mr Swart there is nothing to
be said against the
conclusion that there was a proper meeting of minds.
The
first agreement with Centriq and the inquiry about the meaning of the
two devices being required can in my view not be used
to interpret
the terms and conditions of the RMB agreement. It does not form part
of the plaintiff’s claim at all and must
be regarded as res
inter alius acta (sic). Plaintiff therefore failed to prove a
misrepresentation or a failure to properly investigate
on the part of
the second defendant as the cause of action.”
[37]
As far as the failure to call Mr. Swart to testify is concerned, t
he
record indicates that Optimum was aware that Mr. Swart was not
available and would not be called as a witness at the time when
Ms.
Esterhuizen and Ms. Smuts were called to testify. Optimum’s
counsel did not, in cross-examination of Ms. Esterhuizen
or Ms.
Smuts, put on record that an adverse inference would be drawn, if Mr.
Swart did not testify, or suggested that Mr. Swart
could give
evidence, or would give evidence contrary to that which they gave.
[38]
The evidence of Ms. Smuts, that Mr. Swart did not read the quotation
document, but merely signed
it was not challenged during
cross-examination. In
President
of the RSA v SARFU
[8]
,
The following of relevance was said:
“
The
precise nature of the imputation should be made clear to the witness
so that it can be met and destroyed, particularly where
the
imputation relies upon inferences to be drawn from other evidence in
the proceedings. It should be made clear not only that
the
evidence is to be challenged but also how it is
to be challenged. This is so because the witness must be
given an
opportunity to deny the challenge, to call corroborative evidence, to
qualify the evidence given by the witness or others
and to explain
contradictions on which reliance is to be placed.”
[9]
[39]
The failure to challenge the evidence entitled Dalmar to accept that
the evidence was accepted
and therefore need not have been
corroborated. At the very least counsel for Optimum should have
challenged Ms. Smuts on the basis
that, having regard to the printed
words above the signature of Mr. Swart’s signature it would be
argued by Optimum that
on the probabilities Mr. Swart did read and
consider the entire document and that her evidence to the contrary
should be rejected
on the probabilities.
[40]
In
Pexmart
v H Mocke
[10]
it was found that whether an adverse inference should be drawn if a
witness is not called will depend on the facts of the case.
We were
not referred to any decision in any Court, in which an adverse
inference was drawn from a failure to call a witness in
respect of a
matter which was not in dispute, or in respect of which the evidence
before the Court was not contradicted. The Court
in
Pexmart
[11]
referred to its previous decision in
Munster
Estates (Pty) Ltd v Killarney Hills (Pty) Ltd
[12]
in which it was stated
that there was not a general and inflexible rule to be applied
without more in every case that an adverse
inference is to be drawn,
where a party fails to call a witness who is available and able to
elucidate the facts;
[41]
It was argued, correctly, that in
Pexmart
it was indicated
during the course of the plaintiff’s case that the witness, Mr.
Henn, would be called. In the present case
it was made clear that Mr.
Swart was not available and would not be called. It was furthermore
pointed out that in
Pexmart
the Court took account of the fact
that during the course of the plaintiff’s case contradictory
evidence had been led, which
could have been clarified had the
witness been called. In the matter before us there was no
contradictory evidence put which could
have been clarified by Mr.
Swart.
[42]
In
Pexmart
the Court held that the probable reason for not
calling Mr. Henn as a witness was that it was feared that his
evidence would
expose facts unfavourable to the plaintiff’s
case. There is no basis for such an inference in this case, as the
evidence
of Ms. Smuts, that Mr. Swart had not read the document, was
not challenged.
[43]
In the circumstances of this matter, there is no basis upon which an
adverse inference can properly
be drawn that Ms. Smuts was wrong in
her evidence that Mr. Swart had not read the document, and that had
Mr. Swart been called,
he would have confirmed that he read the
document and was aware of the stipulation that two tracking units
must be installed to
the vehicle.
[44]
The Court
a quo
continued to find that the agreement with
Centriq and the meaning of the two devices being required, could not
be used to interpret
the terms and conditions of the RMB agreement,
and was
res inter alias acta
. The Court concluded that Dalmar
failed to prove a misrepresentation, or a failure to properly
investigate on the part of Optimum,
as a cause of action. However,
Dalmar’s claim was not based on a misrepresentation. The record
shows that Dalmar accepted
that it was bound by the terms of the
insurance agreement and that is why the claim was against Optimum and
not RMB. In this regard
the Court
a quo
failed to appreciate
the nature of Dalmar’s claim.
[45]
The Court
a quo
did not consider the fact that Dalmar signed
and was bound by the terms of the RMB agreement. It however does not
follow by necessary
implication that Dalmar understood the specific
requirement that an additional tracking device had to be installed to
the vehicle.
It would seem that the Court
a quo
confused the
principles of
caveat subscriptor
and the duty of an insurance
broker towards his client.
[46]
As far as the interpretation of contracts are concerned, as the case
is here, it must be noted
that in the matter of
Gaffor
v
Uni
Versekerings Adviseurs (Edms) Bpk
[13]
the Court pointed out that when the interpretation of contracts are
in issue the trial court should “…
refuse
absolution unless, the proper interpretation appears to be beyond
question
”.
[47]
It is obvious that if there was no material change in the requirement
relating to the installation
of the tracking and recovery device,
when the RMB policy is compared to the Centriq policy, then there was
no duty on Optimum to
point out the wording of the endorsement. But,
on the other hand, if there was a material change, then there was
undoubtedly such
a duty.
[48]
The Court
a quo
stated that the Centriq policy required that
two self tracking devices must be fitted to the vehicle and then
proceeded to quote
words on the basis that these appeared in the
Centriq policy being “
self arming tracking and recovery
device warranty (two units to be installed)
”. This is
however not the wording of the endorsement in the Centriq policy, but
is the wording of the endorsement in the
subsequent RMB policy. The
Court referred to annexure “POC1” but the wording appears
in the endorsement in annexure
“POC2”, which is the RMB
policy. As a result, the wording which the Court
a quo
relied
upon for finding that the Centriq policy required that two self
tracking devices must be fitted, does not appear in the Centriq
policy, but appears in the subsequent RMB policy.
[49]
The Court
a quo
held that queries were raised by Dalmar to
Optimum as to the meaning of the quoted term. A query was raised, but
the record indicates
that the query was not raised in respect of the
wording quoted by the Court
a quo (
which only appears in the
subsequent RMB policy), but was raised in regard to the phrase “
the
self arming tracking device must be fitted to both units”
which
appeared in the Centriq policy.
[50]
The Court
a quo
stated that Dalmar, acting on the broker’s
advice only installed one tracking device to the Hino truck. That
finding is correct.
However, the Court found that Dalmar did so
notwithstanding an endorsement to the insurance policy. This
endorsement, as already
pointed out appears in the RMB policy and
not, as found by the Court
a quo
, in the Centriq policy.
[51]
The Court
a quo
having erroneously found that the provisions
relied upon and quoted appeared in the Centriq policy, erroneously
concluded that the
Centriq policy required two tracking devices to be
installed to the vehicle. Had the Court
a quo
referred to the
correct wording of the endorsement in the Centriq policy and had
regard to the evidence, the Court
a quo
would have concluded
that the Centriq policy, as understood by both Dalmar and Optimum,
required only one tracking and recovery
device to be fitted to the
Hino vehicle.
[52]
The Court
a quo
continued furthermore to hold that the Centriq
policy had no relevance to the RMB policy and could only play a
limited role as
to what Dalmar’s understanding was when the RMB
contract was concluded. The proper interpretation of, as well as the
understanding
of Dalmar and Optimum, as to what was required in terms
of the Centriq policy was relevant to the question whether there was
a
material change to this requirement in the RMB policy. Having
regard to what both Dalmar and Optimum understood, in the light of
the evidence led, namely that only one tracking device was required
to be installed to the insured vehicle, in terms of the Centriq
policy, there was
prima facie
a material change between that
requirement, and the requirement in the subsequent RMB policy, where
two tracking and recovery devices
were required to be fitted to the
vehicle.
CONCLUSION
[53]
Taking into consideration the requirements for the granting of
absolution of the instance the
Court
a quo
misdirected itself
when it granted absolution of the instance and consequently the
appeal should be upheld.
[54]
The following order is made:
1.
The
appeal is upheld.
2.
The
order of the Court
a
quo
is set aside and the following order is made:
2.1
“
The
application for absolution of the instance is dismissed and the
defendant is ordered to pay the costs occasioned by the application.”
3.
The
matter is remitted to the Trial Court for a hearing and decision.
4.
The
respondent to pay the costs of the appeal.
R G TOLMAY
JUDGE OF THE HIGH
COURT
Delivered:
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 email and by uploading it to
the electronic file of this matter on CaseLines. The
date for
hand-down is deemed to be 24 June 2022.
DATE OF
HEARING:
13 APRIL 2022
DATE O F JUDGMENT:
ATTORNEY FOR
APPEALLANT:
DELPORT VAN DEN BERG
ADVOCATE FOR
APPELLANT:
ADV N MARITZ (SC)
ADV E ELS
ATTORNEY FOR
RESPONDENTS: ANDREW MILLA &
ASS
ADVOCATE FOR
RESPONDENTS: ADV L CHOATE
[1]
Gordon
Lloyd Page & Associates v Riviera 2001(1) SA 88 (SCA) p 92 –
93, see also De Klerk v Absa Bank 2003(4) SA 315
(SCA) p 323.
[2]
Cilliers,
Loots & Nel,
Herbstein
& Van Winsen, The Court Practice of the High Courts of South
Africa, (5
th
ed), vol 1, Cilliers, Loots & Nel p 923.
[3]
2003 (4) SA 315 (SCA)
[4]
Ibid
para 1.
[5]
1996
(2) SA 670 (O).
[6]
Ibid
p 675.
[7]
Durr
v Absa Bank Ltd and Antoher 1997(3) SA 448 (SCA) at 460 F –
461 D, Lenaerts v JSN Motors (Pty) ltd and Another 2001(4)
SA 1100
(W),
Similar findings were made in
Lappeman
Diamond Cutting Works (Pty) Ltd v MIB Group (Pty) Ltd and Another
2004
(2) SA 1
(SCA) and in
Mutual
& Federal Insurance Co. Ltd v Ingram NO and Others
2009 (6) SA 53
(E).
[8]
2000 (1) SA 1
(CC) at para 62–65, See also Rautini v Passenger
Rail Agency of South Africa
[2021] JOL 51546
(SCA) para 14 –
15, S v Boesak 2001(1) SA 912 (CC) para 26.
[9]
Ibid
para 63.
[10]
2019 (3) SA 117
(SCA) para 69 (Pexmart), see also Zeffert and
others: The South African Law of Evidence (2003) p 136.
[11]
Ibid
para 69.
[12]
1
979
(1) SA 621
(A) at 624B–F.
[13]
1961 (1) SA 335
(AD) at page 340B–C.
sino noindex
make_database footer start
Similar Cases
Ace Plant Hire (Pty) Ltd v Road Traffic Management Corporation and Others (8839/2021) [2022] ZAGPPHC 897 (16 November 2022)
[2022] ZAGPPHC 897High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)98% similar
Leloba Plant Hire and Logistics (Pty) Ltd v Mashishi and Others (045305/2023) [2024] ZAGPPHC 40 (24 January 2024)
[2024] ZAGPPHC 40High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)98% similar
Dalmar Konstruksie (Pty) Ltd and Another v Mikaia Boerdery (Pty) Ltd and Another (14801/2020) [2022] ZAGPPHC 806 (7 October 2022)
[2022] ZAGPPHC 806High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)98% similar
RH Plant Hire CC v Vlok and Others (2023-055592;2023-018259) [2023] ZAGPPHC 683 (14 August 2023)
[2023] ZAGPPHC 683High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)98% similar
Maphalle v South African Police Service and Others (B38945/2022) [2022] ZAGPPHC 875 (17 November 2022)
[2022] ZAGPPHC 875High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)97% similar