Case Law[2023] ZALCC 2South Africa
Jacobs and Others v Bester and Others (LCC 02R/2023) [2023] ZALCC 2 (7 February 2023)
Land Claims Court of South Africa
7 February 2023
Headnotes
AT RANDBURG CASE NO: LCC 02R/2023 MAG CASE NO:1338/2021 REPORTABLE:YES/NO OF INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES:YES/NO REVISED:YES/NO Before the Honourable Flatela J Delivered on: 07 February 2023 In the matter between:
Judgment
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## Jacobs and Others v Bester and Others (LCC 02R/2023) [2023] ZALCC 2 (7 February 2023)
Jacobs and Others v Bester and Others (LCC 02R/2023) [2023] ZALCC 2 (7 February 2023)
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sino date 7 February 2023
IN
THE LAND CLAIMS COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
HELD
AT RANDBURG
CASE
NO: LCC 02R/2023
MAG
CASE NO:1338/2021
REPORTABLE:YES/NO
OF
INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES:YES/NO
REVISED:YES/NO
Before
the Honourable Flatela J
Delivered
on: 07 February 2023
In
the matter between:
JOHANNES
NICOLAAS
JACOBS
1
ST
APPLICANT
JOHANNES
NICOLAAS
JACOBS
2
ND
APPLICANT
EVENLY
JACOBSN.O
3
RD
APPLICANT
ODETTE-MARI
BOSHOFF N.O
4
TH
APPLICANT
RISJES
VALLEI BOERDERY (PTY)LTD
5
TH
APPLICANT
and
CHRISTIAAN
BESTER
1
ST
RESPONDENT
MARIA
BESTER
2
ND
RESPONDENT
CHRISTOPHER
BESTER
3
RD
RESPONDENT
ALL
PERSONS OCCUPYING THROUGH THE 1
ST
RESPONDENT
4
TH
RESPONDENT
JUDGMENT
FLATELA
J
Introduction
[1]
This is an automatic review emanating from the Magistrate Court,
Worcester,
Western Cape in terms of sec 19(3) of the Extension of
Security of Tenure Act 62 of 1997 (ESTA). The Magistrate granted an
eviction
order against the first to the fourth respondents from the
dwelling which is situated on the Remainder of the Farm Risjei Vallei
No.553, Breede Valley Municipality, Division of Worcester in the
Province of the Western Cape (the property) on the basis that
the
first respondent’s right of occupation arose solely from the
employment contract between him and the former owners of
the
property. None of the respondents are employed by the applicants. The
dwelling is needed for the employees of the Risjies Vallei
Boedery
(Pty)Ltd (the fifth applicant).
[2]
I am required to review the eviction of the respondents, granted on
20
October 2022, by order of the Worcester Magistrate’s Court.
The application served before me on 10 January 2023.
[3]
The property is owned by Kanaan Trust (the Trust), a trust duly
registered
with the Master of the High Court, Western Cape Division
under registration number: IT 000673/2017. The Trust leased the
property
to Risjies Vallei Boedery (Pty)Ltd (the fifth applicant)
which conducts the farming business in the farm. The Trust is
represented
by its trustees, the second to fourth applicants.
The
Parties
[4]
The first applicant is Johannes Nicolaas Jacobs a major male director
of the fifth applicant and a person in charge of the property. The
second to fourth applicants are the trustees of the Trust, acting
in
their official capacity.
[5]
The first respondent is Chritiaan Bester a major male aged 47, who
lives
in the property. He is a former employee on the farm. The
second respondent is Maria Bester aged 62, the first respondent’s
wife. Mrs Bester has been living in the property since 1993.
[6]
The third respondent is Christopher Bester, a major male aged 28. The
third respondent is the first and second respondent’s son. He
was born in 1994 in the property. He regards the property as
his
home.
[7]
The fourth respondent is Rivaldo Minnaar, a minor male learner aged
17.
In 2022 he was a grade 11 learner at Breeivier High School.
Rivaldo is the first and second respondents was born in 2005 and has
been living with the respondents since birth.
[8]
The respondents reside in a three-bedroom house in the property. The
first
and second respondents were given right of occupation of the
dwelling by Mr Paul Potgieter, the previous owner of the property.
The first and second respondents were both employed by the former
owner from 1994 to 2018.
[9]
On 10 February 2021 the first to the third respondents were served
personally
with a notice to terminate their right of occupation. The
said notice, dated 21 January 202, also gave them 30 (thirty days) to
vacate the property.
Factual
Background
[10]
The facts are largely common cause. The applicants took ownership of
the farm in 2018.
The fifth applicant took over farming activities in
the property. Mr Jacobs avers that when the 5
th
respondent
took over of the farming activities, he approached the first
respondent and offered him employment contract but the
first
respondent declined the offer. He contends that the first
respondent’s rights to occupy the dwelling arose from the
employment in the farm.
[11]
The applicants contended that the dwelling is needed to accommodate
their employees as
the occupation of the dwelling is subject to the
condition that the respondents are employees of the applicants.
[12]
The applicants also state that there was never an employment
relationship between themselves
and respondents, they have no control
over the respondents and they do as they please as their relationship
cannot be reasonable
restored as the applicants simply cannot trust
the respondents anymore.
[13]
The applicants state that the first respondent does not contribute to
the growth and the
development of the applicants business. He works
on other farms and for other employers and expect to live rent and
obligation
free.
[14]
The first respondent was first given notice to vacate in 2018. The
respondents failed to
vacate. The applicants launched eviction
proceedings of which eviction order was granted by the Magistrate. On
review Ncube J set
the eviction order aside on the basis of
non-compliance with section 8(1)(e) of ESTA.
[15]
The applicants aver that he has complied with the requirements of
section 8,9 and 10 of
ESTA.
The
respondents’ submissions
[16]
The first respondent opposed the application on the basis that the
termination of their
right to residence was not just and equitable in
terms of section 9(2)(a), read with section 8(1) of ESTA. Secondly,
the second
respondent contended that the requirements of section 9(2)
read with section 10 of ESTA have not been complied with, therefore
the application ought to be dismissed.
[17]
The first respondent avers that he has been residing in the farm for
28 years from 1994
whilst the second respondent has been residing in
the farm for 29 years since 1993.The first respondent worked in the
farm for
Mr Paul Potgieter, the previous owner of the property from
1994-2018 as a maintenance worker and second respondent was employed
at the creche.
[18]
The second respondent was first to arrive in the property in 1993.
She came to live in
the property with her sister. She was offered
employment by the former owner to attend to creche. She resided on
the farm in her
own right with the consent of the previous owner.
[19]
The first and second respondent met in the farm and got married in
1994. In 1994 the third
respondent was born in the property.
Initially the Besters were granted permission to live in a two-room
house. In 1999 they were
granted permission to occupy the dwelling.
[20]
The first respondent contends that their employment was terminated
when the applicants
took over the farm. He confirms that he declined
the offer of employment from the applicants but states that the
reason for declining
the offer was because the applicants offered him
less rates than what the previous owner offered him. This allegation
was disputed
by the applicants who showed that the rates were
actually higher than the rates from the previous owner. The first
respondent exaggerated
the rates he was offered by the previous
owner. I accept the applicant’s version.
[21]
The second respondent was not re-employed by the applicant in the
same position because
there were not enough children to attend the
creche. The applicant offered her employment as a general worker to
work in the vineyard
and to perform related duties. She declined the
offer due to her health challenges. The second respondent suffers
from chronic
back pain and arthritis. She receives medical treatment
for her condition.
[22]
The first respondent earns a stipend from the profits of a spaza shop
that they are operating
from the property in the amount of R 2 500
plus the pension grant from the government. The third respondent is
not working.
Rivaldo receives state grant in the amount of R450 per
month which is used to take care of his needs.
[23]
The third respondent has been living on the property for 28 years
since birth. He regards
the property as his home. He is unemployed.
It is not clear from the papers if he was offered any employment by
the applicants.
[24]
Rivaldo, is a grade 11 learner attending school at Breeivier High
School and uses the bus
to and from the school. She has been living
in the property for 17 years.
[25]
The first respondent confirmed that they received a pension pay out
in 2018 from the previous
owner and they used the money for their
daily needs. They also settled their debts and bought a car. The He
states that currently
they cannot afford to rent a property as they
have no means to afford rental. There is no available alternative
accommodation for
them. They have been on the waiting list of the
Municipality for government housing subsidy. They also do not have
relatives that
can accommodate them.
[26]
The first respondent disputed that the dwelling is needed for the
employees of the applicant,
He states that the applicant has an empty
compound that can accommodated 60 people in the farm. The applicants
did not deny this
allegation.
[27]
The first respondent denies that the eviction is just and equitable.
Discussion
[28]
It is a
common cause that the respondents are occupiers in terms of
ESTA.
[1]
The first to the third
respondent have lived in the property before 4 February 1997.
[2]
The third and fourth respondent were born in the property.
[29]
The applicants contended that all the requirements of sections 8,9
and 10 of ESTA were
complied with.
[30]
For the
applicants to succeed in evicting an occupier before 4 February 1997,
he must show that he has complied with the mandatory
requirements of
section 9.
[3]
[31]
Section 9 (2) requires that the right of residence must have been
terminated in terms of
Section 8. Section 8 provides that:
“
(1) Subject to the
provisions of this section, an occupier’s right of residence
may be terminated on any lawful ground, provided
that such
termination is just and equitable, having regard to all relevant
factors and in particular to-
(a) the fairness of any
agreement, provision in an agreement, or provision of law on which
the owner or person in charge relies;
(b) the conduct of the
parties giving rise to the termination;
(c) the interests of the
parties, including the comparative hardship to the owner or person in
charge, the occupier concerned, and
any other occupier if the right
of residence is or is not terminated;
(d) the existence of a
reasonable expectation of the renewal of the agreement from which the
right of residence arises, after the
effluxion of its time; and
(e) the fairness of the
procedure followed by the owner or person in charge, including
whether or not the occupier had or should
have been granted
an
effective opportunity
to make representations before the
decision was made to terminate the right of residence. (my emphasis)
(2) The right of
residence of an occupier who is an employee and whose right of
residence arises solely from an employment agreement,
may be
terminated if the occupier resigns from employment or is dismissed in
accordance with the provisions of the Labour Relations
Act.
(3) Any dispute over
whether an occupier’s employment has terminated as contemplated
in subsection (2), shall be dealt with
in accordance with the
provisions of the Labour Relations Act, and the termination shall
take effect when any dispute over the
termination has been determined
in accordance with that Act.”
(4) The right of
residence of an occupier who has resided on the land in question or
any other land belonging to the owner for 10
years and –
(a)
has reached the age of 60 years; or
(b)
is an employee or former employee of the owner or person in charge,
and as a result of ill health, injury or disability is unable
to
supply labour to the owner or person in charge,may not be terminated
unless that occupier has committed a breach contemplated
in section
10 (1) (
a
), (
b
) or (
c
): Provided that for the
purposes of this subsection, the mere refusal or failure to provide
labour shall not constitute such a
breach.”
Termination
of right of Occupation
[32]
On 10 February 2021, a notice of termination of the right to
occupation was personally
served upon the first respondent and his
family whereof they were given 30 days to vacate the dwelling. The
respondents failed
to vacate the property after the given time.
[33]
In granting the eviction order the Magistrate found that the first
respondent’s right
of occupation arose from the employment
agreement with the previous owner. The Magistrate found that the
agreements were fair and
just. The Magistrate stated that the first
and second respondent knew that by refusing the to enter into a new
agreement, their
right of occupation may be terminated. He stated
that the applicants have amended the one procedural step that they
failed to comply
with previously. He stated that the termination of
right of occupation was first given in 2018.
[34]
In 2018 the Magistrate granted an eviction order which was set aside
in whole by Ncube
J for non-compliance with Section 8(1)(e)
particularly that the respondents were not given an opportunity to
make presentations
before the decision was made to terminate. The
Magistrate stated that the applicants had complied with the
provisions of section
8(1) (e).
[35]
Section 8 requires that the termination of right to residence may be
terminated on any
lawful grounds provided that such termination is
just and equitable having regard to all relevant factors.
[36]
The
question that must be answered is whether the termination of the
right of occupation of the respondents was just and equitable.
In
order to answer this question, I am required to consider ‘
all
relevant factors
.
The Constitutional Court in
Snyders
and Others v De Jager and Others
[4]
stated that:
“
Section
8(1) makes it clear that the termination of a right of residence must
be just and equitable both at a substantive level
as well as at a
procedural level. The requirement for the substantive fairness of the
termination is captured by the introductory
part that requires the
termination of a right of residence to be just and equitable. The
requirement for procedural fairness is
captured in section
8(1)(e)."
[5]
[37]
The applicants wrote to the respondents granting them opportunity to
make representations
regarding their eviction. The respondent stated
that they were unable to vacate the dwelling as their income is not
sufficient
to enable to rent a private property. They do not have
alternative accommodation and they have no means of renting a private
property
as they are unemployed. They stated that they have no
relatives to accommodate them. The eviction will render them
homeless.
[38]
The applicants contended that the applicant’s current financial
state is self-created
as first respondent and his wife received large
pension pay out from the previous owner in 2018. The applicant
offered the respondents
assistance with transportation for their
relocation.
[39]
It seems to me that the applicants did not provide the respondents
with effective opportunity
to make representation regarding their
eviction, they wrote to the respondents in order to tick box that
8(1)(e) was complied with.
[40]
The court a quo in granting the eviction order put much emphasis to
the pension pay out
that the first and second respondents received in
2018 despite the undisputed evidence that the money was no longer
available and
that the eviction would render them homeless. The
Magistrate stated that they should have started making provisions for
the future
when they had financial means to do so. Instead, they
squandered a very large amount in a very short time and were now
sitting
back and expect others to provide for them. The applicants on
the other hand suffered financial loss for bringing two ESTA eviction
proceedings over the course of four years without receiving any
rental.
[41]
It seems to me that court a quo considered the irrelevant factors and
totally ignored “all
the relevant factors. The huge pension pay
out that the first and second respondents received in 2018 distracted
the court from
applying ESTA properly.
[42]
Section 8 requires the court to consider
inter alia
the
interest of the parties, including the comparative hardships to the
owner and the person in charge, the occupier/s and any
other
occupier. The court
a quo
totally misdirected himself the
interest of the occupiers and it didn’t have regard to the
hardships that the occupiers will
encounter.
[43]
The
Magistrate failed to balance the competing rights of the parties
before he granted an eviction. Nkabinde J in
Molusi
and Others v Voges N.O. and Others
[6]
said the following regarding the balancing of the competing rights: -
“…
ESTA
requires that the two opposing interests of the landowner and the
occupier need to be taken into account before an order for
eviction
is granted. On the one hand, there is the traditional real right
inherent in ownership reserving exclusive use and protection
of
property by the landowner. On the other, there is the genuine despair
of our people who are in dire need of accommodation. Courts
are
obliged to balance these interests. A court making an order for
eviction must ensure that justice and equity prevail in relation
to
all concerned. It does so by having regard to the considerations
specified in section 8 read with section 9 as well as sections
10 and
11 which make it clear that fairness plays an important role.
In
PE Municipality
this Court remarked that it is necessary “to
infuse elements of grace and compassion into the formal structure of
the law”
and courts need “to balance competing interests
in a principled way and to promote the constitutional vision of a
caring
society based on good neighbourliness and shared concern”
because “we are not islands unto ourselves”. One
immediately
agrees that—
“
[t]he Judiciary
cannot, of itself, correct all the systemic unfairness to be found in
our society. Yet it can, at least, soften
and minimise the degree of
injustice and inequity which the eviction of the weaker parties in
conditions of inequality of necessity
entails.” (Footnote
omitted)
What
of the rights of Mrs Bester, Christopher Bester and Rivaldo?
[44]
In the pleadings, the second respondent was cited in the pleadings
but there were no separate
substantive grounds for her eviction. The
applicants only concentrated on the first respondent.
[45]
There is undisputed evidence that the second respondent arrived in
the property in 1993
before the first respondent. She came to live
with her sister in 1993 and was offered an employment by the previous
owner. At the
time of her eviction, she had been staying in the
property openly for 29 years.
[46]
Although
there were no separate grounds for the eviction of the second
respondent, the court a quo granted her eviction on the ground
that
her right of occupation was derived from the employment of Mr Klasee.
This is unsustainable post
Klaase
and Another v van der Merwe N.O. and Others
[7]
.
Mrs
Klasee appealed the decision of this court where it held that Mrs
Klasee occupied the premises under her husband. The Constitutional
Court held:
“
The
Land Claims Court’s finding that Mrs. Klaase occupied the
premises “under her husband” subordinates her rights
to
those of Mr. Klaase. The phrase is demeaning and is not what is
contemplated by section 10(3) of ESTA. It demeans Mrs. Klaase’s
rights of equality and human dignity to describe her occupation in
those terms. She is an occupier entitled to the protection of
ESTA.
The construction by the Land Claims Court would perpetuate the
indignity suffered by many women similarly placed, whose rights
as
occupiers ought to be secured”.
[8]
[47]
When assessing whether the eviction was just and equitable the second
respondent’s
right were totally disregarded by the Magistrate.
[48]
In
addition, the second respondent is a long-term occupier in terms of
section 8(4) of ESTA.
[9]
ESTA
provide a special protection to long term occupiers. Her right of
residence may not be terminated unless they had committed
a breach as
contemplated in section 10 (1) (
a
),
(
b
)
or (
c
).
[49]
There is no evidence of breach committed by the second respondent.
Her eviction is unjust.
[50]
The third respondent was born in the property. He lived in the
property for 28 years. The
respondents did not commit any breach as
described in Section 6(3) of Act 62 of 1997.
[51]
The applicants failed to comply with the provisions of section 10
whilst it ignored the
rights of a minor child, Rivaldo. The third and
fourth respondent were born in the property. They regard the property
as their
home. The court
a quo
committed an irregularity by
failing to have regards to the effect of eviction of the respondents
from their home.
[52]
In
Port
Elizabeth Municipality v Various Occupiers
[10]
,
the court held that-
“
Section 26(3)
evinces special constitutional regard for a person’s place of
abode. It acknowledges that a home is more than
just a shelter from
the elements. It is a zone of personal intimacy and family security.
Often it will be the only relatively secure
space of privacy and
tranquillity in what (for poor people in particular) is a turbulent
and hostile world. Forced removal is a
shock for any family, the more
so for one that has established itself on a site that has become its
familiar habitat.”.
[11]
The Probation Report
in terms of Section 9(3) of ESTA
[53]
In terms of section 9(3) of ESTA the probation report was submitted
in court. It was prepared
by Lionel Beerwinkel on 23 February 2022.
[54]
In his report the probation officer recommended the following:
· Eviction of the
Respondents is not granted, and
· The second
Respondent’s permanent rights of residence be confirmed in
terms of section 8(4)(a) of Act 62 of 1997
· Engagement with
Breede Valley Municipality is pursued to consider the possibility of
housing for the respondents at the
new Transhex Housing
· The provisions
of Section 24 of the Act should also be considered
· The Respondents
occupy a house on the farm belonging to the Applicants
[55]
On the availability of suitable alternative accommodation, the
respondent submitted that
they not have any alternative
accommodation. They applied for housing at Breede Valley Municipality
and their names are on the
waiting list. The municipality filed a
report where they stated that they don’t have alternative
accommodation for the respondents
[56]
On the Constitutional rights that will be affected by eviction
including the rights of
Children, the probation officer stated the
following rights of the respondents will be affected
· The right to
housing in terms of section 26 of the Constitution
· Section 29(1) –
the first and second respondent have one foster child Rivaldo Minaar
who attends school at High School
Breerivier in Worster. He commutes
between home and school with the school bus financed by Western Cape
Department of Education.
The child knows no other place than this
farm life. He performs very well academically and in sport. Any
disruption of his current
livelihood, will have a negative impact on
his performance.
[57]
On the balancing of the constitutional rights of the applicants and
those of the first
respondent, the applicants submitted that his
constitutional rights in this matter weighs in favour of the
applicant. His right
to property and the unhindered enjoyment thereof
amongst others whilst the 1
st
respondent is attempting to
abuse the legal framework to establish unfounded rights.
[58]
On undue hardships that might fall unto the occupier, the probation
officer the following
was reported on undue hardships:
· The respondents
noted that it is difficult to find accommodation on farms in the
area. Land owners prefer to employ people
that are not housed on the
farms normally referred to as “buite-workers”.
· These workers
are transported from their place of stay to the farm and back to
their homes before and after work respectively.
· This practice
allows landowners not to provide employees with accommodation on the
farm. In the absence of having own accommodation,
the respondents
cannot compete with this practice.
· The second
respondent suffers a health condition that makes it difficult for her
to offer her employment to landowners
on farms. She is 60 years old,
the age of retirement as per labour legislation. She will find it
difficult to compete in the labour
market because of her age and
health condition.
· The second
respondent meets the requirements of Section 9(4) of Act 62 of 1997
as she has been on the farm for more than
10 years and reached the
age of 60.
· The respondents
will experience undue hardship if they are evicted because an
eviction will render them homeless and thereby
infringe their
constitutional right of access to suitable accommodation.
[59]
The applicants failed to show any hardships that they might suffer if
the application is
refused. The allegations by the applicants
regarding the dwelling being needed for other employees , the
breakdown of a relationship
between the applicants and respondent was
not backed up by any facts.
[60]
In
Kanhym
(Ply) Ltd v Simon Botha Mashiloane
[12]
Dodson
J held that the applicant must show a causal connection must be shown
between the unavailability of that particular dwelling
and the
serious prejudice which the owner ‘s operation or operations
will suffer.
[61]
The
probation report was available by the time the eviction was granted.
It is not even mentioned in the judgment. The recommendations
of the
probation officer were ignored. Dealing with the purpose of the
reports Ngcukaitobi AJ said in
Drakenstein
Municipality v CJ Cillie en Seun (Pty) Ltd
[13]
“
There is a clear
reason why the consideration of these reports is entrenched in
statute: the reports must (a) indicate availability
of alternative
land in the event of an eviction; (b) the impact of the eviction on
the affected occupiers, including their children;
and (c) any undue
hardship which will be caused by the eviction. It can be seen from
the provisions of section 9(3) that the purpose
of the statute is to
protect occupiers from unlawful evictions and where evictions are
inevitable to ameliorate their adverse impact”.
[14]
[62]
In deciding
whether the eviction would be just and equitable, the judicial
officer must consider the Probation officer report in
ESTA matters,
the Supreme Court of Appeal held in
Monde
v Viljoen NO & Others
[15]
“
The LCC has
subsequently in
Cillie
[16]
held that a probation officer’s report was not a mere
formality. It found that the issues in s 9(3) of ESTA that had to be
addressed in the report were necessary to assist a court in deciding
whether an eviction was just and equitable; that the importance
of
the report in an eviction could not be overemphasised; and that it
ensured that the constitutional rights of those affected
by eviction
were not overlooked. Likewise, in
Drakenstein
Municipality
,
[17]
the LCC noted that s 9(3) was cast in peremptory terms; that the
court’s ability to discharge its function was frustrated
without a report by a probation officer; and that the absence of the
report negatively affected the interests of occupiers, since
the
purpose of ESTA was to protect occupiers from unlawful eviction and
where eviction was inevitable, to ameliorate its adverse
impact”.
[63]
I find that the Magistrate erred in finding that the respondent’s
eviction would
be equitable.
[64]
In the result I am unable to confirm the order by the Magistrate.
Consequently; the following
order is made:
1.
The order granted by the Magistrate Worster is set aside and
replaced
by the following order:
“
The application is
dismissed with no order as to costs.”
Flatela
L
Judge
of the Land Claims Court
February
2023
[1]
‘Occupier’ means a person residing on land which belongs
to another person. and who has or on 4 February 1997 or
thereafter
had consent or another right in law to do so, but excluding—
(a)
a labour tenant in terms of the Land Reform (Labour Tenants) Act,
1996 (Act No. 3 of 1996); and
(b)
a person using or intending to use the land in question mainly for
industrial. Mining, commercial or commercial farming purposes, but
including a person who works the land himself or herself and
does
not employ any person who is not a member of his or her family; and
(c)
a person who has an income in excess of the prescribed amount.
[2]
Section 10 of ESTA provides that:
‘
(1)
An order for the eviction of a person who was an occupier on 4
February 1997 may be granted if—
(a)
the occupier has breached section 6(3) and the court is
satisfied that the breach is material and that the occupier has not
remedied
such breach;
(b)
the owner or person in charge has complied with the terms of any
agreement pertaining to the occupier’s right to reside on
the
land and has fulfilled his or her duties in terms of the law, while
the occupier has breached a material and fair term of
the agreement,
although reasonably able to comply with such term, and has not
remedied the breach despite being given one calendar
months’
notice in writing to do so;
(c)
the occupier has committed such a fundamental breach of the
relationship between him or her and the owner or person in charge,
that it is not practically possible to remedy it, either at all or
in a manner which could reasonably restore the relationship;
or
(d)
the occupier—
(i)
is or was an employee whose right of residence arises solely
from that
employment; and
(ii)
has voluntarily resigned in circumstances that do not amount
to a constructive
dismissal in terms of the Labour Relations Act.
(2)
Subject to the provisions of subsection (3), if none of the
circumstances referred to in subsection (1) applies, a court may
grant an order for eviction if it is satisfied that suitable
alternative accommodation is available to the occupier concerned.
(3)
If—
(a)
suitable alternative accommodation is not available to the
occupier within a period of nine months after the date of
termination
of his or her right of residence in terms of section 8;
(b)
the owner or person in charge provided the dwelling occupied by
the occupier: and
(c)
the efficient carrying on of any operation of the owner or
person in charge will be seriously prejudiced unless the dwelling is
available for occupation by another person employed or to be
employed by the owner or person in charge.
A court may grant an
order for eviction of the occupier and of any other occupier who
lives in the same dwelling
as him or her. And whose
permission to reside there was wholly dependent on his or her right
of residence if it is
just and equitable to do
so, having regard to—
(i)
the efforts which the owner or person in charge and the occupier
have respectively
made in order to secure suitable alternative
accommodation for the occupier; and
(ii)
the interests of the respective parties. Including the comparative
hardship to
which the owner or person in charge. The occupier and
the remaining occupiers shall be exposed if an order for eviction is
or
is not granted.
[3]
Section 9 provides as follows:
‘
(1)
Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, an occupier may be
evicted only in terms of an order of court issued under
this Act.
(2)
A court may make an order for the eviction of an occupier if—
(a)
the occupier’s right of residence has been terminated in terms
of section 8;
(b)
the occupier has not vacated the land within the period of notice
given by the owner or person in charge;
(c)
the conditions for an order for eviction in terms of section 10 or
11 have been complied with; and
(d)
the owner or person in charge has, after the termination of the
right of residence, given—
(i) the occupier;
(ii)
the municipality in whose area of jurisdiction the land in question
is situated; and
(iii)
the head of the relevant provincial office of the Department of Land
Affairs, for information purposes, not less than two
calendar
months’ written notice of the intention to obtain an order for
eviction, which notice shall contain the prescribed
particulars and
set out the grounds on which the eviction is based: Provided that if
a notice of application to a court has,
after the termination of the
right of residence, been given to the occupier, the municipality and
the head of the relevant provincial
office of the Department of Land
Affairs not less than two months before the date of the commencement
of the hearing of the application,
this paragraph shall be deemed to
have been complied with.’
[4]
2017 (3) SA 545 (CC).
[5]
Id at para 56.
[6]
2016 (3) SA 370
(CC) para 39-40.
[7]
2016 (6) SA 131 (CC).
[8]
Id at para 66.
[9]
Section 8 (4): ‘The right of residence of an occupier who has
resided on the land in question or any other land belonging
to the
owner for 10 years and –
(a) has
reached the age of 60 years; or
(b) is an
employee or former employee of the owner or person in charge, and as
a result of ill health, injury or disability
is unable to supply
labour to the owner or person in charge,
may
not be terminated unless that occupier has committed a breach
contemplated in section 10 (1) (
a
), (
b
) or (
c
):
Provided that for the purposes of this subsection, the mere refusal
or failure to provide labour shall not constitute such
a breach.’
[10]
2005 (1) SA 217 (CC).
[11]
Id at para 17.
[12]
[1998] ZASCA 105
;
1999 (2) SA 55
(LCC).
[13]
[2016] ZALCC 9.
[14]
Id at para 15.
[15]
2019 (2) SA 205
(SCA) at para 27.
[16]
Cillie
NO & Others v Volmoer & Others
[2016] ZALCC 5
para 18.
[17]
Drakenstein
Municipality v CJ Cillie en Seun (Pty) Ltd
[2016] ZALCC 9
para 15.
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