Case Law[2022] ZAGPPHC 625South Africa
Mantladi Technologies (Pty) Ltd v National Treasury and Others (36978/2022) [2022] ZAGPPHC 625 (24 August 2022)
Judgment
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# South Africa: North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria
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## Mantladi Technologies (Pty) Ltd v National Treasury and Others (36978/2022) [2022] ZAGPPHC 625 (24 August 2022)
Mantladi Technologies (Pty) Ltd v National Treasury and Others (36978/2022) [2022] ZAGPPHC 625 (24 August 2022)
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sino date 24 August 2022
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
(GAUTENG
DIVISION, PRETORIA)
Case
Number
:
36978/2022
REPORTABLE:
NO
OF
INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: NO
24
AUGUST 2022
In
the matter between:
MANTLADI
TECHNOLOGIES (PTY)LTD
APPLICANT
and
THE
NATIONAL TREASURY FIRST
RESPONDENT
THE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SECOND
RESPONDENT
MINISTER
OF FINANCE
THIRD
RESPONDENT
THE
COMPETITION COMMISION OF SOUTH
FOURTH RESPONDENT
AFRICA
NUANGLE
SOLUTIONS (PTY) LTD FIFTH
RESPONDENT
MOTHUDI
SERVICES (PTY)LTD
SIXTH
RESPONDENT
LOGAN
MEDICAL & SURGICAL (PTY)LTD
SEVENTH RESPONDENT
ENDOMED
MEDICAL & SURGICAL
EIGHTH RESPONDENT
SUPPLIES
CC
JUDGMENT
KUBUSHI
J
Delivered:
This
judgment was handed down electronically by circulation to the
parties’ legal representatives by e-mail. The date and
time for
hand-down is deemed to be 10h00 on 24 August 2022.
INTRODUCTION
[1]
The application relates to a transversal tender, that was advertised,
as a term contract,
for the supply and delivery of bandages for three
(3) years, by the National Treasury, the First Respondent herein
(“the
impugned tender”). The impugned tender deals with
the supply and delivery of advanced wound care products. These
products
consist of bandages that are used in managing cases of
non-healing wounds as well as chronic wounds associated with, amongst
others,
diabetes.
[2]
Transversal contracts are contracts that are centrally facilitated by
the National
Treasury on behalf of the State. The National Treasury
typically issues transversal contracts when there is more than one
state
department that requires the supply of certain services. For
purposes of this application, the supply of the advanced wound care
products was not only required by the relevant provincial Departments
of Health, they were also needed by the Department of Correctional
Services and the Department of Defence. The National Treasury
facilitated the tender process on behalf of these departments.
[3]
The Applicant, Mantladi Technologies (Pty) Ltd, brought this
application on an urgent
basis seeking an interim order to restrain
and interdict the First Respondent and the Third Respondent (the
Minister of Finance)
from continuing with the implementation of the
impugned tender. Initially, the relief the Applicant sought was
couched in general
terms – seeking to review and set aside the
whole tender. But, after having considered the answering affidavit,
the Applicant
now seeks an order to restrain and interdict the
impugned tender only in respect of the line items in the tender for
which it tendered
for and was unsuccessful. At the time of hearing
this matter the impugned tender had been running for at least a
month.
[4]
The application is opposed by the First Respondent and the Third
Respondent, only.
For ease of reference the First Respondent and the
Third Respondent shall be referred to in this judgment collectively
as the Respondents,
and individually as the First Respondent and the
Third Respondent, respectively.
[5]
The Second to Eighth Respondents are cited due to their respective
interests they
have in the outcome of this application, no specific
relief is sought against them. The Fifth to the Eighth Respondents
are the
successful bidders.
[6]
Except for the Competition Commission of South Africa, the Fourth
Respondent herein,
the other Respondents are not taking part in these
proceedings.
[7]
The Fourth Respondent has filed a notice to abide, as well as an
affidavit for the
purpose of assisting the Court by providing an
explanation of the Commission's investigation and its findings of
irregularity of
the impugned tender following the Applicant’s
complaint.
URGENCY
[8]
The Respondents are opposing the urgency of the application. The
Supreme Court of
Appeal
in
Millenium
Waste Management
,
[1]
at para 34 of the judgment remarked that -
“
[34]
In conclusion there is one further matter that needs to be mentioned.
It appears that in some cases applicants for review approach
the high
court promptly for relief but their cases are not expeditiously heard
and as a result by the time the matter is finally
determined,
practical problems militating against the setting aside of the
challenged decision would have arisen. Consequently,
the scope of
granting an effective relief to vindicate the infringed rights become
drastically reduced.
It may help if the high
court, to the extent possible, gives priority to these matters
.”
(my emphasis).
[9]
Therefore, relying on this judgment, it is this Court’s view
that this matter
is inherently urgent.
FACTUAL
MATRIX
[10]
The First Respondent advertised the impugned tender on 27 July 2021
and the closing date for
the tender was 26 August 2021. The Special
Conditions of Contract ("SCC"), which is a supplementary to
the General Conditions
of Contract was also published. The special
conditions of contract are there to supplement the general conditions
of the contract.
[11]
On the closing date, the First Respondent received ninety-three (93)
bids and the Applicant was
one of the 93 bidders. The tender itself
consisted of 479 line items, which includes,
inter alia,
different categories of wound dressings; foam dressings; burn
dressings; bandages; and skin closure strips. The Applicant
tendered for only 9 line items. It was a specific requirement of the
tender that all bidders should submit samples of the relevant
product
where applicable, and in one of the 9 line items the Applicant did
not provide a sample. The tender was awarded by the
First Respondent
on 29 April 2022. The Applicant was not successful in its bid and the
tender was awarded to other bidders, including
the Fifth to Eighth
Respondents ("the successful bidders").
[12]
The tender process consisted of five phases. The Bid Evaluation
Committee (“BEC”)
met on 8 November 2021 and 10 February
2022 to evaluate the bids that had been submitted by various bidders
including the Applicant.
It is common cause that the Applicant
submitted a bid that went successfully through the first three
phases, but in the fourth
phase the Applicant was disqualified. The
BEC recommended 46 bidders for qualification to the next phase of the
tender and the
Applicant was not part of the recommended bidders. A
list of all those who were disqualified together with the reasons for
their
disqualification was also drawn up. The Applicant alleges that
its name does not appear on this list.
[13]
On 18 May 2022 the Applicant addressed an electronic mail to the
First Respondent in which the
Applicant highlighted that it had been
made aware that the tender had been awarded to the successful
tenderers at the end of April
2022, but that the Applicant had not
yet received a formal notice that it had not been successful. In the
said email the Applicant
requested full details as to why the
Applicant, with a 100% locally manufactured product, was passed over
and not successful in
its bid.
[14]
On 19 May 2022 the Applicant received an electronic mail from the
First Respondent with an attachment
to it, dated 17 May 2022. The
attachment was written correspondence advising that the Applicant was
not successful in its submitted
tender. In response to the electronic
mail dated 18 May 2022 from the Applicant, the First Respondent
directed an email to the
Applicant on 1
June 2022, in which the reason for passing
the Applicant over during
the bid process was highlighted. The reason for the non-award was
recorded as "sample not recommended.
Submitted woven dressing
instead of non-woven." "Non designation"
THE
INCLUSION OF THE FOURTH RESPONDENT IN THESE PROCEEDINGS
[15]
The Fourth Respondent was drawn into this application as a result of
the history that preceded
the impugned tender. The history is said to
be common cause between the parties, and relates to the inclusion in
the past of certain
patents in the standard requirement or
specifications of these tenders. It is averred that there was a move
away from generic specification
terms to the inclusion, for example,
of the term Drawtex. The difficulty, as alluded to by the
Applicant, is that Drawtex
is a patent and if you are not a license
holder of the patent you cannot submit a product because it won’t
be a Drawtex product.
This prohibits many entities to submit tenders
and to can qualify for the awarding of these tenders. The Applicant
alleges that
the First Respondent invited the tender without the
generic wording. Conversely, the Respondents contends that nowhere in
the impugned
tender is there any mention of patented products such as
Drawtex.
[16]
Complaints were laid with the Fourth Respondent pertaining to a
previous tender of this nature,
which complaints, according to the
First Respondent and the Fourth Respondent, were resolved after a
meeting of the two and an
undertaking by the First Respondent to
issue a Request for Information ("RFI") to the market to
identify who the market
participants are, and their product
specifications. This would help them to tailor generic tender
specifications that do not exclude
any player active in the wound
bandages market.
[17]
When the impugned tender was advertised without the generic wording,
as it is alleged by the
Applicant, the Applicant laid a fresh
complaint with the Fourth Respondent. When the Applicant did not get
any satisfaction from
the Fourth Respondent, it approached this Court
for relief and joined the Fourth Respondent as a party to the
proceedings. Pursuant
to its investigation regarding the Applicant’s
complaint, the Fourth Respondent submits in its explanatory affidavit
that
its preliminary review is that the pricing of the impugned
tender is anti-competitive and that the impugned tender has been
illegally
awarded and ought to be set aside and re-advertised.
THE
GROUNDS OF REVIEW
[18]
The essence of the Applicant’s submission is that, amongst
others, the decision by the
First Respondent is not rationally
connected to the information that was before the First Respondent at
the time of considering
the Applicant’s bid, and the reason
given for the decision to not award the tender to the Applicant.
According to the Applicant,
the First Respondent considered
irrelevant considerations and/or failed to consider relevant
considerations when considering its
bid.
[19]
Additionally, it is submitted that the First Respondent's process in
respect of this tender,
as well, as its decision to award the tender
to the Fifth to Eighth Respondents falls short of the requirements
set out in section
217 of the Constitution.
[20]
Furthermore, the Applicant raises the following four grounds of
review, namely, that
20.1
Save for the product submitted by the Fifth Respondent, the products
submitted by the Sixth to Eighth Respondents were
not locally
manufactured and not compliant with the prescribed specification.
20.2
The pricing submitted by the Sixth to Eighth Respondents is
indicative thereof that the product they submitted for purposes
of
the tender cannot be an "absorbent capillary action"
product but must be a passive wound care product.
20.3
Should it be established that the Sixth to Eighth Respondents
submitted an "absorbent capillary action" product,
then in
that event, the respective Respondents fall foul of clause 5.2.2.3 of
the SCC.
20.4
The non-woven product submitted by the Applicant was incorrectly
classified as a woven product.
[21]
It is trite that before a Court may grant an interim interdict, it
must be satisfied that the
Applicant for an interdict has good
prospects of success in the main review. The review must be based on
strong grounds which are
likely to succeed. This requires the Court
adjudicating the interdict application, to peek into the grounds of
review raised in
the main review application, and assess the strength
of such grounds of review. It is only if a Court is convinced that
the review
is likely to succeed that it may appropriately grant the
interdict.
[2]
THE
ISSUE FOR DETERMINATION BY THIS COURT
[22]
Two issues stand to be determined by this Court before it can grant
the Applicant the relief
it seeks in this application. The main issue
is whether the Applicant has established the requirements for the
granting of an interim
interdict. Underlying that issue is whether
the grounds of review raised by the Applicant have good prospects of
success in the
main review.
[23]
The two issues shall be dealt with hereunder in turn. The issue of
whether there are strong grounds
of review shall be dealt with first.
DISCUSSION
Whether
the grounds of review raised by the Applicant have good prospects of
success in the main review.
[24]
The Applicant submits that it has strong grounds of review, clear
evidence of irregularity, and
an independent state institution, the
Competition Commission, submitting that this impugned tender is
anti-competitive.
[25]
In its oral argument, the Applicant concentrated its submissions more
on the grounds of irrationality,
the wrong classification of the
product and that the First Respondent, when adjudication the
Applicant’s bid considered irrelevant
considerations and/or
failed to consider relevant considerations. These grounds of review
are further honed by the below arguments
of the Applicant.
[26]
The reason for disqualifying the Applicant is stated as ‘sample
not recommended. Submitted
a woven dressing.’ The products that
were required by the tender were ‘non-woven’. The second
reason for disqualification
is that the Applicant did not provide
samples. Bidders were expected to provide samples with their bids.
[27]
According to the Applicant, it submitted the bid and made offers on 9
line items out of the 479
items that formed the subject of the
impugned tender, and then attached a copy of the list and full
description of the nine items.
But, the reason provided by the First
Respondent for the Applicant’s disqualification is a broad
sweeping statement without
any specifics as to the nine line items it
tendered for.
[28]
In relation to the whole dispute about whether the product was woven
or non- woven, and whether
or not the Applicant provided the correct
product, the Applicant’s submission is that there can be no
dispute in this regard
because Mr Molefe Fani (“Mr Fani”),
the deponent to the answering affidavit, does not have personal
knowledge. The
contention being that although Mr Fani is a high
ranking official within National Treasury, he was, however, not a
member of the
BEC, and, thus, did not participate directly in the BEC
meetings. His evidence is founded on documents that fall under his
control
and supervision, but, no confirmatory affidavits are attached
to the answering affidavit.
[29]
According to the Applicant, the failure to file the confirmatory
affidavits left only the evidence
of Mr Fani, who although is in a
supervisory capacity and has access to documents, but, he has no
personal knowledge of what was
debated about the reasoning and
motivation of, specifically, the BEC at phase four of the tender
disqualifying the Applicant. He
can simply not rely on what he read
in the documents or what he was told by undisclosed sources. That Mr
Fani was not part
of the BEC meeting is not in dispute, this is
conceded in the answering affidavit, and the attendance list also
bears testimony
to that, so the Applicant argues.
[30]
The Applicant’s argument is that the hearsay evidence of Mr
Fani is trumped by the evidence
of Mr Jacobus Frederik Mouton (“Mr
Mouton”) which is contained in the confirmatory affidavit to
the Applicant’s
replying affidavit. Mr
Mouton is alleged to have personal knowledge and is
an expert and
patent holder of the products in question. Mr Mouton is said to have
confirmed that the products that the Applicant
tendered for were
correct in that they were non-woven. Mr Mouton’s evidence is
alleged to be uncontested, the Respondents
having not taken issue
with the data contained in his confirmatory affidavit.
[31]
In respect of whether a sample was provided or not, the Applicant
contends that the Supply List
attached to the replying affidavit
demonstrates that except for one-line item, a sample was provided in
respect of each line item
that the Applicant tendered for. The
Applicant concedes that in respect of that one-line item it did not
supply the sample. The
Applicant, further, submits that there being
no evidence to the contrary that the Supply List was not submitted,
the Supply List
establishes without a shadow of doubt that the
samples were provided, and that that reason for disqualification can
simply not
hold water.
[32]
Additionally, the Applicant contends that it was disqualified whilst
it submitted the same products
as some of the successful bidders. The
contention is that it is, therefore, irrational that the Fifth
Respondent successfully tendered
with the exact same items, being a
non-woven XLTA product whereas the Applicant who submitted the same
product was disqualified.
[33]
The Applicant further relies on the Fourth Respondent’s
submission that the tender has
been illegally awarded and ought to be
set aside, and be re-advertised.
[34]
As expected, all these grounds are denied by the Respondents. The
Respondents contend in their
answering affidavit that –
34.1
The Applicant was deemed non-compliant on all the line items it bid
on and made offers on. The Applicant was deemed non-compliant
mainly
because it was found that it provided woven items whereas the bid
specification required non-woven items. In addition to
this, the
Applicant was also disqualified because in terms of the bid
specification, bidders were meant to provide samples with
their bids
so that the BEC could ascertain if the sample provided met the
relevant technical requirements. For some of the nine
line items that
the Applicant bid on, it failed to provide the samples for the BEC to
assess.
34.2
The Applicant’s contention that it was unfairly disqualified
even though it submitted the same brand of product
(XLTA) as some of
the other successful bidders, is not valid. What the Applicant fails
to explain to this Court is that although
the product it submitted in
its bid is the same brand as some of the products submitted by the
other successful bidders, the actual
product that the Applicant
submitted in its bid was either the incorrect product from the same
brand or company; or it was the
correct product but the Applicant
failed to provide a sample of the product. It was a specific
requirement of the tender
that all bidders should submit samples of
the relevant products where applicable and the Applicant failed to do
so.
[35]
This being an interdictory application, it is not for this Court to
decide this dispute at this
stage of the proceedings, as to do so
would be to usurp the powers of the Review Court.
Ordinarily,
the Court should avoid anticipating the outcome of the review, except
perhaps where the review has no prospects
of success whatsoever.
This Court, as such, is only called upon to peek into the Applicant’s
grounds of review and to determine whether the Applicant
has raised
strong grounds of review which are likely to succeed in the main
review.
[36]
Therefore, relying on the judgment in
Economic Freedom Fighters
quoted above, this Court is convinced that the Applicant has
raised strong grounds of review which are likely to succeed in the
review application.
Whether
the Applicant has established the requirements for the granting of an
interim interdict.
[37]
It is evident from the papers filed that the nature of the relief the
Applicant is claiming for
is that of an interim interdict. The test
for the right to claim an interim interdict is trite. In order for
the Applicant for
interim interdict to succeed it must establish: (a)
a
prima
facie
right; (b) a well-grounded apprehension of irreparable harm; (c) the
balance of convenience favouring the granting of an interim
interdict; and (d) that the applicant has no other satisfactory
remedy.
[3]
[38]
The Respondents’ submission is that the Applicant has not
satisfied any of the requirements
for an interim interdict. It is
this Court’s view, as it will appear more fully hereunder, that
the Applicant has been able
to establish only one of the aforestated
requirements.
[39]
The four requisites are dealt with
ad seriatim
hereunder.
Prima
Facie Right
[40]
This Court is satisfied that on the facts and evidence provided the
Applicant has established
a
prima
facie
right. The Applicant was involved in the tender process at all
material times, and this Court’s finding that the Applicant
has
raised strong grounds of review that are likely to succeed in the
main review, confirms that the Applicant has a
prima
facie
right.
[4]
More so, the
Constitution makes it plain that “
[e]veryone
has the right to administrative action that is lawful, reasonable and
procedurally fair”
and, in turn, PAJA
[5]
regulates
the review of administrative action.
[6]
A
We
ll-Grounded
Apprehension of Irreparable Harm
[41]
The
Applicant has to show a
reasonable apprehension of irreparable harm if the interim relief is
not granted.
The test is whether the irreparable harm
complained of can be revisited and turned around.
[42]
The Constitutional Court in
Urban Tolling Alliances
at para 50
of that judgement held as follows:
“
50.
Under the
Setlogelo
test, the
prima facie
right a claimant must establish is not merely the right to approach a
court in order to review an administrative decision. It
is a
right to which, if not protected by an interdict, irreparable harm
would ensue. An interdict is meant to prevent future
conduct and
not decisions already made. Quite apart from the right to review and
to set aside impugned decisions, the applicants
should have
demonstrated a
prima facie
right that is threatened by an
impending or imminent irreparable harm. The right to review the
impugned decisions did not require
any preservation
pendente
lite.”
(footnotes omitted)
[43]
Therefore, in this matter, the Applicant must demonstrate that the
prima facie
right is threatened by an impending and imminent
irreparable harm which cannot be revisited, if the interdict is not
granted.
[44]
The Applicant submits that the irreparable harm is clear, in that the
harm to be prevented in
the present circumstances, is the continued
implementation of the tender, in the event that the Review Court
finds it to have been
unlawfully awarded, and the risk it places on
the integrity of the review process. The submission is that if the
interim interdict
is not granted the line items will continue to be
delivered to the detriment of the Applicant and that of the public,
for it is
in the public interest that the correct products as
per
the specification be provided.
[45]
It is clear that what the Applicant is contending for in this
application is the loss of profit
that it would not realise if it is
not granted the tender. In the event that the interdict is not
granted, such loss would relate
mainly to the profit the Applicant
would have realised on the contract if it succeeds in the review
application and is eventually
awarded the tender.
[46]
However, this is not irreparable harm for the profit may still be
realised should the Applicant
succeed in the review application and
be awarded the tender.
[47]
There is, thus, no threat of irreparable harm to the Applicant.
Balance
of Convenience
[48]
It is trite that before granting an order for interim interdict a
Court must be satisfied that
the balance of convenience favours the
granting of such interdict. The Court must first weigh the harm to be
endured by an applicant
if interim relief is not granted, as against
the harm a respondent will bear if the interdict is granted. Thus, a
Court must assess
all relevant factors carefully in order to decide
where the balance of convenience rests.
[7]
[49]
The Supreme Court of Appeal in
Millenium Waste Management
held
as follows:
“
[23]
The difficulty that is presented by invalid administrative acts, as
pointed out by this court in
Oudekraal
Estates
, is that they often have been
acted upon by the time they are brought under review. That difficulty
is particularly acute
when a decision is taken to accept a tender. A
decision to accept a tender is almost always acted upon immediately
by the conclusion
of a contract with the tenderer, and that is often
immediately followed by further contracts concluded by the tenderer
in executing
the contract. To set aside the decision to accept the
tender, with the effect that the contract is rendered void from the
outset,
can have catastrophic consequences for an innocent tenderer,
and adverse consequences for the public at large in whose interests
the administrative body or official purported to act. Those interests
must be carefully weighed against those of the disappointed
tenderer
if an order is to be made that is just and equitable.”(footnote
omitted)
[50]
As indicated, the loss for the Applicant in the event that the
interdict is not granted
would relate mainly to the profit it would
have realised on the contract if it is eventually awarded the tender.
Against that must
be weighted the loss that the departments and the
public at large might suffer if the interdict is granted.
[51]
The Respondents have shown, correctly so, that if the relief is
granted, the relevant departments
that are participants in the
transversal contract stand to suffer irreparable harm as they will
not be able to supply advanced
wound care products to millions of
patients who need the products around the country. The relief sought
will be deleterious, not
only to the relevant departments but also to
millions of patients who need the advance wound care products.
Granting the relief
may also lead to the suffering of numerous
patients for not receiving the necessary treatment, the loss of
several lives and further,
burdening the state healthcare system.
[52]
From the point of view of the public, serious concerns might also
arise if the interdict is granted
and the impugned tender is
terminated. The tender relates to the supply and delivery of advanced
wound care products, that are
not easily and readily attainable. It
is said that these products include bandages that are used in
managing non-healing wounds
as well as chronic wounds. The
availability of these products is vital to the lives of many patients
who suffer from these specific
wounds. It is, thus, clear that
without the availability of these products many lives will be at
risk, hence the supply thereof
must be carried out without
interruption. There is no evidence on record as to the limits the
various departments might go to in
trying to sustain the provision of
such products if the tender is stopped now and with no knowledge of
how long it will take for
the review application to be finalised.
[53]
The Applicant’s argument that the interdict is sought against
only 9 line items out of
479 line items is also not sustainable as
the products in those line items must be available when required by
the patients. Even
the lack of products in one line item puts the
lives of many patients who might require the product, at risk. It
might not be known
what number of patients might be affected, but one
life is one life too many.
[54]
Although not much was canvassed about the situation of the successful
bidders, their interests
must also be taken into account when the
balance of convenience is assessed. As is stated in
Millenium
Waste Management
,
“
To
set aside the decision to accept the tender, with the effect that the
contract is rendered void from the outset, can have catastrophic
consequences for an innocent tenderer, and adverse consequences for
the public at large in whose interests the administrative body
or
official purported to act. Those interests must be carefully weighed
against those of the disappointed tenderer if an order
is to be made
that is just and equitable.”
[55]
As such, it is the view of this Court that the balance of convenience
must, under such circumstances,
tilt in favour of relevant state
departments more importantly, members of the public that require
advance wound care products that
would be prejudiced, as against the
loss of profit envisaged by the Applicant.
No
Other Satisfactory Remedy
[56]
The Applicant’s argument in this regard is that it has already
tried to get relief by approaching
the Fourth Respondent but received
no satisfaction, hence it approached this Court for relief.
Furthermore, the mootness of a review
process once the tender is
fully implemented, satisfies this requirement. Not granting the
interdict will annihilate any suitable
remedy that the review Court
may consider to be just and equitable, so the Applicant argues.
[57]
The Applicant’s suggestion that this matter will have become
moot if an interdict is not
granted is unsustainable. It is common
cause that the impugned tender is envisioned to remain in place until
2025. Should the Applicant
wish to do so, it may expedite the review
application, with a view of finalising it well in advance of 2025.
The Applicant has
not explained why this option is unavailable to it
in this matter. It is in fact, the Applicant’s argument that
the mere
fact that the tender has been implemented does not mean that
the Court cannot intervene, and that Courts have previously
intervened
where a tender had already been implemented. Therefore,
the Applicant will still have a remedy in due course even if this
interdict
is not granted.
CONCLUSION
[58]
The Constitutional Court in
Urban
Tolling Aliances
cautioned that
‘
a
court must be astute not to stop dead the exercise of executive or
legislative power before the exercise has been successfully
and
finally impugned on review’
.
[8]
There can be no doubt that the impact of the temporary
restraining order, in this matter, will be immediate, ongoing and
substantial, stopping dead the supply of services once it is
granted.
[59]
The Court have cautioned against the granting of interim orders
against state institutions except
in very clear cases. This case is
not one such case. Therefore, the Applicant’s application for
interim interdict falls to
be dismissed.
COSTS
[60]
As is trite, costs should, ordinarily, follow the successful
litigant. The parties had applied
for such costs to include costs of
two counsel. I am satisfied that this application warranted the
employment of two counsel and
that such costs ought to be granted.
ORDER
[61]
Consequently, the following order is made:
1.
The application is dismissed.
2.
The Applicant is ordered to pay the costs of the application, such
costs to include the costs
consequent upon the employment of two
counsel.
E.M
KUBUSHI
JUDGE
OF THE HIGH COURT
GAUTENG
DIVISION, PRETORIA
APPEARANCES
:
APPLICANT’S
COUNSEL: ADV.
JP VAN DEN BERG SC
ADV.
D HINRICHSEN
APPLICANT’S
ATTORNEYS:
CAVANAGH
& RICHARDS ATTORNEYS
RESPONDENTS’
COUNSEL: ADV.
A MOSAM SC
ADV.
M MUSANDIWA
RESPONDENTS’
ATTORNEYS:
STATE ATTORNEY PRETORIA
[1]
Millenium Waste Management
(Pty)
Ltd. v Chairperson of the Tender Board: Limpopo Province and Others
2008 (2) SA 481
(SCA)
para 34.
[2]
Economic Freedom
Fighters v Gordhan and Others
2020 (6) SA 325
(CC) para 42.
[3]
National Treasury
and Others v Opposition to Urban Tolling Allinces and Others
2012
(6) SA 223
(CC) at para 41.
[4]
National
Treasury and Others v Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance and
Others
2012 (6) SA 223
(CC) para 48.
[5]
Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 2000
.
[6]
Section 33 (1) and (3) of the Constitution read with PAJA.
[7]
National Treasury
and Others v Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliances and Others
2012
(6) SA 223
(CC) at para 55.
[8]
Para 26
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