Case Law[2025] ZAGPJHC 67South Africa
Siyamanga v Balcony Shisa and Chill (18284/2022) [2025] ZAGPJHC 67 (27 January 2025)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)
27 January 2025
Judgment
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# South Africa: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
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## Siyamanga v Balcony Shisa and Chill (18284/2022) [2025] ZAGPJHC 67 (27 January 2025)
Siyamanga v Balcony Shisa and Chill (18284/2022) [2025] ZAGPJHC 67 (27 January 2025)
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sino date 27 January 2025
FLYNOTES:
PERSONAL
INJURY – Slip and trip –
Disclaimer
notice
–
Whether valid and enforceable – Notice prominently displayed
at entrance with clear terms – Displayed
since business was
acquired – Plaintiff admitted seeing notice upon return to
premises – Defendant took reasonable
steps to bring notice
to attention of patrons – Valid and enforceable –
Exempted defendant from liability for
negligence – Plaintiff
was bound by terms – Defendant not liable for injuries –
Claim dismissed.
REPUBLIC
OF SOUTH AFRICA
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
GAUTENG
LOCAL DIVISION, JOHANNESBURG
Case
Number: 18284/2022
Date:
08-01-2025
(1)
REPORTABLE: NO
(2)
OF INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: NO
(3)
REVISED: YES
27
January 2025
In
the matter between:
MAXHAYI
SIYAMANGA
Plaintiff
and
THE
BALCONY SHISA AND
CHILL
Defendant
JUDGMENT
WANLESS
J
Introduction
[1]
In this matter, one Siyamanga Maxhayi, adult female (“
the
Plaintiff
”), instituted an action (“
the action
”)
against The Balcony Shisa and Chill, described in the Plaintiff’s
Particulars of Claim (“
the POC
”) as “
a
firm whose full and further particulars are to the plaintiff
unknown”.
[2]
The action is one based squarely in delict and the Plaintiff avers
that she has suffered damages arising from injuries
sustained as a
direct result from slipping and falling on the 9
th
of April 2022 on the premises owned,
alternatively
,
controlled by, the Defendant. At the commencement of the trial on the
28
th
of
May 2022, this Court granted an order
(by
consent between the parties)
in terms
of subrule 33(4) whereby the issues of liability and quantum were
separated and the issue of the quantum of the Plaintiff’s
damages, if any, was postponed sine die. In the premises, the trial
proceeded on the issue of liability only.
[3]
It was always the intention of this Court to deliver a written
judgment in this matter. In light of,
inter
alia,
the onerous workload under which
this Court has been placed, this has simply not been possible without
incurring further delays
in the handing down thereof. In the
premises, this judgment is being delivered
ex
tempore
. Once transcribed, it will be
“
converted
”
,
or more correctly “
transformed
”
,
into a written judgment and provided to the parties. In this
manner, neither the quality of the judgment nor the time in
which the
judgment is delivered, will be compromised. For the purposes of the
time limits as prescribed in terms of the provisions
of subrule
49(1)(b) the date shall be the date upon which the written judgment
is uploaded onto CaseLines. This Court is
indebted to the
transcription services of this Division who generally provide
transcripts of judgments emanating from this Court
within a short
period of time following the delivery thereof on an
ex
tempore
basis.
The
pleadings
[4]
The pleadings in this matter consist of the POC and the Defendant’s
Plea (“
the Plea
”).
Common
cause facts arising from the pleadings and agreed between the parties
in terms of Rule 37
[5]
These facts are:
5.1
the identity, description and address of the Defendant;
5.2
that this Court has jurisdiction to entertain the matter;
5.3
that at all material times the premises known
as
Sandton View Lifestyle Estate, 4
th
Street, Arkwright Avenue, Wynberg, Johannesburg,
Gauteng (“
the premises
”
),
were owned,
alternatively
,
under the control of, the Defendant; and
5.4
on or about the 9
th
of April 2022 the Plaintiff was
present on the premises.
Issues
arising from the pleadings
[6]
In the POC the Plaintiff avers that the Defendant breached its duty
of care owed to the public and, in particular the
Plaintiff, to
ensure that the Plaintiff did not slip on the wet floor in the
premises, thereby injuring herself, in that:
“
6.1
the Defendant failed to ensure that the floors and surrounding areas,
and
in particular the staircase where the plaintiff fell was safe to the
general public
;
6.2
the Defendant failed to inform the general public and in particular
the Plaintiff, that the floors and
surrounding areas were wet and
slippery by placing warning signs around the wet and slippery floor;
6.3
the Defendant failed to take reasonable precautions to prevent the
incident, when by the exercise of
reasonable care it could and should
have done so.”
[1]
[7]
In the Plea, when pleading to subparagraph 5.2 and paragraphs 6 to 8
inclusive of the POC, the Defendant averred
(verbatim)
as
follows:
[2]
“
6.1
Defendant denies the allegation in this paragraph as herein so set
out and
in
particular, denies that the Plaintiff slipped on a wet floor
.
6.2
In implication (sic) of such denial, the Defendant avers that,
6.2.1
The Balcony Shisa nyama (herein referred to (sic) Shisa nyama) is a
pub and serves food and alcohol beverages.
6.2.2
The Shisa Nyama entrance displays
the disclaimer of liability (Find attached copy of the disclaimer
annexed marked A).
6.2.3
The Plaintiff was in a (sic) company of a female companion arrived
(sic) 2-3 hours prior to the accident.
6.2.4
The incident occurred between 24h00 and 01h00 in the early hours of
the morning.
6.2.5
The Plaintiff wore high heel shoes on the day in question.
6.2.6
The Plaintiff and her female friend ordered six large X long inland
land (sic) cocktails on the day in question
(Find attached the copy
of receipts marked B)
6.2.7
The long inland (sic) cocktail is (sic) mixture of (sic) variety of
alcohol spirit blends, which
inter alia
has about 40-47% per alcohol on (sic)
each blend.
6.2.7
(repeated
incorrectly)
The Plaintiff was seated
at the Balcony
,
which the floor (sic) is rubberised floor.
6.3
The incident occurred
solely
as a result of the Plaintiff
(sic) negligence, which (sic) was negligent in one or more of the
following respects:
6.3.1
The Plaintiff failed to observed (sic) the disclaimer.
6.3.2
The Plaintiff fell as a result of the type of shoes that she wore
combined with the alcohol consumed.
6.3.3
The Plaintiff (sic) consumption of alcohol on the day rendered her
consciousness diminished.
6.3.4
The Plaintiff initially fell at the balcony and then proceeded
towards the bathroom when she had her second fall.
6.3.5
The Plaintiff failed to take pre caution (sic) and proper lookout
(sic).
6.3.6
The Plaintiff failed to avoid the incident by not observing the
surroundings.
6.3.7
The Plaintiff entered the premises of the Defendant entirely at
their (sic) own risk, as envisaged by the disclaimer.
6.3.8
The Plaintiff failed to observe the disclaimer on the day in
question.
6.3.9
The Plaintiff failed to pay attention regarding safety measures.
6.4
The Defendant exercised the duty of care at all material times inter
alia :
6.4.1
The Defendant has (sic) displayed a disclaimer at the main entrance
as a caution to all customers
6.4.2
The Defendant has no control on the effect of the alcohol consumed by
customers
6.4.3
The Defendant has cautioned customers that they are entering the
premises at their own risk and does not accept any liability arising
from negligence of whatever nature.
6.4.4
The Defendant denies that the Plaintiff fell at the staircase, but
initially fell at the floor of the Balcony (sic) then stood up
and
proceeded towards the bathrooms where she fell for the second time.
”
[8]
It is important to note that, when ensuring that all of the issues
were properly canvassed at trial, this Court enquired
from the
Defendant’s Counsel as to whether the Defendant would seek to
rely on an apportionment of damages in terms of the
Apportionment
of Damages Act 34 of 1956 (“the Apportionment Act”)
.
This had not been pleaded by the Defendant. In the premises, the
Defendant could not rely upon any contributory negligence on
behalf
of the Plaintiff. Upon enquiry, Counsel for the Defendant advised
this Court that the Defendant would not seek such an amendment
before
this Court heard the
viva voce
evidence of the various
witnesses on behalf of the parties. The Defendant did however
reserve its rights to argue that it
could rely upon contributory
negligence on the part of the Plaintiff, in terms of the
Apportionment Act, without effecting an appropriate
amendment to the
Plea. No such amendment was ever sought by the Defendant. This
point was never argued on behalf of the Defendant
at the end of the
trial and no mention thereto is made in the Defendant’s Head of
Argument. Arising therefrom, this Court
is satisfied that the
Defendant cannot rely on an apportionment of damages in respect of
the issue of negligence in the present
matter. Following therefrom,
in the event of the Plaintiff proving, on a balance of probabilities,
some negligence on behalf of
the Defendant, then the Defendant would
be liable to compensate the Plaintiff in respect of all (
100
percent
) of her proven damages.
The
issues
[9]
Whether or not the Defendant is liable to compensate the Plaintiff in
respect of the damages sustained by her arising
from her slipping and
falling on the premises, thereby injuring herself as a result
thereof, depends upon:
9.1
whether the Defendant is excused from all liability in terms of the
disclaimer notice
(“the notice”)
the Defendant
alleges was displayed at the premises at the time of the incident;
and
9.2
if not, whether the Plaintiff has proved, on a balance of
probabilities, that the actions or omissions of the Defendant
make
the Defendant liable, in delict, to compensate the Plaintiff in
respect of her damages.
[10]
For fairly obvious reasons, namely, that a finding that the notice
excludes the Defendant from liability, this issue
will be dealt with
first.
The
law in respect of disclaimer notices
[11]
The leading decision on the issue as to when a defendant or
respondent can avoid liability, is that of
Durban’s
Water Wonderland (Pty) Ltd v Botha and Another
[3]
The
findings by the Supreme Court of Appeal (“
the
SCA
”
)
in that matter are particularly pertinent to various issues raised in
the present matter.
[12]
In the first instance the SCA, in this oft-cited decision, when
considering the proper construction to be placed upon
the disclaimer
in question, noted
[4]
that
the correct approach had been well-established and held:
[5]
“
If
the language of a disclaimer or exemption clause is such that it
exempts the proferens from liability in express and unambiguous
terms
effect must be given to that meaning. If there is ambiguity the
language must be construed against the proferens. (see Government
of
the Republic of South Africa versus Fiber Spinner & Wievers (Pty)
Ltd
1978 (2) SA 794
(A) at 804 C.).
But
the alternative meaning upon which reliance is placed to demonstrate
the ambiguity must be one to which the language is fairly
susceptible; it must not be ‘fanciful’ or ‘remote’
(cf) Canada Steamship Lines Ltd versus Regem
[1952] 1 ALL ER 305
(PC)
at 310 C/D).
[13]
Secondly, the SCA had to consider whether the terms of the disclaimer
were incorporated into the contract which was entered
into by the
First Respondent with the Appellant when she purchased tickets for
the ride in the Appellant’s Amusement Park
[6]
In
this regard, the SCA held:
“
The
respondents’ claims were founded in delict. The appellant
relied on a contract in terms of which liability for negligence
was
excluded. It accordingly bore the onus of establishing the terms of
the contact. (The position would have been otherwise had
the
respondents sued in contract. See Stocks & Stocks (Pty) Ltd
versus TJ Daley & Sons (Pty) Ltd
1979 (3) SA 754
(A) at 762
E/767C)
The
principles applicable to so-called ‘ticket cases’ apply
mutatis
mutandis to cases such as the present where reliance is placed on the
display of a notice containing terms relating to a
contract. (See
Joubert The Law of South Africa vol 5, part 1 (first reissue) par
186.) Had Mrs Botha read and accepted the terms
of the notices in
question there would have been actual consensus and both she and
Mariska’s guardian, on whose behalf she
also contracted, would
have been bound by those terms. Had she seen one of the notices,
realised that it contained conditions relating
to the use of the
amenities but not bothered to read it, there would similarly have
been actual consensus on the basis that she
would have agreed to be
bound by those terms, whatever they may have been. (Central
South African Railways v James
1908 TS 221
at 226.) The evidence,
however, did not go that far. Mrs Botha conceded that she was aware
that there were notices of the kind
in question at amusement parks
but did not admit to having actually seen any of the notices at the
appellant’s park on the
evening concerned, or for that matter
at any other time. In these circumstances, the appellant was obliged
to establish that the
respondents were bound by the terms of the
disclaimer on the basis of
quasi-mutual
assent.
This involved an inquiry whether the appellant was reasonably
entitled to assume from Mrs Botha’s conduct in going
ahead and
purchasing a ticket that she had assented to the terms of the
disclaimer or was prepared to be bound by them without
reading them.
(see Stretton v Union Steamship Company (Limited) (1881) 1 EVC 315 at
330/331; Sonap Petroleum (SA) (Pty) Ltd (formally
known as Sonarep
(SA) (Pty) Ltd v Pappadogianis
[1992] ZASCA 56
;
1992 (3) SA 234
(A) at 239F/240B.) The
answer depends upon whether in all the circumstances the appellant
did what was ‘reasonably sufficient’
to give patrons
notice of the terms of the disclaimer. The phrase ‘reasonably
sufficient’ was used by Innes CJ in Central
South African
Railways v Mclaren 19
03 TS 727
at 735. Since then various phrases
having different shades of meaning have from time to time been
employed to describe the standard
required. (see King’s Car
Hire (Pty) Ltd versus Wakeling
1970 (4) SA 640
(N) at 643G/644A). It
is unnecessary to consider them. In substance they were all intended
to convey the same thing, viz an objective
test based on the
reasonableness of the steps taken by the proferens to bring the terms
in question to the attention of the customer
or patron.”
[7]
[14]
Pursuant to
Durban Water Wonderland
there have been no other
decisions having a material bearing thereon. To the contrary,
as far as this Court is aware, the
principles as enunciated therein
have only received approval and/or been followed by our courts.
Certainly, neither party in the
present matter before this Court has
sought to argue that those principles should
not
be followed.
In fact, in argument before this Court, both parties relied thereon.
Arising therefrom, this Court will not burden
this judgment
unnecessarily be referring to numerous decisions where reference to
Durban Water Wonderland
has been made.
The
evidence pertaining to the alleged disclaimer notice
[15]
In the present matter the disclaimer notice (“
the
notice”)
reads as follows:
“
DISCLAIMER
OF LIABILITY
All
persons entering these premises, or using any amenities or facilities
on these premises,
do so entirely at their own risk and subject to
the following conditions
:
These
premises are private property and the owner, manager and/or operator
of these premises reserves the right to refuse admission
or entry to
any person.
These
premises may be monitored by CCTV surveillance.
The
owner, manager and/or operator of these premises, amenities and
facilities and its directors, officers, employees, agents and
representatives do not accept any liability whatsoever for any injury
or death of any person or the loss or destruction of or damage
to any
property, whether arising from fire, theft or any other cause
whatsoever and by whomsoever caused or arising from negligence
or
gross negligence or wrongful acts or omissions of the owner, manager
and/or operator of the restaurant or its directors, officers,
employees agents and representatives.
”
[8]
[16]
Only the Plaintiff herself testified in support of her claim against
the Defendant. Whilst the Plaintiff was a single
witness the
Defendant relied upon the
viva voce
evidence of two witnesses,
namely Takura Waniwa (“
Waniwa”)
and Tebogo Eunice
Makgato (“
Makgato”)
.
[17]
Waniwa is employed by the Defendant in the fields of operations,
events and marketing. He was so employed on the 9
th
of
April 2022. In relation to the notice, he testified that when the
business was purchased by the Defendant from the previous
owner, one
“
Nathan
”, the notice was already in place, hanging
on the wall inside the premises when one entered through the front or
main door.
Waniwa further testified that the notice had remained in
the same position pursuant to the Defendant purchasing the business
as
aforesaid and carrying on business from,
inter alia
, the
premises. Further, it was the testimony of this witness that on the
9
th
of April 2022 the notice was hanging on the wall of
the premises as aforesaid and was clearly visible to all patrons
entering the
premises.
[18]
A close-up photograph of the notice was attached to the Defendant’s
Plea and was, by consent between the parties,
entered into evidence
as an exhibit. It is clear therefrom that,
inter alia
, the
heading thereof, namely “DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY” is in
large print and distinct from the remainder of the content
thereof.
In the premises, the “
purpose”
of the notice
would be immediately drawn to the attention of any person entering
the premises through the front or main door. The
contents of
the notice itself are divided up into four paragraphs, each distinct
from one another, in slightly smaller print but
nevertheless of a
size that would make these paragraphs easily visible. Certainly,
it was never an issue between the parties
that this was
not
the case.
[19]
When she testified on behalf of the Defendant,
Makgato
stated
that,
inter alia
, she had trained at the premises during March
2021 to become a waitress and had, since then, been employed as such
by the Defendant
at the premises. She further testified that during
this entire period
(including the 9
th
of
April 2022)
the notice had been displayed as set out above.
[20]
The Plaintiff, during the course of her evidence-in-chief, testified
that there were no disclaimer notices displayed
at the premises on
the 9
th
of April 2024. However, under
cross-examination, she testified that when she returned to the
premises on the 30
th
of April 2022 the notice was
displayed at the premises as described earlier in this judgment.
Further, when the contents of the
notice were put to her, she
confirmed that she understood the meaning thereof.
Discussion
[21]
When deciding whether the Defendant is exempted from liability, it is
necessary to apply the correct principles of law
to the facts of the
present matter.
[22]
Firstly, it may be accepted by this Court that the Plaintiff did not
seriously dispute
(if she disputed at all)
that the language
of the notice exempted the Defendant from liability resulting from
the Plaintiff slipping and falling on the
floor at the premises,
thereby injuring herself as a result of the floor of the premises
being wet. This finding is clear from
the contents of the notice
itself. The notice expressly exempts the Defendant from liability and
the language used is unambiguous.
Therefore, effect must be given to
the terms of the notice.
[23]
The principal issue to be decided by this Court is whether the terms
of the notice were incorporated into the contract
entered into
between the Plaintiff and the Defendant when the parties agreed that,
inter alia
, the Plaintiff would enter the premises and use the
amenities/facilities on the premises.
[24]
In this regard, the onus falls upon the Defendant to prove, on a
balance of probabilities, the terms of that contract.
As further held
by the SCA in
Durban’s
Water Wonderland
[9]
the
principles applicable to so-called “
ticket
cases”
apply
mutatis
mutandis
to
cases where reliance is placed on the display of a notice containing
terms relating to a contract.
[25]
Similar to
Durban’s
Water Wonderland
the
evidence in the present matter did not establish actual consent
pertaining to the incorporation of the terms of the disclaimer
into
the contract. In this regard, the Plaintiff denied seeing any notice
displayed on the wall of the premises when she entered
through the
front or main door thereof on the 9
th
of
April 2024. Arising therefrom, it was incumbent upon the Defendant
herein to establish that the Plaintiff was bound by the terms
of the
disclaimer on the basis of
quasi-mutual
assent.
[10]
[26]
Whether the defendant can rely on
quasi-mutual
assent
depends upon,
inter
alia
,
whether the Defendant was reasonably entitled to assume, from the
Plaintiff’s conduct in entering the premises, that she
had
assented to the terms of the notice or was prepared to be bound by
them without reading them.
[11]
As
also held in
Durban’s
Water Wonderland.
[12]
The
answer to the aforegoing depends upon whether, in all the
circumstances, the Defendant did what was “
reasonably
sufficient
”
to
give customers or patrons notice of the terms of the disclaimer (the
notice). This is an objective test based on the reasonableness
of the
steps taken by the Defendant to bring the terms of the notice to the
attention of customers or patrons.
[27]
These objective facts have already been dealt with herein. In the
opinion of this Court, having carefully considered
all of the
relevant facts of this matter, viewed objectively, that the Defendant
has proved, on a balance of probabilities, that
not only was the
notice displayed on the wall of the premises as customers or patrons
entered the premises on the 9
th
of April 2022 but that the
Defendant took all reasonable steps to bring the contents of the
notice to the attention of those customers
or patrons, with
particular reference to the Plaintiff.
[28]
Both of the witnesses
(Waniwa and Makgato)
who testified on
behalf of the Defendant, were credible and reliable. In this regard
and despite the fact that they are employees
of the Defendant, both
of them impressed this Court,
inter alia
, by their demeanour
when they testified and were subjected to cross-examination, as being
honest witnesses. In addition thereto,
there were no material
contradictions in their evidence, either in that evidence itself or
when comparing their evidence with one
another. Moreover, there were
no improbabilities in the evidence put forward by them on behalf of
the Defendant. Arising therefrom,
this Court has no hesitation
whatsoever in accepting their evidence in respect of the notice.
[29]
With regard to the Plaintiff’s evidence, it should be noted
that she was a single witness. In the circumstances,
her evidence
should be examined with caution. Also, the fact that the Plaintiff
was accompanied on the 9
th
of April 2022 by her friend,
one Mbali, cannot be ignored. Mbali was never called by the Plaintiff
to testify before this Court
and no reasons were provided to this
Court for her failure to do so. Arising therefrom, it would be
competent for this Court to
draw an adverse inference
(insofar as
it is applicable)
against the Plaintiff for her failure to place
available corroborating evidence before this Court which would have
had the effect
of,
inter alia
, alleviating any concerns
pertaining to the fact that the Plaintiff was a single witness.
[30]
The aforegoing factors, whilst deserving of this Court’s
attention, must ultimately, having particular regard to
the nature
thereof and the issue to be determined, pale somewhat into
insignificance when one considers the probabilities of the
evidence
placed before this Court at trial.
[31]
When one does so, it is clear that the probabilities favour the
Defendant’s version that the notice was displayed,
at the
premises, on the 9
th
of April 2022. In this regard, it is
not improbable that
(as testified to by Waniwa)
, the notice
was already displayed, as testified to, by the previous business
which occupied the premises. This was never seriously
disputed on
behalf of the Plaintiff. Further, it is improbable that the previous
business did not display the notice, having regard
to,
inter alia
,
the obvious advantages of doing so when contrasted to the potentially
serious disadvantages of failing to do so.
[32]
The fact that the notice was hung on a brick wall of the premises
where patrons or customers enter the premises via the
front or main
door
(as per the uncontradicted evidence of Waniwa)
and the
fact that it is clear from the photograph of the notice that the
background thereto is a brick wall, supports the version
of the
Defendant. It is improbable that the Defendant
(as seems to have
been submitted on behalf of the Plaintiff)
had displayed the
notice in the most beneficial position at the premises
after
the incident took place on the 9
th
of April 2022 and
before the 30
th
of April 2022, to support the version of
the Defendant as put forward in its Plea and at trial.
[33]
The evidence of the Plaintiff that there were no disclaimer notices
at the premises on the 9
th
of April 2022 but the notice
was displayed on the 30
th
of April 2022 when she returned
to the premises, is improbable. This is because,
inter alia
,
as at the 30
th
of April 2022 the defence of the Defendant
that it could not be liable for any claim by the Plaintiff due to the
notice, had not
been brought to the attention of the Plaintiff.
Certainly, no evidence was placed before this Court, at trial. Also,
the Defendant’s
Plea was only filed some time after the 10
th
of August 2022. In the premises, the evidence provides no basis for
this Court to infer
(as the Plaintiff would have this Court do)
that the Defendant manufactured the notice; displayed it in the most
beneficial position to support its case and took a photograph
thereof
to proffer into evidence. This finding is supported
(to one extent
or another)
by the fact that the only contradictory evidence
placed before this Court on behalf of the Plaintiff
(apart from
her viva voce evidence at trial)
was a photograph of the outside
of the premises depicting the entrance to those premises. There
were no photographs of the
interior of the premises. In particular,
there were no photographs of the entrance to the premises where the
notice was displayed.
[34]
At the end of the day, a proper evaluation of the Plaintiff’s
evidence is that she did not specifically state that
the notice was
not displayed as testified to by the Defendant’s witnesses.
Rather, she disputed it had been displayed on
the basis that she had
not seen it or could not recall having seen it on the 9
th
of April 2022. In this regard, it is
not
a requisite of
quasi-mutual
assent in a matter such as the one presently
before this Court that a patron or customer must have
actually
had sight of and read the contents of, a disclaimer notice when
entering the premises. This is, of course, subject to the Defendant
proving that it could rely on
quasi-mutual
assent having
satisfied the objective test based on the reasonableness of the steps
taken by the Defendant to bring the terms of
the notice to the
attention of the Plaintiff.
[35]
In respect thereof, it is clear (
and
this Court accepts
)
that the notice was prominently displayed at a place where one would
ordinarily expect to find any notice containing terms governing
the
contract entered into when entering the premises of a restaurant
selling food and (
particularly
)
alcohol, namely at the entrance thereof.
[13]
Any
reasonable person entering the premises should have observed the
notice displayed on the brick wall having entered through the
front
or main door.
[14]
In
this regard, it was never submitted on behalf of the Plaintiff and no
evidence
(either
viva voce or documentary)
was
ever led to show that,
inter
alia
,
the notice was too small; the print dealing with the contents of the
notice was too small and/or illegible, or that the view of
the notice
was obstructed in one way or another.
[15]
Conclusion
[36]
In light of the aforegoing, this Court finds that the Defendant has
discharged the onus incumbent upon it to prove, on
a balance of
probabilities, that the Plaintiff is bound by the contents of the
notice. Arising therefrom the Defendant cannot be
liable, in delict,
for any negligence which may have caused the Plaintiff damages and
the Plaintiff’s action should be dismissed.
[37]
Having made this finding, it is unnecessary for this Court to deal
with whether the Plaintiff has proved, on a balance
of probabilities,
that the actions or omissions of the Defendant made the Defendant
liable to compensate the Plaintiff in respect
of any proven damages.
[16]
Costs
[38]
There are no facts in the present matter
(certainly
this Court has not been made aware of any)
that
would cause this Court to deviate from the trite principle that
unless unusual circumstances exist, costs should normally follow
the
result. In the premises, the Plaintiff should be ordered to pay the
costs of the action.
Order
[39]
This Court makes the following order:
1
The Plaintiff’s action is dismissed.
2
The Plaintiff is to pay the costs.
BC
WANLESS
JUDGE
OF THE HIGH COURT
JOHANNESBURG
APPEARANCES
For
the Plaintiff:
Adv RA Britz
Instructed
by:
Burnett Attorneys
& Notaries
For
the Defendant:
Adv Matodzi Mavhungu
Instructed
by:
Tlomatsane
Attorneys
Judgment
reserved: 3 June 2024
Ex
tempore
judgment:
8 January 2025
Written
judgment:
27 January 2025
[1]
Paragraph
8 of the POC; emphasis added.
[2]
Subparagraphs
6.1 to 6.4.4 inclusive of the Plea; emphasis added.
[3]
1999
(1) SA 982 (SCA).
[4]
At
page 10.
[5]
At
pages 10 and 1.
[6]
At
page 15 onward.
[7]
At
pages 15 to 18.
[8]
Emphasis
added.
[9]
At
page 15.
[10]
Durban’s
Water Wonderland at page 16.
[11]
Durban’s
Water Wonderland at page 17.
[12]
At
page 17.
[13]
Durban’s
Water Wonderland at page 18.
[14]
Durban’s
Water Wonderland at page 18.
[15]
Cenprop
Real Estate Pty Limited and Another v Holtzhausen (case number
520/2021)
[2022] ZASCA 183
(19 December 2022) at paragraphs [14];
[35-38]; Stearns v Robispec (Pty) Limited 2020 JDR 0363 (GJ) at
paragraphs [26-32].
[16]
Paragraph
[9] ibid.
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