Case Law[2025] ZAWCHC 298South Africa
Sabi River Share Block (Pty) Ltd t/a Sabi River Sun Resort v Gold Data Holdings (Pty) Ltd (22755/23) [2025] ZAWCHC 298 (21 July 2025)
Headnotes
Summary: exception – vague and embarrassing – lack averments necessary to sustain a cause of action – uniform rule 30 – irregular step – noncompliance with rule 18 – attorney deposing to founding affidavit – inadmissible opinion evidence – rule 30 application – abuse of process – punitive costs.
Judgment
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# South Africa: Western Cape High Court, Cape Town
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## Sabi River Share Block (Pty) Ltd t/a Sabi River Sun Resort v Gold Data Holdings (Pty) Ltd (22755/23) [2025] ZAWCHC 298 (21 July 2025)
Sabi River Share Block (Pty) Ltd t/a Sabi River Sun Resort v Gold Data Holdings (Pty) Ltd (22755/23) [2025] ZAWCHC 298 (21 July 2025)
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FLYNOTES:
CIVIL
PROCEDURE – Exception –
Abuse
of process
–
Adequately
pleaded material – Satisfying requirements for a breach of
contract claim – Objections were overly
technical and failed
to demonstrate genuine prejudice – Pleadings contained all
necessary averments to sustain a cause
of action –
Sufficiently clear to allow party to respond – Particulars
were neither excipiable nor irregular
– Exception was a
dilatory tactic lacking merit – Abuse of process –
Costs warranted – Application
dismissed.
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
(WESTERN
CAPE DIVISION, CAPE TOWN)
JUDGMENT
Reportable/Not
Reportable
Case
no: 22755/23
In
the matter between:
SABI
RIVER SHARE BLOCK (PTY) LTD
Plaintiff
T/A
SABI RIVER SUN RESORT
and
GOLF
DATA HOLDINGS (PTY) LTD
Defendant
Neutral citation
:
Sabi River Share Block (Pty) Ltd t/a Sabi River Sun Resort v Golf
Data Holdings (Pty) Ltd
(Case no 22755/23) [2025] ZAWCHC (21 JULY
2025)
Coram
:
NJOKWENI AJ
Heard
:
7 May 2025
Delivered
:
21July 2025
Summary
:
exception – vague and embarrassing – lack averments
necessary to sustain a cause of action – uniform rule 30
–
irregular step – noncompliance with rule 18 – attorney
deposing to founding affidavit –
inadmissible opinion
evidence – rule 30 application – abuse of process –
punitive costs.
JUDGMENT
Njokweni
AJ
Introduction
[1]
This is an opposed interlocutory application in terms of uniform
rules 23 and 30.
[1]
For
convenience, I shall refer to the parties as cited in the main
action. Thus, I shall refer to the applicant as plaintiff and
respondent as defendant.
[2]
The application comprises:
(a)
An exception to the plaintiff’s amended particulars of claim on
the basis that it
fails to disclose a cause of action, alternatively,
that the amended particulars of claim is vague and embarrassing to
the extent
that the defendant is prejudiced to plead thereto; and
(b)
An application in terms of Rule 30, on the grounds that the amended
particulars of claim
do not comply with the provisions of uniform
rules 18(4), 18(6), and 18(10) (“
the Rule 30 application
”).
Factual
Background
[3]
To adjudicate this application, it is apposite to briefly sketch out
the factual background
relevant to this application, and I do this
below.
[4]
On 13 December 2023, the plaintiff instituted an action against the
defendant claiming
damages in the amounts of R6 430 530.90 and R7 880
249.17.
[5]
The defendant filed an exception to the plaintiff’s particulars
of claim and
simultaneously brought an application in terms of Rule
30, alleging non-compliance with Rule 18.
[6]
Pursuant to an agreement between the parties, the defendant withdrew
both the exception
and the Rule 30 application, with the plaintiff
tendering the defendant’s costs. Thereafter, on 20 May 2024,
the plaintiff
amended its particulars of claim, which amendment forms
the subject of the current proceedings.
[7]
Notably, in the amended particulars of claim, the plaintiff reduced
its claims to
R2 527 058.68 and R5 353 087.68.
[8]
On 4 June 2024, the defendant delivered a notice in terms of Rule
30(2)(b), calling
upon the plaintiff to remove various causes of
complaint from the amended particulars of claim, citing the
plaintiff’s non-compliance
with relevant provisions of Rule 18.
[9]
The plaintiff failed to respond, and on 2 July 2024, the defendant
launched a Rule
30 application seeking to have the amended
particulars of claim set aside as an irregular step.
[10]
In addition, the defendant served a notice in terms of Rule 23(1),
notifying the plaintiff of
at least six proposed exceptions. The
plaintiff again failed to respond.
[11]
During July 2024, the defendant delivered its notice of exception,
which in substance was the
actual exception (“the Exception”),
together with the Rule 30 application, and which forms the subject
matter of the
present proceedings. Later in this judgment I shall
deal with this notice of exception which is headed “
Defendant’s
Notice of Exception
”. The defendant contends that
the amended particulars of claim falls to be set aside either based
on the exception or pursuant
to the Rule 30 application.
[12]
The plaintiff claims contractual damages arising from the defendant’s
alleged breach of
the agreement between the parties.
Relevant
Facts
Plaintiff’s
claim in brief
[13]
Plaintiff contends that the defendant holds itself out to be the
premier golf course and landscaping
service provider in Southern
Africa, supplying everything from design and construction to
maintenance, with thirty years of experience
in the industry being
known as the ‘go-to’ brand for world class golf and
landscaping requirements.
[14]
In the main action, the plaintiff claims more than R7.8 million in
damages from the defendant
for breach of contract. The breaches are
premised upon the defendant having effected the contractual works
using materials which
were
not fit and suitable for the purpose
of the works,
alternatively
, that the works which it effected
were defective. [My emphasis]
Amended
particulars of claim
[15]
The plaintiff’s case as pleaded in the amended particulars of
claim (“POC”)
is summarised below.
The
existence of the agreement and representation of the parties
[16]
The parties concluded the agreement during a four-month period
between November 2019 and about
February 2020 duly represented by Mr.
Ray Jeffray of the plaintiff and Mr. Robbie Marshall of the
defendant.
The
agreement was partly in writing and partly oral
[17]
The agreement was partly in writing and partly oral. The relevant
written parts of the agreement
are attached to the POC.
The
terms of the agreement
[18]
The express, alternatively tacit and further alternatively implied
terms of the agreement, which
inter alia include the extent of the
works to be effected by the defendant at the plaintiff’s Sabi
River Resort Golf Club
(“
the course
”), as well as
the contract sum to be paid to the defendant upon completion of the
works are pleaded in the POC. In short,
the defendant undertook to
perform certain “works” at the course. The scope of the
works were:
(a)
the upgrading of all greens; and
(b)
the alteration and redesign of the Course’s 18 holes. The
specific changes to each
of the 18 holes are set out in detail.
Plaintiff’s
performance
[19]
The plaintiff paid the contract sum to the defendant after it
completed the works.
Defendant’s
material breach
[20]
Although the defendant duly executed the works, it nonetheless
breached the agreement on the
following grounds:
(a)
The materials used by the defendant were
not fit for purpose
;
and
(b)
The works performed were
defective
.
Damages
[21]
The nature and amount of general and special contractual damages
claimed by the plaintiff are
pleaded.
Demand
and liability
[22]
The plaintiff’s demand and the defendant’s liability is
also pleaded.
Prayers
[23]
The prayers sought against the defendant are succinctly pleaded.
The
Exception
[24]
The defendant has taken an exception to the plaintiff’s POC.
The defendant’s exception
is based on a plethora of grounds,
but defendant persisted only with six grounds on the heads of
argument and during oral submission
at the hearing. They are
formulated on the basis that the POC failed to disclose a cause of
action (“
the no cause of action exception
”),
alternatively that the POC is vague and embarrassing (“
the
vague and embarrassing exception
”).
[25]
I shall firstly list the grounds of exception based on the attack
that the POC lacks necessary
averments to sustain a cause of action
and after, list grounds of exception on the basis that the POC is
vague and embarrassing.
Defendant’s
Exception (no cause of action exception)
First
ground
[26]
The defendant contends that the POC lacks necessary allegations to
sustain a claim for special
damages because of inconsistency between
pleaded terms and written parts of the agreement attached to the POC.
Second
ground
[27]
The way the plaintiff has formulated its claims for special damages
is not recognised in law
as constituting valid claims for contractual
damages.
Defendant’s
Exception (vague and embarrassing)
Third
ground
[28]
The pleaded terms of the agreement are inconsistent with the written
components thereof, as contained
in the annexures to the POC.
Fourth
ground
[29]
The POC contains contradictions regarding the defendant’s
alleged compliance with, and
breach of, the agreement.
Fifth
ground
[30]
The POC fails to adequately link the alleged breaches of the
agreement to the defendant’s
contractual obligations,
specifically as defined under “the works”.
Sixth
ground
[31]
Certain paragraphs of the POC are internally contradictory in respect
of the issue of causation.
Legal
Principles Relating to Exceptions
No
cause of action exception
[32]
Rule 23(1) provides that where a pleading lack averments that are
necessary to sustain an action,
the opposing party may deliver an
exception thereto.
[33]
In
McKenzie
[2]
the following definition of “cause of action” was adopted
by the appellate division:
“…
every
fact which it would be necessary for the plaintiff to prove, if
traversed, in order to support his right to the judgment of
the
court.
It
does not comprise every piece of evidence which is necessary to
prove
each fact, but every fact which is necessary to be proved
.”
[My emphasis]
[34]
In deciding an exception, the court must take all the plaintiff’s
allegations
at
face value
.
The allegations of fact in the particulars of claim
must
be accepted as true and correct.
[3]
[My emphasis]
[35]
In
Jowell
,
[4]
Heher J stated the following general principles relating to pleadings
in the context of exceptions:
“
It is therefore
incumbent upon a plaintiff only to plead a complete cause of action
which identifies the issues upon which the plaintiff
seeks to rely,
and on which evidence will be led, in intelligible and lucid form and
which allows the defendant to plead to it.
The attacks mounted by the
defendants that their particulars of claim are vague, and
embarrassing cannot be found on the mere averment
that they are
lacking in particularity.”
[5]
‘…
a
distinction must be drawn between the facta probanda, or
primary
factual allegations which every plaintiff must make
,
and the facta probantia,
which
are the secondary allegations upon which the plaintiff will rely in
support of his primary factual allegations
.
Generally speaking, the latter are matters for particulars for trial
and even then, are limited. For the rest, they are matters
for
evidence;’
[6]
‘
The object, of
course, of all pleadings is that a succinct statement of grounds upon
which a claim is made or resisted shall be
set forth shortly and
concisely; where a statement is vague, it is either meaningless, or
capable of more than one meaning. It
is embarrassing in that it
cannot be gathered from it what
ground
is relied on, and therefore it is also something which is
insufficient in law to support in whole or in part the action or
defence ’
[7]
[My emphasis]
[36]
In
Pretorius
and Another v Transport Pension Fund and Others
[8]
the following was stated:
“
In deciding an
exception, a court must accept all allegations of fact made in the
particulars of claim as true; may not have regard
to any other
extraneous facts or documents; and may uphold the exception to the
pleading only when the excipient has satisfied
the court that the
cause of action or conclusion of law in the pleading
cannot
be supported on every interpretation that can be put on the facts
.
The purpose of an exception is to protect litigants against claims
that are bad in law or against an embarrassment which is so
serious
as to merit the costs even of an exception. It is a useful procedural
tool to weed out bad claims at an early stage, but
an overly
technical approach must be avoided.”
[My
emphasis]
[37]
In
Tembani and Others v President of the Republic of South Africa and
Another
[9]
the court held as follows:
“
Whilst
exceptions provide a useful mechanism ‘to weed out cases
without legal merit’, it is nonetheless necessary that
they be
dealt with sensibly.
It
is where pleadings are so vague that it is impossible to determine
the nature of the claim or where pleadings are bad in law
in that
their contents do not support a discernible and legally recognised
cause of action, that an exception is competent.
The burden rests on an
excipient, who must establish that on every interpretation that can
reasonably be attached to it, the pleading
is excipiable. The test is
whether on all possible readings of the facts no cause of action may
be made out; it being for the excipient
to satisfy the court that the
conclusion of law for which the plaintiff contends cannot be
supported on every interpretation that
can be put upon the facts.”
[My emphasis]
Application
of the Law to Relevant Facts
[38]
Having set out the relevant background facts and the applicable law
on exceptions, it is now
apposite to apply the law to the facts
relevant to this application.
[39]
Firstly, I deal with each ground of exception and the submissions
made by both plaintiff and
defendant in relation thereto. Secondly, I
shall apply the op cit legal principles to a specific ground of
exception taken and
decide if such a ground is sustainable or not. If
not, I shall dismiss the relevant ground of exception. Conversely, if
a ground
of exception is well taken, I shall uphold it.
Defendant’s
Exception (no cause of action)
First
ground
[40]
The POC lacks the necessary allegations to sustain a claim for
special damages because of inconsistency
between pleaded terms and
written parts of the agreement attached to the POC.
[41]
In the POC, the plaintiff clearly pleads that it has suffered damages
in the amount of R7 880
145.96 and pleads the way such amount is made
up and arrived at. In addition, it specifically pleads that the said
damages arose
directly because of the defendant’s breach,
alternatively
it was reasonably foreseeable and within
their contemplation that given the pleaded breach of the terms of the
agreement, the plaintiff
would suffer damages pleaded in the POC.
[42]
Whether the plaintiff has made out a case for special or general
damages or for both is a matter
for trial court to decide after
evaluating evidence led before it. At this stage, it is not necessary
for the court to make that
enquiry.
[43]
Rule 23(3) requires that when an exception is taken, the grounds upon
which the exception is
founded shall be “
clearly
and concisely
”
stated.
This ground of exception falls short of that requirement. As
identified by the plaintiff, the defendant has identified at
least
twenty (20) separate causes of complaint based on which it concludes
that the particulars lack averments necessary to sustain
the action
or are vague and embarrassing. They are not clearly and concisely
stated, with a lot of them also containing a forward
slash “/”,
which indicates that the complaint is either one or the other.
However, it is not for the plaintiff or this
Court to guess which one
it is. In
Vermeulen
v Goose Valley Investments
it
was held
[10]
that it:
“
Is trite law
that an exception that a cause of action is not disclosed by a
pleading cannot succeed unless it be shown that ex facie
the
allegations made by a plaintiff and any document upon which his or
her cause of action may be based, the claim
is
(not may be)
bad
in law”.
[44]
In respect of the many complaints, the defendant has failed to
identify whether each one results
in the particulars not containing
averments necessary to sustain the action for breach of contract, or
whether it results in the
pleading (as a whole) being vague and
embarrassing. One is simply left guessing and that alone means this
first ground of exception
is bad in law.
[45]
In
Merb
(Pty) Ltd v Matthews
[11]
the following useful
summary of some of the general principles applicable to exceptions is
made by Maier-Frawley J:
‘
[8]
These
were conveniently summarised by Makgoka J in
Living
Hands
[12]
as follows:
“
Before I
consider the exceptions, an overview of the applicable general
principles distilled from case law is necessary:
…
(b) The object
of an exception is
not
to embarrass one’s opponent or to take advantage of a technical
flaw
,
but to dispose of the case or a portion thereof in an expeditious
manner, or to protect oneself against an embarrassment which
is so
serious as to merit the costs even of an exception.
(c)
The purpose of an exception is to raise a substantive question of law
which may have
the effect of settling the dispute between the
parties.
If the exception is not taken for that purpose, an
excipient should make out a very clear case before it would be
allowed to succeed.
(d)
An excipient who alleges that a summons does not disclose a cause of
action must establish
that,
upon any construction
of
the particulars of claim, no cause of action is disclosed.
(e)
An over-technical approach should be avoided because it
destroys the usefulness of the exception procedure, which is to weed
out
cases without legal merit.
(f)
Pleadings must be read as a whole, and an exception cannot be taken
to a paragraph
or a part of a pleading that is not self-contained.
(g)
Minor blemishes and unradical embarrassments caused by a pleading can
and should be cured
by further particulars.”
[9]
Exceptions are also not to be dealt with in an over-technical manner,
and as such,
a court looks benevolently instead of
over-critically at a pleading.
[10]
An excipient must satisfy the court that it
would be seriously
prejudiced
if the offending pleading were allowed to stand,
and an excipient is required to make out a very clear, strong case
before the
exception can succeed.
[11]
Courts have been reluctant to decide exceptions in respect of fact
bound issues.
[12]
Where an exception is raised on the ground that a pleading lacks
averment necessary to sustain
a cause of action, the excipient is
required to show
that upon every interpretation that the pleading
in question can reasonably bear, no cause of action is disclosed
.
It is trite that when pleading a cause of action, the pleading must
contain every fact which would be necessary for the plaintiff
to
prove, if traversed, in order to support his right to judgment (facta
probanda). The facta probanda necessary for a complete
and properly
pleaded cause of action importantly does not comprise every piece of
evidence which is necessary to prove each fact
(being the facta
probantia) but every fact which is necessary to be proved…”.’
[48]
In
casu
, the POC contains every fact which would be necessary
for the plaintiff to prove, if traversed, to support its right to
judgment
(
facta probanda
) and evidence which is necessary to
prove each fact (
being the facta probantia
). In the result,
this ground of exception must fail.
Second
ground of exception
[46]
The defendant contends that the plaintiff has pleaded an incorrect
measure of damages in that
the plaintiff claims for loss of revenue
and not for loss of profit.
[47]
What is required of the plaintiff is to plead its case with
sufficient particularity to enable
the defendant to plead. Whether
the plaintiff is entitled to loss of revenue or loss of profit is for
the trial court to decide.
[48]
An over-technical approach should be avoided because it destroys the
usefulness of the exception
procedure, which is to weed out cases
without legal merit. Pleadings must be read as a whole, and an
exception cannot be taken
to a paragraph or a part of a pleading that
is not self-contained. Minor blemishes and unradical embarrassments
caused by a pleading
can and should be cured by further
particulars.
[13]
[49]
In
Jowell
v Bramwell Jones
[14]
it was held that secondary allegations upon which the plaintiff can
rely in support of the primary factual allegations are matters
for
particulars for trial, and even then, are limited.
[50]
The plaintiff has pleaded its damages with sufficient particularity
to enable the defendant thereto
to plead. In the result, this second
ground of exception should fail.
[51]
Before I deal with the grounds of exception based on the complaint
that the POC is vague and
embarrassing, I deemed it appropriate to
revert (as I do) to what I earlier raised in the introduction to this
judgment that the
exception that was delivered by the defendant under
the heading “
Notice
of Exception
”
[15]
.
[52]
In an exception based on the ground that the pleading is vague and
embarrassing, a notice of
exception to remove cause of complaint is
required before delivery of the exception. The heading of the Notice
of Exception in
terms of rule 23(1)(a)
[16]
on the tramline should read
“
Notice of
exception or Notice of removal of cause of complaint
”
but the exception should
be headed “
Exception
”
.
This is to avoid confusion when the exception is adjudicated and more
so, the subrule
[17]
says so.
In
casu
,
the excipient delivered a notice of exception requesting the
plaintiff to remove the cause of complaints raised therein. Later,
the excipient delivered a “
Notice
of Exception
”
but
when I read the content of the latter mentioned notice, I realised
that this was the actual exception that was delivered. I
then
requested clarity from the parties as to whether I should accept the
said notice as the actual exception that was delivered
as envisaged
in subrule 23(1)(b). The reply was in the affirmative, and indeed I
considered it as such. I did so because, on closer
reading of the
content of what was headed “
Notice
of Exception
”
,
I realised that in essence it was the exception that was being
delivered by the defendant. So, in the interest of justice I
preferred
substance over form. I now turn to the grounds raised to
attack the POC as vague and embarrassing.
The
Vague and Embarrassing Exception
Third
ground
[53]
The defendant contends that there is inconsistency between pleaded
terms of the agreement and
written parts of the agreement in
annexures to the POC. This attack is pleaded:
(a)
Paragraph 5 of the POC sets out the material express, alternatively
tacit, alternatively
implied terms of the agreement.
However, the plaintiff
fails to specify which of these terms were agreed to orally and which
were reduced to writing.
(b)
The extent of the works described in paragraph 5.1 of the POC
relating to each of the 18
holes constitutes an almost verbatim
reproduction of the content contained in annexure “POC1”.
Significantly, the scope
of works set out in “POC1”
differs from that recorded in annexure “POC2”. A
comparison of the pleaded terms
with the contents of “POC2”
reveals material inconsistencies regarding the extent of the works to
be undertaken.
(c)
As a result, the defendant is unable to ascertain, from the POC read
with the annexures,
the precise ambit of its alleged contractual
obligations. It is accordingly submitted that the defendant is
embarrassed in pleading
thereto due to the internal inconsistency and
lack of clarity as to the scope of the agreement.
Contract
sum pleaded inconsistent with annexure “POC1:
[54]
In paragraph 5.5 of the POC, the plaintiff alleges that the contract
sum is R6 430 530.90, which
is said to be made up and calculated as
follows:
(a)
R2 189 594.20 in respect of ‘Phase 1’, being the works in
respect of holes 10
to 18;
(b)
R2 802 171.30 in respect of ‘Phase 2’, being the works in
respect of holes 1
to 9;
(c)
R300 000 as a provisional sum for irrigation;
(d)
R100 000 as a provisional sum for additional grassing;
(e)
R200 000 as a provisional sum for any contingencies; and
(f)
R838 764.90, being the Value Added Tax in respect of the aforesaid
amounts.”
[55]
However, it was contended that the contract sum contemplated in
annexure “POC1” is
the sum of R5 690 612.68 comprising
of:
(a)
Phase 1: first 9 holes
R2
802 171.30
(b)
Phase 1: second 9 holes
R2 189 594.20
(c)
Green Sprigs supplied by club
Total (excluding
VAT)
R4
991 765.51
[56]
Accordingly, it was argued that there are material discrepancies
between the contract sum pleaded
in the amount of R6 430 530.90 and
the contract sum reflected in annexure “POC1”. No
explanation is provided for these
inconsistencies. This difficulty is
further compounded by the plaintiff’s failure to plead the
material facts indicating
when, where, and by whom the additional
amounts— absent from annexure “POC1”—were
agreed upon.
[57]
It was submitted that, considering the discrepancies between the
pleaded contract sum and the
amount reflected in annexure “POC1”,
the defendant is embarrassed in pleading to paragraph 5.5 of the POC.
Put differently,
the defendant is unable to discern the case it is
required to meet in relation to the contract sum.
[58]
It was further submitted that the POC sets out the material express,
alternatively tacit, alternatively
implied terms of the agreement.
However, the plaintiff fails to specify which of these terms were
agreed to orally and which were
reduced to writing.
[59]
It was further submitted that the defendant is unable to ascertain,
from the POC read with the
annexures, the precise ambit of its
alleged contractual obligations. In the result, it submitted that the
defendant is embarrassed
in pleading to the POC due to the internal
inconsistency and lack of clarity as to the scope of the agreement.
[60]
In the defendant’s counsel’s written submissions, it is
argued that the extent of
the works described in the POC relating to
each of the 18 holes constitutes an
almost verbatim
reproduction of the content contained in annexure “POC1”
[my emphasis]. What is immediately apparent from the above is
that
the pleaded terms in the POC are not the same as those contained in
annexure “POC1”.
[61]
The documents which constitutes written parts of the agreement are
specifically pleaded and separated
from the oral part of the
agreement. There is no inconsistency as alleged and pleaded under
this ground of exception.
[62]
Accordingly, this ground too must fail.
Fourth
ground
[63]
The defendant contends and argues that the contract sum pleaded in
the POC is inconsistent with
the contract sum contemplated in
annexure “POC1”.
[64]
The thrust of the defendant’s complaint appears to be housed in
the founding affidavit
in which the deponent, Mr. Hertzberg, asserts
that in the POC, the damages claimed are not pleaded in such a manner
or with sufficient
particularity to enable the defendant to
reasonably assess the quantum thereof.
[65]
However, the contrary is true, in that the nature and separate
amounts of the damages claimed
by the plaintiff have been identified
by it in detail in the POC. This is so because, in the founding
affidavit, M has been able
to restate the nature, amount and
particulars of the damages claimed to the cent.
[66]
Accordingly, if there is any discrepancy in the amount of damages
claimed (which I could not
find), the defendant in its plea can
either deny or confess and avoid the allegations relating to the
exact amount of damages claimed.
Moreover, the defendant can adduce
evidence at trial to disprove the nature and extent of the damages
claimed by the plaintiff.
[67]
Accordingly, this ground of exception is without merit and must also
fail.
Fifth
ground
[68]
The defendant contends:
(a)
In the POC, the plaintiff alleges that “the works were duly
effected by the defendant”
but in the same POC the plaintiff
contends that the defendant breached the agreement in various
respects.
(b)
These allegations are inherently contradictory and create uncertainty
as to whether the
works were properly performed or defective, thereby
rendering the pleading vague and embarrassing.
[69]
The defendant quoted the definition of “Duly” as defined
in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary as: (a) “
in
a correct, proper or expected manner; and (b) at the expected and
proper time
.”
[70]
In the result, it is contended for the defendant that the allegations
contained in the POC are
inconsistent, and the defendant is
embarrassed in pleading thereto.
[71]
It is trite that an exception should be dealt with sensibly and not
in an over-technical manner.
The plaintiff’s claim is clearly
formulated in the POC in that it is based on breach of the agreement
by the defendant. The
breaches are premised upon the defendant having
effected the contractual works using materials which are not fit and
suitable for
the purpose of the works, alternatively, that the works
which it effected were defective.
[72]
Accordingly, the use of the word “duly” in the POC does
not amount to an admission
that the work effected by the defendant
was perfectly done. This ground of exception is over technical and is
bad in law.
[18]
The purpose of
an exception is to weed out claims that should not proceed to trial
because a cognisable claim or defence has not
been made out on the
pleadings, or to prevent a claim or defence being persisted
with on pleadings that are vague and embarrassing.
An over technical
exception defeats this purpose.
[73]
Accordingly, for these reasons this ground of exception must fail.
Sixth
ground of exception
[74]
The defendant under this ground of exception contends:
(a)
The POC is contradictory insofar as it relates to the issue of
causality.
(b)
The plaintiff alleges that, “as a direct result of the
defendant’s breach,”
it suffered damages - this being a
formulation typically associated with general damages that flow
naturally and generally from
a breach of contract. Elsewhere in the
POC plaintiff introduces a claim for both general and special
damages, asserting that the
damages suffered were foreseeable and
within the contemplation of the parties at the time of contracting.
[75]
In the result, it is argued for the defendant that these allegations
are internally inconsistent
and create ambiguity as to the nature of
the damages being claimed. As a result, the defendant is prejudiced
in pleading thereto,
as it is unable to determine the precise case it
is required to meet with respect to the issue of causality.
[76]
To prove a claim for damages for breach of contract, the causation
which must be alleged is between
the breaches and the damages and not
the terms of the agreement and the damages.
[19]
[77]
The plaintiff has pleaded the way the defendant breached the
agreement and causation of damage
as a result thereof in the POC. On
this basis alone, this ground of exception is bad in law.
[78]
Accordingly, this sixth ground of exception must suffer the same fate
as the other five grounds
of exception discussed above.
[79]
For reasons given above, the POC contains sufficient particularity to
able the defendant to plead
thereto. The POC neither lacks averments
necessary to sustain a cause of action nor is it vague and
embarrassing to the extent
that the defendant is prejudiced thereby
to plead thereto.
[80]
Quite to the contrary, the POC is a decent model of a pleading for a
claim founded on breach
of contract.
[81]
In view of the aforegoing, I find that the exception is not well
taken but was taken as a dilatory
tactic to frustrate the
finalisation of adjudication of the plaintiff ‘s claim.
[82]
I now turn to the rule 30 application.
Rule
30 Application
Irregular
step
[83]
The defendant seeks to set aside the POC as an irregular step as
contemplated by Rule 30 for
failing to comply with Rules 18(4), (6)
and (10).
in
limine
point
Plaintiff’s
submissions
[84]
The plaintiff has raised a point in
limine
, and it is apposite
that I deal with it first. This so because, it is dispositive of the
rule 30 application if it is upheld by
this Court. The point raised
is that there is no admissible evidence contained in the defendant’s
founding affidavit in respect
of the rule 30 application, in that the
affidavits of Robbie Marshall (who represented defendant when the
partly written and partly
oral agreement upon which plaintiff’s
claim is founded) were never delivered. In the result, it is
submitted for plaintiff
that:
(a)
No admissible evidence has been put up by Mr. Robbie Marshall
(Marshall) of the defendant
(or any of its other duly authorised
representatives) in support of the defendant’s rule 30
application. Instead, the only
affidavit which has been filed in
support of the application (and, most significantly, the question of
prejudice) is that of its
attorney, Mr. Hertzberg.
(b)
For the reasons which follow, his affidavit establishes nothing and
falls short of what
is required.
(c)
In the only pleading currently filed of record, the representatives
of the plaintiff
and defendant who were party to the contract in
issue are identified as being Jeffray of the plaintiff and Marshall
of the defendant.
Although Jeffray of the plaintiff has deposed to
the affidavits filed by the plaintiff in the application, Marshall
has chosen
not to do so. Instead, all we have is the
irrelevant
opinion
of Mr. Hertzberg.
(d)
In this regard, it is to be remembered that an affidavit filed in
support of an application
is a sworn assurance of fact known to the
person who states it (
Goodwood Municipality v Rabie
1954 (2) SA 404
(C) at 406B-C
), and it is trite that
allegations in support of an application can only be made by way of
admissible evidence contained in an
affidavit by that person
(
Swissborough Diamond Mines (Pty) Ltd and Others v Government
of the Republic of South Africa and Others
1999 (2) SA 279
(W) at 323F-324E
).
(e)
And, in the present context, it is trite that proof of prejudice is a
prerequisite to success
in an application terms of rule 30(1) (
cf.
Erasmus
Superior Court Practice
at 30-4 fn 7
and the authorities there cited
.) Further, the defendant must
make
factual
allegations about the particulars of claim which
give rise to the legal assertion that they in some manner fall foul
of rule 18.
That is not Mr. Hertzberg’s job. As stated by the
Court in the matter of
Venmop 275 (Pty) Ltd v Cleverlad
Projects (Pty) Ltd
2016 (1) SA 78
(GJ) at para [7]:
“
The role of
legal representatives has two key aspects. First is the supervision,
organisation and presentation of evidence of the
witnesses and
secondly, the formulation and presentation of argument in support of
a litigant’s case. The diligent observation
of those roles
facilitates the role of the judicial officer, which is to arrive at a
reasoned determination of the issues in dispute,
in favour of one or
other of the parties.
Where
practitioners neglect their roles, it leads to the protracted conduct
of the litigation in an ill-disciplined manner, the
introduction of
inadmissible evidence and the confusion of fact and argument, with
the attendant increase in costs and delay in
its finalisation,
inimical to both expedition and economy
.”
(my
underlining)
(f)
Clearly these principles have simply been ignored by Mr. Hertzberg
and the defendant.
(g)
Therefore, to succeed with the present application, it was of
critical importance for Marshall
to file the founding affidavit to
explain to the Court how the defendant has been (and will continue to
be) prejudiced by irregularities
which Mr. Hertzberg alleges to
exist. However, there is no such affidavit, nor is there any such
evidence.
(h)
Instead, the only affidavit which has been filed is that of the
defendant’s attorney,
Mr. Hertzberg. Simply put, that is not
good enough. He has no personal knowledge of the agreement which
underlies the dispute,
nor the terms thereof, nor the way the
agreement was implemented, and so forth.
(i)
Therefore, there is no factual or legal basis upon which Mr.
Hertzberg can either
complain or establish for this Court on the
facts that what the plaintiff has alleged in its particulars
constitute irregularities
which cause prejudice
to the
defendant.
(j)
Afterall, he is neither a representative (in the sense of him not
being an officer
or director or employee of the defendant or duly
appointed representative in execution of the agreement between the
plaintiff and
defendant) of the defendant nor party to the
litigation. He is nothing but the attorney who gets paid fees for the
services which
he renders.
(k)
And, with respect, Mr. Hertzberg’s opinion as to whether the
defendant has suffered
prejudice because of an alleged procedural
irregularity is nothing but irrelevant, inadmissible opinion
evidence.
(l)
There is little doubt that the reason why Marshall never filed the
founding
affidavit is because he knows
exactly
what the
agreement was that resulted in the defendant being paid R6 430 530.90
pursuant to completing the works and does not wish
to have to explain
in cross-examination at trial why these dilatory proceedings were
pursued by the defendant in the first place.
(m)
In the circumstances, with the defendant’s rule 30 application
premised solely upon the
inadmissible opinion evidence of attorney
Mr. Hertzberg, it is fatally defective and falls to be dismissed on
that ground alone.
Defendant’s
submissions
[85]
The defendant classifies the in limine point basically as one that
impugns the competency and
appropriateness of Mr Alon Mr. Hertzberg,
as the defendant’s attorney to have deposed to the founding
affidavit in support
of the rule 30 application. In reply thereto, it
is submitted for the defendant that:
(a)
Mr. Hertzberg is the defendant’s attorney of record.
(b)
In the founding affidavit, Mr. Hertzberg avers that the facts
contained therein are true
and correct and fall within his personal
knowledge. He further states that:
“
As this
Affidavit deals primarily with legal/procedural matters, it is
appropriate for me to depose hereto on behalf of Defendant.”
(c)
The defendant is severely prejudiced by the POC not complying with
the rules as set
out in the various eight complaints contained in the
rule 30 application.
(d)
It is therefore submitted that the technical objection raised against
Mr. Hertzberg’s
authority
to depose to the founding
affidavit is without merit.
Analysis
and discussion
[86]
The crisp legal point taken by the plaintiff is that the facts
averred by Mr. Hertzberg in the
founding affidavit are nothing else
but his opinion as to whether the defendant
has suffered
prejudice
because of an alleged procedural irregularity. This
is so because, according to the plaintiff, Mr. Hertzberg, as the
defendant’s
attorney, has no personal knowledge of the
agreement which underlies the dispute, nor the terms thereof, nor the
way the agreement
was implemented, and so forth.
[87]
Therefore, it is further argued for the plaintiff that there is no
factual or legal basis upon
which Mr. Hertzberg can neither complain
nor establish for this Court on the facts that the plaintiff has
alleged in its particulars
constitute irregularities which cause
prejudice to the defendant. It is argued for the plaintiff that it is
nothing but
irrelevant, inadmissible opinion evidence
.
[88]
The defendant on one hand classifies the legal challenge to be on the
competency and appropriateness
of Mr. Hertzberg, as the defendant’s
attorney, to depose to the founding affidavit, and on the other,
classifies the legal
challenge to be on the authority of Mr.
Hertzberg to depose to the founding affidavit. As stated above, the
attack is grounded
on Mr. Hertzberg’s alleged lack of personal
knowledge of the agreement which underlies the dispute, the terms
thereof and,
the way the agreement was implemented. Accordingly, it
is evident that the defendant has misconstrued the point in
limine
completely. This must be so because, the defendant’s
submissions deal with Mr. Hertzberg’s lack of authority to
depose
to the founding affidavit for the defendant. It is trite that
Mr. Hertzberg does not require such authority.
[89]
In the matter of
PM
v MM and Another
,
[20]
the appellant sought a rescission of judgment. The founding affidavit
in support of the application was deposed to by the appellant’s
attorney who averred that an administrative error in her office had
resulted in the rescission application being incorrectly diarised.
On
appeal, the Supreme Court of Appeal (“SCA”) held that the
court a
quo
had conflated three
distinct concepts: (a) the legal standing of the party seeking
rescission of judgment; (b) the basis upon which
an individual may
depose to an affidavit; and (c) the authority to represent a party.
[90]
In respect of (a), the SCA found that the parties had the requisite
locus standi. As to (b),
the Court held that a deponent to an
affidavit is a witness who, under oath, sets out facts within his or
her personal knowledge.
An attorney who deposes to an affidavit is no
different from any other witness giving oral testimony under oath or
affirmation
regarding facts within their personal knowledge.
Therefore, an attorney deposing to an affidavit does not require
authorisation
from the client to do so.
[91]
Regarding (c), the SCA found that, given the attorney’s
authority to act on behalf of the
appellant, no further authorisation
was required to depose to the founding affidavit.
[92]
In
Masako
v Masako & Another
[21]
,
a unanimous decision, per Honourable Madam Justice Mabindla-Boqwana
JA, held that the following dictum in
Ganes
and Another v Telecom Namibia Ltd
[22]
provides a complete answer to this question. The SCA held:
‘
. . . it is
irrelevant whether Hanke had been authorised to depose to the
founding affidavit. The deponent to an affidavit in motion
proceedings need not be authorised by the party concerned to depose
to the affidavit. It is the
institution
of the proceedings and the prosecution thereof which must be
authorised. In the present case the proceedings were instituted
and
prosecuted by a firm of attorneys purporting to act on behalf of the
respondent. In an affidavit filed together with the notice
of motion
a Mr Kurz stated that he was a director in the firm of attorneys
acting on behalf of the respondent and that such firm
of attorneys
was duly appointed to represent the respondent. That statement has
not been challenged by the appellants. It must,
therefore, be
accepted that the institution of the proceedings was duly authorised.
In any event, Rule 7 provides a procedure to
be followed by a
respondent who wishes to challenge the authority of an attorney who
instituted motion proceedings on behalf of
an applicant. The
appellants did not avail themselves of the procedure so provided.
(See Eskom v Soweto City Council
1992 (2) SA 703
(W) at 705C - J.)’
[93]
In
Masako
[23]
,
Ms. Moduka
[24]
alleged that
her reason for deposing to the founding affidavit was that the facts
that gave rise to the need for a rescission application
lay squarely
within her knowledge as the attorney who was dealing with the matter.
The SCA held:
“
[11]…It
stands to reason that a deponent to an affidavit is a witness who
states under oath facts that lie within her personal
knowledge. She
swears or affirms to the truthfulness of such statements. She is no
different from a witness who testifies orally,
on oath or
affirmation, regarding events within her knowledge. Thus, when Ms.
Moduka deposed to the founding affidavit, she needed
no authorisation
from her client.
[12]
As to the last issue, the appellant clearly indicated that she had
given Ms. Moduka instructions
to act on her behalf in all
proceedings. Ms. Moduka stated that she was the attorney who had been
instructed by the appellant to
oppose the main application and had
accordingly been involved in the matter from its inception. She went
further in the replying
affidavit, and said that her mandate had
never been questioned by the first respondent and that her
instructions came from ‘a person who had been affected by
the order that was granted and [she] was not acting on the frolic
of
[her] own . . .
[13]
In any event, in terms of rule 52(2)(a)
[25]
of the Magistrates’
Court Rules, an attorney does not need to allege that they are
authorised to act for a party. A party
wishing to challenge an
attorney’s authority to represent a party may do so in terms of
the procedure outlined in that rule.
The first respondent brought no
such challenge. Accordingly, there was no reason for the regional
court and the high court to find
that Ms. Moduka lacked authority.
For those reasons, the decision of the high court falls to be set
aside…”.
[94]
In
casu
, Mr. Hertzberg stated in the founding affidavit he is
the defendant’s attorney of record, and stated further that the
facts
contained therein are true and correct and fall within his
personal knowledge.
[95]
In the replying affidavit, Mr. Hertzberg stated that apart from the
self-evident prejudice; in
considering and advising the defendant on
pleading to the rule 18 non-compliant particulars of claim, he took
instructions from
defendant regarding same and the prejudice to it.
He could depose to the founding affidavit and can still depose to
further affidavits
(to the extent necessary) for the defendant in
support of the rule 30 application.
[96]
For those reasons, the point in
limine
falls to be dismissed.
This leads to the determination of the various grounds upon which the
POC is challenged as an irregular
step or proceeding in terms of rule
30.
Complaint
A
Non-compliance
with Rule 18(4) and (6)
Defendant
submissions
[97]
In the POC, the plaintiff pleads that the agreement relied upon was
partly written and partly
oral and was allegedly concluded during the
period between November 2019 and approximately February 2020.
[98]
It is contended that the precise date on which the agreement was
concluded is not apparent
ex facie
the POC or from the written
components of the agreement as annexed thereto. Furthermore, the POC
lacks a clear and concise statement
of the material facts upon which
the plaintiff relies, as required by Rule 18(4). In particular, the
plaintiff has failed to plead
with sufficient particularity which
terms of the agreement were agreed to orally, which were reduced to
writing, the dates on which
each component was agreed upon, and the
sequence in which these components came together to form the alleged
complete agreement.
[99]
The uncertainty regarding the date of conclusion of the agreement is
material.
[100]
In the result, the defendant submitted that the POC fails to comply
with rule 18(4), read with rule 18(6), and
that the POC constitutes
an irregular step.
Plaintiff’s
submissions
[101]
The plaintiff’s counsel submitted that in the POC, plaintiff
pleads:
(a)
the agreement concluded between the parties (duly represented) was
partly oral and partly
written, with the written portion being the
documents annexed thereto.
(b)
As to what the documents are, is a question of fact which can only be
determined by the
Court at the conclusion of the trial after it has
heard all the evidence from both Jeffray and Marshall. For the
moment, as stated
above, the Court must accept the allegations made
by the plaintiff as being true and correct in that:
(1) the particulars is
the only pleading which contain allegations as to what the documents
are; and (2) it is trite that applications
in terms of rule 30
concern only irregularities of form and therefore cannot be relied on
to address matters of substance.
[26]
(c)
As to what the documents mean is a question of law which can only be
determined by
the Court.
[27]
(d)
Mr. Hertzberg’s allegation in the founding affidavit that
“without more”
the documents are not the written portion
of the agreement is so vague that it is simply meaningless.
(e)
In the POC plaintiff pleads that the agreement was concluded by the
parties (represented
by Jeffray and Marshall) between November 2019
and February 2020 in Hazyview, Mpumalanga. Its position on the matter
could not
be clearer and in making such allegations, it has complied
with what is required in rule 18(6).
(f)
For those reasons, the plaintiff submitted that Complaint A should be
rejected.
[102]
I am persuaded by submissions by plaintiff’s counsel that there
is no merit to complaint A and therefore
this complaint falls to be
dismissed.
Complaint
B
Defendant’s
submissions
[103]
It is submitted for the defendant that:
(a)
the damages claimed in the POC are not pleaded with sufficient
particularity to enable the
defendant to reasonably assess the
quantum thereof, as required by Rule 18(10).
(b)
The plaintiff has adopted an approach of alleging globular amounts
without furnishing the
necessary details or breakdowns to allow the
defendant to meaningfully evaluate the basis of the claims.
(c)
A bare allegation by a plaintiff regarding the quantum of damages
does not amount
to compliance with Rule 18(10), particularly in
circumstances where the plaintiff does not allege that the figures
are estimates
and where, on the contrary, it appears that the damages
were calculated to exact amounts.
[28]
(d)
It is therefore submitted that the plaintiff’s approach falls
short of the requirements
of Rule 18(10).
Plaintiff’s
submissions
[104]
Plaintiff inter alia submitted that:
(a)
The nature and extent of damages claimed by the plaintiff have been
identified by it in
detail in the POC.
(b)
That much is also obvious because without much trouble, in the
founding affidavit, Mr. Hertzberg
has been able to restate the
nature, amount and particulars of the damages claimed by the
plaintiff to the cent.
[105]
I agree with the plaintiff’s counsel that the defendant’s
ability to reasonably assess the “quantum”
of the damages
claimed is self- evident. In the circumstances, this complaint B is
without merit and falls to be dismissed.
Complaint
C
Prejudice
Defendant’s
submissions
[106]
It was submitted for the defendant that once it is established that
the POC does not comply with Rule 18, prejudice
is prima facie
established.
[29]
In
Sasol
Industries Ltd t/a Sasol 1 v Electrical Repair Engineering (Pty) Ltd
t/a LH Marthinusen
[30]
it was held that it is no answer for a plaintiff to say that the
defendant has sufficient information to plead. If the defendant
invokes Rule 30 because he was not given sufficient particularity the
court should come to the defendant’s assistance.
[31]
[107]
It was submitted that in
casu
, prejudice suffered by the
defendant is self-evident, in that the way the POC is formulated
renders it impossible for the defendant
to ascertain the case it is
required to meet.
[108]
For those reasons, it is submitted that the plaintiff’s
non-compliance with Rule 18 undermines the very
purpose of pleadings,
namely, to define the issues between the parties and to the Court,
and to enable the defendant to respond
meaningfully and with clarity.
[109]
In conclusion the defendant submitted that the POC fails to comply
with the provisions of Rule 18 and stands to
be set aside as an
irregular step in terms of Rule 30, with costs. The plaintiff should
be granted leave to amend its particulars
of claim to remedy the
defects.
Plaintiff’s
submissions
[110]
The plaintiff has pleaded the facts which underlie its claim for
breach of contract in the clearest of terms and
in the manner
required to sustain such a claim. It is also self-evident from a
reading of Mr. Hertzberg’s affidavit that
the defendant can
reasonably assess the quantum of the damages claim it faces.
[111]
Lastly, with prejudice being something which the defendant has to
prove, and which may be rebutted by the plaintiff
(as is the case
here), it is telling that in spite of Marshall having written the
letter which he did to the plaintiff on 29 September
2022 regarding
the solution he proposed “to get the greens to the standard we
all intended”, it is his attorney who
complains to the Court
that he does not know (or cannot understand) the case pleaded by the
plaintiff, whereas the one who concluded
the agreement and
implemented it to earn the defendant more than R6 million has elected
to remain on the sidelines and say nothing.
[112]
Other than the obvious flaws in the rule 30 application detailed
above, there is clearly no prejudice suffered
by the defendant
because of what the plaintiff has pleaded. This application is
nothing but a transparent attempt by the defendant
to avoid having to
answer allegations about the damage which it caused to the
plaintiff’s golf course.
[113]
For the reasons given above it is submitted that:
(a)
the plaintiff’s amended particulars are not irregular in any of
the respects alleged;
(b)
the defendant has failed to establish that it will suffer substantial
prejudice or any prejudice
if it is required to plead thereto;
(c)
the present application is nothing but an ill-conceived, unreasonable
and vexatious
attempt by the defendant to avoid or delay having to
plead its side of the story;
(d)
the application should be dismissed; and
(e)
the plaintiff should not be left out of pocket given that it has had
to incur unnecessary
legal costs in considering both the defendant’s
rule 30 notice, as well as opposing this motion.
Conclusion
[114]
Save for defendant’s submissions apropos the point
in limine
raised by the plaintiff, and for the reasons stated above in this
judgment, I find that the complaints advanced by the defendant
in
both the exception and the rule 30 application are baseless and there
is no prejudice to speak of. The application is nothing
but a
stratagem to delay the date upon which the defendant will be obliged
to file its plea.
[115]
Accordingly, the application is an abuse of this Court’s
process which has resulted in the plaintiff incurring
unnecessary and
significant costs. A considerable time has been spent on this matter
navigating voluminous set of papers which
resulted in a waste of
scarce and stretched judicial resources which could have been spent
on matters which really deserve this
Court’s attention.
Costs
[116]
As for the costs, the following principles bear mentioning. As stated
by Harms DP (as he then was) in the matter
of
Cadac
(Pty) Ltd v Weber-Stephen Products Co.
[32]
inter alia held “
Litigation
is not a game
”
.
[117]
The purpose of a costs award is to indemnify the successful party for
the expenses it has been
unjustly
compelled to incur in
defending litigation
[33]
,
which is very much the case here.
[118]
In the same vein, as Van Niekerk J pointed out in
Gamlan
Investments (Pty) Ltd v Trilion Cape (Pty) Ltd
[34]
,
a party must pay such costs as have been unnecessarily incurred
because of it taking wholly unnecessary steps.
[119]
An attorney and client costs award is where the court wishes to
strongly express its displeasure about the conduct
of the losing
party and, by making such an award, it ensures that the successful
party is indemnified in respect of all the reasonable
costs of the
litigation.
[35]
Accordingly,
I make the following order.
1.
The plaintiff’s point in
limine
is dismissed.
2.
The exception is dismissed.
3.
The rule 30 application is dismissed.
4.
The defendant is directed to file its plea to the amended plaintiff’s
particulars
of claim within 10 days of the granting of this order.
5.
The defendant, shall pay plaintiff’s costs (regarding both the
exception
and rule 30 application) except the costs relating to the
point in
limine
, on the High Court Scale as between attorney
and client scale, with such costs to include the costs of counsel as
taxed on scale
C.
NJOKWENI
AJ
ACTING
JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT
Appearances:
For
the plaintiff: Adv RJ Howie
Instructed
by:
David Shapiro & Associates
For
the defendant: Adv JW Jonker
Instructed
by:
AD Mr. Hertzberg Attorneys
[1]
Uniform rules, read with uniform rule 6(11). In turn, uniform rule
6(11) provides:
“
Notwithstanding
the aforegoing subrules, interlocutory and other applications
incidental to pending proceedings may be brought
on notice supported
by such affidavits as the case may require and set down at a time
assigned by the registrar or as directed
by a judge.”
Accordingly, in this judgment wherever I refer to a rule or rules,
unless specified otherwise, I mean the
uniform rules of Court.
[2]
McKenzie v Farmers’ Co-Operative Meat Industries Limited
1922
(AD) 16
,
at 23.
[3]
Stewart
v Botha
[2008] ZASCA 84
;
2008
(6) SA 310
(SCA)
at
para 4;
Natal
Fresh Produce Growers’ Association v Agroserve (Pty) Ltd
1990 (4) SA 749
(N)
at 755;
[4]
Jowell
v Bramwell-Jones & Others
1998
(1) SA 836
(W).
[5]
At 902H.
[6]
At 903A-B.
[7]
At 899E.
[8]
Pretorius and Another v Transport Pension Fund and Others
2019 (2)
SA 37
(CC) at para 15.
[9]
Tembani and Others v President of the Republic of South Africa and
Another
2023 (1) SA 432
(SCA) at para 14.
[10]
Vermeulen v Goose Valley Investments
[2001] 3 All SA 350
(A) at
paragraph [7]. See also
Jugwanth
v Mobile Telephone Networks (Pty) Ltd
[2021]
4 All SA 346
(SCA) at paragraph [3];
Taitz
Cellular (Pty) Ltd t/a Blue Cellular v Chadez Enterprises (Pty) Ltd
(unreported, GJ case no
29643/2021 dated 3 August 2022) at paragraph 12.
[11]
Merb (Pty) Ltd v Matthews, unreported, GJ case no 2020/15069 dated
16 November 2021. See also
Du
Toit NO v Steinhoff International Holdings (Pty) Limited
and
a related matter
[2020] 1 All SA 142
(WCC) at paragraphs [27]–[34].
[12]
Living
Hands (Pty) Ltd v Ditz
2013
(2) SA 368
(GSJ) at 374G. See also
Shoprite
Checkers (Pty) Ltd v Premier of the Western Cape Province
(unreported, WCC case no
17531/2022 dated 1 December 2023) at paragraphs [8]–[9].
[13]
See fn11 supra, Living Hands.
[14]
Jowell v Bramwell-Jones
1998 (1) SA 836
(W) at 898.
[15]
Paragraph 14
supra
.
[16]
Rule 23(1)(a) Uniform rules of Court. Also see Van Loggerenberg:
Erasmus Superior Court Practice (Vol 2) [service 20, 2022 at
D1-310C] under the heading “
May
apply to the registrar to set it down
…”
.
[17]
Subrule 23(1)(b) provides:
“
the
party excepting shall, within 10 days from the date on which a reply
to the notice referred to in paragraph (a) is received,
or within 15
days from which such reply is due,
deliver
the exception
.”
[18]
Titan
Asset Management (Pty) Ltd v Lanzerac Estate Investments (Pty) Ltd
[2023] 3 All SA 589
(WCC) at paragraphs [10]–[11].
[19]
(see p. 118, para (d)
of
Harms
Amler’s
Precedents of Pleadings
(8
th
Edition)
).
[20]
PM v MM and Another 2022 (3) SA 403 (SCA).
[21]
Masako v Masako & Another (
Masako
,)
(724/2020)
[2021] ZASCA 168
(3 December 2021).
[22]
Ganes
and Another v Telecom Namibia Ltd
2004 (3) SA 615
(SCA); (2004) 25
ILJ 995 (SCA);
[2004] 2 All SA 609
(SCA) para 19.
[23]
op cit, fn17
supra
.
[24]
An attorney for the appellant (applicant in Court a quo).
[25]
Rule 52(2)(a) of the Magistrates’ Court Rules provides: ‘It
shall not be necessary for any person to file a power
of attorney to
act, but the authority of any person acting for a party may be
challenged on notice by the other party within
10 days of such party
becoming aware that such person is so acting or with the leave of
the court on good cause shown at any
time before judgment.’
This is equivalent to Rule 7(1) in the Uniform Rules of Court.
[26]
Erasmus Superior Court Practice at 30-1 fn 2 and the authorities
there cited.
[27]
Natal Joint Municipal Pension Fund v Endumeni Municipality
2012 (4)
SA 593
(SCA) at para [18].
[28]
Sasol
Industries (Pty) Ltd t/a Sasol 1 v Electrical Repair Engineering
(Pty) Ltd t/a LH Marthinusen
1992
(4) SA 466
(W) at 467D
[29]
Sasol
Industries (Pty) Ltd t/a Sasol 1 v Electrical Repair Engineering
(Pty) Ltd t/a LH Marthinusen
1992
(4) SA 466
(W) at 470H-I
[30]
Supra
.
[31]
At 471A.
[32]
Cadac (Pty) Ltd v Weber-Stephen Products Co.
2011 (3) SA 570
(SCA)
para [10].
[33]
Texas Co (SA) Ltd v Cape Town Municipality
1926 AD 467
at 488.
[34]
Gamlan Investments (Pty) Ltd v Trilion Cape (Pty) Ltd
1996 (3) SA
692
(C) at 701C.
[35]
Sentrachem Ltd v Prinsloo
1997 (2) SA 1
(A) at 22B-C.
sino noindex
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