Case Law[2024] ZAWCHC 382South Africa
Latari House (Pty) Ltd and Others v Danca and Others (17211/2023) [2024] ZAWCHC 382 (13 November 2024)
Judgment
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# South Africa: Western Cape High Court, Cape Town
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## Latari House (Pty) Ltd and Others v Danca and Others (17211/2023) [2024] ZAWCHC 382 (13 November 2024)
Latari House (Pty) Ltd and Others v Danca and Others (17211/2023) [2024] ZAWCHC 382 (13 November 2024)
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sino date 13 November 2024
FLYNOTES:
CIVIL LAW – Defamation –
Social media –
Incident at Hanks Olde Irish Pub
– Defendant and his group not interested in truth –
Motive to make incident as
sensational and emotionally laden as
possible – So that video could go viral on social media –
Allegations of
racism – Plaintiffs severely embarrassed and
publicly degraded – Prejudiced in their professional and
private
endeavours – Establishments suffered loss of revenue
– R1,250,000 in general and special damages.
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
(WESTERN
CAPE DIVISION, CAPE TOWN)
Case number: 17211/2023
LATARI
HOUSE (PTY)
LTD
First plaintiff
VIRON
PAPADAKIS
Second plaintiff
JOHN
PAPADAKIS
Third plaintiff
FREDDY
KALENGA
Fourth plaintiff
and
THABISO
DANCA
First defendant
JORDAN
PELSER
Second defendant
CHRISTOPHER
MICHAEL LOGAN
Third defendant
JUDGMENT DELIVERED ON
13 NOVEMBER 2024
Introduction
1.
This
is an application for default judgment following the institution of a
defamation action. The first to third plaintiffs
seek damages
against the third defendant.
[1]
2.
It is necessary to mention the circumstances in
which default judgment is sought.
3.
The action was instituted during October 2023 .
The combined summons was duly served on the third defendant on 16
February
2024. He failed to enter appearance to defend.
4.
An application for default judgment was
accordingly enrolled for hearing in the unopposed motion court on 24
July 2024. The
second and third plaintiffs were present to give
oral evidence. On that day, an attorney appeared on the third
defendant’s
behalf with instructions to defend the action. The
attorney asked for a postponement to allow the third defendant to
bring
a substantive application for the upliftment of the bar, and to
deliver a plea. In terms of an order subsequently granted
by
agreement between the parties, the matter was postponed to 18 October
2024 to enable the third defendant to bring such application
and to
plead his case in defence of the action. The application for
the upliftment of the bar was to be instituted before
20 August 2024.
5.
The third defendant did not take any further
steps. On 2 October 2024 he sent an email to the plaintiffs’
attorney,
claiming that his attorney had only been briefed to
represent him on 24 July 2024, and that due to financial constraints
he was
unable to secure legal representation. He claimed
further that in a related Equality Court matter, where he did have
legal
representation, there would be an attempted mediation.
The Equality Court proceedings were, according to the email, to be
heard on 19 October 2024, which was a Saturday.
6.
The third defendant’s attorney was informed
of the email communication. He first responded, on 2 October
2024, by stating
that his brief had come to an end in August 2024.
He followed this up with another email on the same day to the effect
that
he had been briefed only to appear on 24 July 2024, and that he
would deliver a notice of withdrawal as the third defendant’s
attorney of record.
7.
No notice of withdrawal had been delivered by the
time of the hearing of the action on 18 October 2024.
8.
There was no further communication from the third
defendant. On the day of the hearing he was present in court.
He asked
for a postponement of the matter because he wanted to defend
the action, and stated further that the parties could come to an
agreement
in the course of the pending Equality Court proceedings.
He stated that he had been working in the United States of America
since earlier this year, and that he had not been able to give
attention to this matter.
9.
Having considered the third defendant’s
submissions, the Court was not amenable to granting yet another
postponement of the
matter. The initial postponement, and the
more than ample time period afforded the third defendant to apply for
the upliftment
of the bar, was agreed with his attorney on the third
defendant’s behalf. The attorney in question was still on
record
as the third defendant’s attorney. He moreover
enjoyed legal representation in the Equality Court proceedings. The
third defendant gave no satisfactory explanation for his failure to
comply with the provisions of the agreed order. The fact
that
he had been working overseas is no excuse, given the importance of
the matter and his integral role in it. His conduct
pointed to
a last-minute attempt yet again to delay the hearing of the action.
The proceedings in this Court are not a game,
and neither is the
third defendant’s significant involvement in the serious events
set out in the particulars of claim and
referred to below.
There is no running away from it.
10.
In the circumstances, the oral application for a
postponement was denied and the plaintiffs proceeded to furnish their
evidence.
The third defendant took no further part in the
proceedings.
The events leading
to the institution of this action
11.
At the time relevant to these proceedings, the
first plaintiff operated two establishments in central Cape Town,
namely Hanks Olde
Irish Pub ("Hanks") and Love Thy
Neighbour ("LTN"). The second and third plaintiffs,
who are brothers,
were at that stage the co-owners of the first
plaintiff.
12.
The origin of the dispute was the following:
At about 23:00 on Thursday, 1 December 2022 the fourth plaintiff did
duty as
a doorman at the first plaintiff’s premises. Part of
his duties was to not allow persons younger than 18 years old to
enter
the premises. There was an incident involving the first
and second defendant and the fourth plaintiff. The first defendant
wanted to enter the premises. The fourth plaintiff was unsure
whether the first defendant was of legal age to enter the premises
and requested the first defendant to remove his cap and to
produce his identity document to verify his age.
13.
The first defendant appeared to be inebriated and
was upset because he was being stopped by the fourth plaintiff.
He
(the first defendant) became aggressive and made racial and
xenophobic statements to the fourth plaintiff within hearing
distance of other people in proximity. The gist of these
statements was that the fourth plaintiff was a racist, that he
discriminated
against the first defendant and did not want to allow
him to enter the premises because he was black, that South
Africa was
not fourth plaintiff's home and that he (the fourth
plaintiff) was an idiot who should go back to his home country.
14.
Neither the second nor the third plaintiff was
aware of this incident at the time.
15.
In the late afternoon of Friday, 2 December 2022,
a group of about six persons, including the third defendant, entered
the first
plaintiff’s premises. The third defendant demanded to
speak to a manager. When greeted by the manager on duty, the third
defendant began yelling words to the effect that the first plaintiff
was a racist establishment because of the alleged incident
of racism
that had occurred towards the first defendant the previous day, 1
December 2022. The third defendant's tone was aggressive,
and he was
swearing.
16.
The third defendant then demanded to speak to the
owner, and the manager got hold of the second plaintiff
telephonically. The third
defendant started yelling at the second
plaintiff over the phone, repeating that the first plaintiff was a
racist establishment,
and demanding that the second plaintiff come to
the premises. Upon the second plaintiff's arrival at the
premises, the third
defendant continued yelling the same accusations
of racism.
17.
The third defendant threatened to get the
mainstream media (Sunday Times) involved who "
will
have a field day with this
"
and to get protesters and the EFF on the premises. He
threatened that Hanks would become like Clicks overnight, referring
to looting and damage done by protesters at that store.
18.
This incident was videotaped on a cell phone by
one of the persons in the third defendants' group. Segments of the
cell phone video
were widely published by,
inter
alia
, the third defendant on various
mainstream online news platforms, as well as the social media
platform, YouTube. Several
articles appeared on the SABC News
website, the SABC News YouTube channel, the News24 YouTube channel,
the News24 website, the
Newzroom Africa YouTube channel, the ENCA
website, and the ENCA YouTube channel over the period 4 December 2022
to 7 December 2022.
These articles and videos were published
and accessible by the public using television or the internet, and
were widely viewed
or read by the general public.
19.
On 4 December 2022, for example, SABC News
published an online article under the title “
Cape
Town Hank's Old Irish Pub called out for
a
racist incident”.
In
this article, there is a video of a SABC News TV presenter who
reports on and interviews the first and third defendants
inter
alia
on an alleged incident of racism
that those defendants claimed occurred at the first plaintiff’s
premises of first plaintiff
on 1 December 2022, the incident that was
videotaped on 2 December 2022, and the events thereafter.
20.
The article was also published on the SABC News's
YouTube channel under the title
"Cape
Town Hank's Old Irish Pub called out for a racist incident:
Thabiso Danca
&
Christopher
Logan",
and has been viewed more
than 107 000 times. In the article, which contained parts
of the cell phone video taken on
2 December 2022, the first and third
defendants state the following concerning the plaintiffs:
21.
In the video the third defendant, in a loud voice,
says the following to the second plaintiff (this occurred on 2
December 2022):
''This
is what happened, okay this man right here, Thabiso, came in
yesterday okay, moments after Jordan came in, moments after,
okay,
your bouncer stop him and said, why are you going in who are you
going into, okay. He said why are you asking me? He said
you can't
come in here unaccompanied without a white person. He said "what?"
He said you can't come in here without a
white person. If you come in
here, I know what you like, you steal, you guys' cause trouble, you
need to come in here with a white
person. He asked who decides this?
This this is what the bosses have told me. Then Jordan, not knowing
where Thabiso is, goes out
and sees the bouncer re-explain this and
says it to him again and says it's not me who decides it's the
policy?"
22.
The first defendant says the following when
questioned by the TV presenter, for the purposes of the article:
"As
soon as I walked into Hanks, I was stopped to go in because my
friends were already inside and the bouncer said to me uh
mustn't go
in if I'm not accompanied with a white friend. I'm like, I was like,
no I don't understand what really you saying to
me. And said no, if I
... if it's just me I can't go in and luckily my friend came back.
And he also heard what the bouncer was
saying to me and um the
bouncer said it again to my friend Jordan that uh if I'm ... if it's
just me, myself I can't go in, because
people of colour they steal
and they go in there and in the bar and they cause trouble."
23.
The first defendant, when asked by the TV
presenter:
"Did he
say
categorically to you that that is the
policy of the pub or what the owners of the pub or the bosses wish to
be in place?"
responded by saying:
"That
was what I was very concerned about because I asked him that, is he
telling me that personally or is what he was told
to do? And he like,
he said yeah, he's doing what he's told to do by his bosses. And my
friend can confirm that because he
was
there when he said it again to me, that
he can't let me in because I will
go
in
there and
cause
trouble
because I'm black."
24.
The third defendant then joins the conversation:
"/
think it would be wrong for
a
business, like Hank's to scapegoat the
bouncer. A bouncer is hired under
a
specific pretext with specific
instructions about who to admit and how to admit them and the bouncer
answers to the owners and that's
who pays his salary. And it's very
convenient for them to say, this is just the policy, the thoughts of
one individual bouncer,
but that wasn't articulated by the bouncer
and that wouldn't be within his power to decide who they're going to
let in. You're
hired, you're informed, and you implement what you've
been told to do, and I felt very strongly that they're simply trying
to scapegoat
the bouncer."
25.
The third defendant continues by saying:
"That's
unacceptable kind of shows that there is no remorse that this was a
clearly thought-out thing."
26.
On a question by the TV presenter whether the
first and third defendants believe that first plaintiff is a racist
institution, the
third defendant answers:
"100
percent”.
Later in the
interview the third defendant states the following:
"The
biggest issue here is that there is clear institutional racism at
this place and that it's not unique to Hanks. This is
a
very specific example where it's
documented, but there is
a
culture
of this in South Africa and in Cape Town specifically and I think
damage should be the main attention of this event."
27.
The gist of the allegations made in the article on
4 December 2022 was repeated time after time over the ensuing days,
in colourful
language. The third defendant took centre stage in
the videos and articles as the first defendant’s protector and
in
denouncing the plaintiffs.
28.
On 5 December 2022
,
a
news clip was published on News24's YouTube channel under the title
"/
felt embarrassed and
dehumanised: Hanks Pub patron refused entry because he is black".
This clip contains extracts of the cell
phone video taken by a person in third defendant's group on 2
December 2022, and was viewed
more than 28 000 times. The third
defendant is heard on the video berating the first plaintiff, in
strong language, for being
a racist establishment.
29.
On 6 December 2022 a clip was published on
Newzroom Africa's YouTube channel under the title
"Logan
describes Hank's Olde Irish Pub racist incidenf' .
In
this clip a Newzroom Africa TV presenter reports on and interviews
the third defendant
inter alia
on
the alleged incident of racism that first and third defendants
claimed occurred at the premises of the first plaintiff on 1 December
2022, the incident that was videotaped by a person in third
defendant's group on 2 December 2022, and the events thereafter.
Whilst
this interview is being conducted with the third defendant,
extracts of the cell phone video are being shown. This clip has
been viewed more than 4 800 times.
30.
In this clip the TV presenter, by way of
introduction, says the following:
"Government
has condemned an alleged racist incident which took place at Hank's
old Irish pub in Cape Town. Thabiso Danca
was
reportedly barred from entering the
establishment allegedly because he wasn't in the company of a white
person. Now the victim's
friend Christopher Logan intervened, and an
altercation ensued. Logan joins us now for more on the story."
31.
The third defendant then declares
inter
alia
the following:
“…
before
starting to confront the owner was
a
sense
of complete outrage that someone, I care about
so
much
that's so close to me and that I consider
a
brother
had received treatment like this in a place that I can walk into
freely and without anyone saying anything to
me.
Uh
it incensed me, it's I could see no justification and I believe it
had to be confronted head on …
if
you hear something like this, and then the reaction we were expecting
was that maybe
a
more
apologetic and maybe
a
commitment
to retrain the staff and take responsibility for this incident, this
is unacceptable but rather we were
told that
they reserved the right of admission and that, is essentially
standing by this, um is the sense that
we've got."
32.
On a question from the TV presenter whether this
was the first time that the third defendant came across such a
situation, the third
defendant responded
"Yes, it was
definitely a first time hearing about this at Hanks, ... this is
maybe, a very explicit example of this sort of
terrible racist
behaviour ... I hope this incident can draw more attention to and
that this is bigger than Hanks ... "
33.
On 7 December 2022 an article was published on the
ENCA website under the title
"Cape
Town pub under spotlight for racism".
This
article also contains a video, which was also published on ENCA's
YouTube channel, under the same title. In this video
the third
defendant states that ".. .
what's
most important here and that's to do with racism, racism that Thabiso
faced racism and Hanks
... "
34.
On a comment by the reporter that the first
plaintiff’s owners (the second and third plaintiffs) released a
statement saying
that the allegations of racism are unfounded and
unproven and that in the last 30 years they have had no racist
incident at their
premises, the third defendant responded:
"...
from the moment this thing started they, all they've done is double
down. You know, the response by denying everything,
by trying to go
on the counterattack, um it's just an attempt to try to divert from
what's actually going on here. When this whole
thing started their
first response is we reserve the rights of admission which basically
means that they think they have the right
to do this sort of thing so
honestly, I think the approach that they're taking from beginning to
now has been totally incorrect
and the fact that this has gotten to
this height they're clearly not reckoning with the magnitude of it. …
It's time to
wake up and apologise for what's happened and commit to
making serious play, put serious commitments in place to address
this.
Doubling down, denying everything, saying, going on the
offensive, is not going to make it away. It's infuriating South
Africa
more, because this is touch something very deep within the
psyche of many people in South Africa and it needs to be addressed.
If they hope to move forward they've got to get serious about this,
and that's what I would say is that you've got to face this
thing
head on with an emotional intelligent way that doesn't just double
down and that's what we hope from Hanks."
35.
The furore went on for days. It is
unnecessary to repeat all of the impugned statements that are on
record. An investigation
into the matter has since confirmed
that the alleged racist incident on 1 December 2022 did in fact not
occur - the fourth plaintiff
merely wanted to verify the first
defendant’s age. There was no merit in the third
defendant’s tirade against
the plaintiffs on 2 December 2022
and thereafter.
The consequences of
the statements
36.
The result of the debacle was, unsurprisingly, a
severely negative response from the public, including protests by,
amongst others,
members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)
outside the first plaintiff’s premises for an entire day soon
after the event.
Threats of violence were made against the
plaintiffs. The cell phone video went viral on social media, and
there was a public outcry
against the plaintiffs. The second and
third plaintiffs feared for their safety and that of their employees
and patrons, and were
scared, too, of damage being caused to the
premises. They decided to close the businesses for a period -
Hanks was closed
and did not trade from 5 December 2022 to 13
December 2022, and LTN was closed and did not trade from 4 December
2022 to 4 January
2023. This was over one of the busiest
trading periods for the business in general.
37.
Defamation
has been defined as the wrongful, intentional publication of words or
behaviour concerning another person, which has
the effect of injuring
his status, good name or reputation. Publication entails the
communication or making known to at least
one person other than the
plaintiff. Once a plaintiff has established the publication of
defamatory matter concerning himself,
it is presumed that the
statement was both wrongful and intentional. The defendant has
a full onus to rebut this presumption.
[2]
38.
The plaintiffs plead, and I agree, that the third
defendant’s statements were wrongful and defamatory of
plaintiffs, and were
made with the intention to defame the plaintiffs
and to injure them in their reputation. The statements meant,
were intended
to mean, and were understood by those to whom they were
published to mean that the first plaintiff was an establishment which
has
a racist admission policy, and thus that the first plaintiff
discriminates against persons on the basis of their skin colour or
membership of a particular racial or ethnic group.
39.
As regards the second and third plaintiffs as
owners of the first plaintiff, the statements meant, and were
understood to mean,
that the second and third plaintiffs had
implemented a racist policy in terms of which black persons were only
allowed entrance
to the first plaintiff’s premises if they were
accompanied by a white person, and thus that the second and third
plaintiffs
discriminated against persons on the basis of their skin
colour or membership of a particular racial or ethnic group.
40.
Given
inter alia
the importance and relevance of the topic –
racism in our society – and the inflammatory nature of social
media, the
statements were published or caused to be published with
the knowledge and with the intention that they would be republished,
and further reported on and discussed by and in the public domain.
41.
The second and third plaintiffs both presented
oral evidence at the hearing of the action. Mr Viron Papadakis
testified that
he and his brother had been operating businesses in
Cape Town for the past 30 years. They also have a registered
Non-Profit
Organisation (NPO) called Bread for Life. In all of
the years there have never been any complaints against them or their
businesses on the basis of racism or discrimination of any kind.
42.
On the contrary, they have always focused their
efforts to the service other people. In this regard they have,
through the
NPO and partnered with other NPOs, served homeless
communities, refugee communities and those living with disabilities
for the
past 15 years.
43.
The plaintiffs had enjoyed a good reputation and
standing in the community. This has now been obliterated
because of the defamatory
statements published by the third
defendant. Their businesses, including the first plaintiff, and
their NPO relationships
have also suffered. They have struggled
to keep their commitments to those in need because of the marked
decline in the first
plaintiff’s income.
44.
Mr Papadakis testified that his involvement in the
community is based on his faith and the conviction to serve others.
The defamatory
statements contradicted his Christian beliefs and the
values that he upholds in the community. Being labelled a
racist (or
racist institution in the case of the first plaintiff) in
the mainstream media and on many social media platforms has caused
people
to believe that he and his brother are fake and phony
Christians, and persons who discriminate on the basis of race.
Their
good names and reputations as upstanding, honest persons with
integrity who unselfishly serve the community have been damaged and
lowered in the estimation of right-thinking members of society.
He has had to leave the first plaintiff’s business
as a result
of financial difficulties experienced following the incident, and he
does not know whether people will ever trust him
again.
45.
They are now recognised in public because of the
incident, and have been at the receiving end of hate messages on
social media.
Because of the trauma they have experienced
during and after the incident, they have had to see a therapist to
help them cope with
what had happened.
46.
Mr John Papadakis confirmed this evidence.
He is now the sole owner of the first plaintiff. He testified
that he lived
by his father’s words, namely “
In
business and in life, it is better to lose your eye than your name
”
.
His good name, and that of the other plaintiffs, was taken away due
to no fault of theirs. Their names have been smeared
to such an
extent that their long-standing business partners severed ties with
them. They lost many friends. The reputation
that they
had built up over many years was lost in the blink of an eye.
47.
It is clear that, as a result of the publication
of the statements, the plaintiffs were severely embarrassed and
publicly degraded.
The second and third plaintiffs’
demeanor in the witness box confirmed the damage done to them.
They were injured in
their names, reputations and standing in the
community, and were (and still are) liable to be treated with severe
aversion, suspicion,
distrust and hostility. They have been,
and will be, prejudiced in their professional and private endeavours,
and it is unlikely
that they will ever fully recover their respective
reputations.
The plaintiff’s
general damages
48.
Awards
in defamation cases serve a specific purpose, namely commensurately
to compensate someone for the injury to his or her reputation,
integrity and dignity. Awards do not serve a punitive function, and
are characterised by low monetary amounts as a result. This
is a
fundamental principle of the jurisprudence on defamation awards and
has been cited with approval in various courts, most notably
in
Mogale
v Seima.
[3]
The
Supreme Court of Appeal captured the principle, with reference to
Esselen
v Argus Printing and Publishing Co Ltd,
[4]
in the
following terms:
"In
general, a civil court, in a defamation case, awards damages to
solace plaintiffs' wounded feelings and not to penalise
or to deter
the defendant for his wrongdoing ... Clearly punishment and
deterrence are functions of the criminal law, not the law
of
delict... To sum up: having regard to the foregoing and the general
trend in recent times and the fact that our courts
have not been
generous in their awards of solatia ... a practice that
is to be commended."
[5]
49.
Calculating
the
quantum
of
the award depends on the particular facts of each case. It
requires a realistic assessment of what is just and fair in
the
circumstances.
[6]
There is
a range of factors that a Court may rely on to determine what is just
and fair in the circumstances. Those factors
include,
inter
alia,
the
nature and gravity of the defamatory words, the nature and extent of
the publication, the rank or social status of the parties,
the
intentions of the defendant, and the absence or nature of an
apology.
[7]
50.
The defamatory statements in the present matter
were of a serious nature and were aimed at causing great hurt to the
plaintiffs'
dignity, good name and reputation. The second and third
plaintiffs were defamed as members of the white class who owns and
runs
a "racist institution" (the first plaintiff) and the
plaintiffs were called out for a "racist incident" that
in
fact never occurred.
51.
The defamatory statements were published and
circulated nationally. They spread like a wildfire. Within less than
a week, the third
defendant appeared in several television interviews
conducted by the mainstream media where the cell phone video was
shown. The
third defendant repeated and elaborated on the
initial defamatory statements made in respect of the plaintiffs.
These interviews
were republished in the social media and were viewed
by tens of thousands of people.
52.
The severe damage to the plaintiffs’
reputation and standing in the community, as well as on their
business and social lives,
has been detailed earlier in this
judgment. The second and third plaintiffs referred to the
experience as life-altering.
53.
Although the third defendant did not witness the
alleged incident on 1 December 2022, he attended the first
plaintiff’s premises
deliberately, accusing the plaintiffs of
being racist and a racist institution. This confrontation was
recorded by the persons
accompanying the third defendant, and
circulated on social media. During the confrontation the second
plaintiff was shouted at,
and not provided an opportunity to respond.
The third defendant was aggressive, confrontational, and using foul
language.
His threats of involving the media and the EFF became
a reality.
54.
It seems that the third defendant and his group
were not interested in the truth but their motive and conduct were to
make the incident
on 2 December 2022 as sensational and emotionally
laden as possible so that the video they were recording of the
incident could
go viral on social media.
55.
The third defendant has not apologized for his
conduct.
56.
The first, second and third plaintiffs each claims
damages in the sum of R500 000,00. Given the conservative
approach
espoused in the relevant case law, I am of the view that
this sum, despite the undeniable seriousness of the defamation, is
too
high. In the exercise of my discretion I regard the sum of
R250 000,00 as appropriate in relation to each of the
plaintiffs.
Special damages
suffered by the first plaintiff
57.
The first plaintiff suffered, in addition, damages
as a result of a loss of income during the period its businesses were
closed.
58.
Because of the defamatory statements and the
repeated publication thereof, and the subsequent closing of Hanks and
LTN, the first
plaintiff has suffered a sharp decline in income since
December 2022. The businesses have since received several
one-star
reviews on review platforms such as "Google reviews",
"Zomato" and "Trip Advisor". The second
and
third plaintiffs both testified as to the troubles experienced in the
business since the incident because of the fact that
the
establishment is now regarded as racist.
59.
Spreadsheets submitted into evidence detailed the
individual and combined income, expenses and net profit (or loss) of
Hanks and
LTN for the period July 2022 to July 2023. In
comparing the net profit (loss) from December 2022 to July 2023 with
the five
months preceding the incident, it is clear that the first
plaintiff suffered a loss of income far in excess of the sum of R500
000,00 as claimed in the particulars of claim.
60.
The first plaintiff has not amended its
particulars of claim to seek the higher amount proved. I am
accordingly satisfied
that it should be awarded special damages in
the sum of R500 000,00.
Costs
61.
The plaintiffs seek costs on a punitive scale.
Given the nature of the matter and the circumstances discussed in the
course
of this judgment, I agree that such an award would be
appropriate.
Order
62.
In the premises, I make the following order:
The third defendant
shall pay to the first, second and third plaintiffs the following:
a.
The sum of R500 000.00 to the first plaintiff
as special damages.
b.
The sum of R250 000.00 to the first plaintiff
as general damages.
c.
The sum of R250 000.00 to the second plaintiff
as general damages.
d.
The sum of R250 000.00 to the third plaintiff
as general damages.
e.
Interest on each of these amounts at the
prescribed legal rate
a tempore
morae.
f.
Costs of suit on the scale as between attorney
and client.
P. S. VAN ZYL
Acting judge of the
High Court
Appearances:
Counsel
for the first to third plaintiffs
:
M.
Botha, instructed by Nel & Associates
No appearance for the
third defendant
[1]
The
progress of the litigation between the fourth plaintiff and the
first and second defendants is not relevant for present purposes.
[2]
Le
Roux v Dey
2011
(3) SA 274
(CC) at paras [84]-[86].
[3]
2008
(5) SA 637
(SCA) at paras [9]-[12], and [18].
[4]
1992
(3) SA 764
(T) at 771G-I.
[5]
Mogale
supra
at
para [18].
[6]
Van
der Berg v Coopers
&
Lybrand
Trust (Pty) Ltd
[2000] ZASCA 77
;
2001
(2) SA 242
(SCA) at para
[48]
.
[7]
Mogale
supra
at
paras [13]-[16].
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