Case Law[2025] ZAGPJHC 494South Africa
Mogudi v Standard Bank of South Africa Limited and Others (31834/1993) [2025] ZAGPJHC 494 (22 May 2025)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)
22 May 2025
Judgment
begin wrapper
begin container
begin header
begin slogan-floater
end slogan-floater
- About SAFLII
About SAFLII
- Databases
Databases
- Search
Search
- Terms of Use
Terms of Use
- RSS Feeds
RSS Feeds
end header
begin main
begin center
# South Africa: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
South Africa: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
You are here:
SAFLII
>>
Databases
>>
South Africa: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
>>
2025
>>
[2025] ZAGPJHC 494
|
Noteup
|
LawCite
sino index
## Mogudi v Standard Bank of South Africa Limited and Others (31834/1993) [2025] ZAGPJHC 494 (22 May 2025)
Mogudi v Standard Bank of South Africa Limited and Others (31834/1993) [2025] ZAGPJHC 494 (22 May 2025)
Download original files
PDF format
RTF format
make_database: source=/home/saflii//raw/ZAGPJHC/Data/2025_494.html
sino date 22 May 2025
SAFLII
Note:
Certain
personal/private details of parties or witnesses have been
redacted from this document in compliance with the law
and
SAFLII
Policy
REPUBLIC
OF SOUTH AFRICA
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
GAUTENG
LOCAL DIVISION, JOHANNESBURG
CASE
NO: 31834/1993
(1)
REPORTABLE: NO
(2)
OF INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: NO
(3)
REVISED: YES
22 May 2025
In
the matter between:
MOGUDI
BATSILE MOSAI – IN HER PERSONAL CAPACITY
AND
IN HER CAPACITY AS EXECUTRIX OF LATE HOWARD MESHACK
MOGUDI
APPLICANT
and
STANDARD
BANK OF SOUTH AFRICA LIMITED
FIRST
RESPONDENT
TSHENOLO
VICTORIA MONAAPULA
SECOND RESPONDENT
THE
REGISTRAR OF DEEDS
THIRD RESPONDENT
This judgment was
handed down electronically by circulation to the parties and/or
parties’ representatives by email and by
upload to Case Lines.
The date and time for hand down is deemed to be 10h00 on 22 May 2025
JUDGMENT
S.VAN NIEUWENHUIZEN,
AJ
Introduction
[1]
This matter came before me on 27 November 2024 in
the opposed motion court. The applicant seeks the following relief:
“
1.
Condonation for the late filing of this application, if necessary.
2.
Setting aside of the judgment granted under case number
31834/93, against the applicants' and in favour of the first
respondent.
3.
Setting aside of such portion of the judgment under case
number 31834/93 dated 18 January 1994 declaring the property
executable.
4. Declaring the
applicant to be the lawful owner of the immovable
property located at Erf 1[…], Orlando West, bearing physical
address 1[…]
M[…] Street, M[…], O[…],
D[…], Soweto (
''the property").
5. Directing the
Third Respondent to forthwith do all things necessary to re-register
and transfer the property into the name
of the applicant.
6. That any person
opposing the relief sought herein be ordered to pay the costs of this
application.
7. Further and or
alternative relief.”
[2]
For the sake of convenience the applicant will be referred to as “the
executrix”, the first respondent as
“the bank”, the
second respondent as “Ms Tshenolo” and the third
respondent as “the Registrar”.
The late Howard Meshack
Mogudi will be referred to as the “deceased”. It should
be borne in mind that the executrix
is also before the court in her
personal capacity.
[3]
From the founding affidavit it appears that the application is
brought under rule 42 (1) alternatively under Rule 31(2)(b)
of the
Uniform Rules of Court. The relief was instituted on 25 June 2015.
Background
[4]
The deceased and the executrix were married in
community of property during 1982. On the papers before me the exact
date of marriage
and the consequences of the marriage was in dispute
and gave rise to several affidavits being filed and experts called
upon to
express their views on the marriage certificate(s) that were
filed. These disputes came to nought when the bank agreed to have the
matter adjudicated on the basis that the executrix and the deceased
were married in community of property with the usual consequences
of
such a marriage setting in (more about this will follow later) and
also informed me via their joint practice note that it is
common
cause that the deceased and executrix were so married.
[5]
Although nowadays academic, it should be
remembered that during the apartheid regime a marriage between a
black woman and a black
man was taken to be out of community of
property unless the parties made a declaration to the contrary to the
marriage officer
at least 1 month prior to the marriage itself. This
was due to the consequences of the Section 22(8) of the Black
Administration
Act 38 of 1927 which has since been repealed by Act 28
of 2005 and which Act has as date of commencement 12 April 2006. In
terms
of section 1(4) of this Act sections 22(7) and 22(8) of Act 38
of 1927 is
“……
hereby
repealed on-
(a)
30
September 2007; or
[Para.
(a)
amended
by
s.
1
of
Act 8
of 2006
(wef
30 July 2006).]
(b)
such
date as national legislation to further regulate the matters dealt
with in section 22 (7) and (8) of the Act is
implemented,
whichever occurs first.”
[6]
The preamble to Act 8 of 2006 serves as an apt
reminder of the consequences of this act for black people and is
worth repeating:
“
SINCE the
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, as the supreme
law of the Republic, was adopted so as to-
•
establish
a society based on democratic values, social and economic justice,
equality and fundamental human rights;
•
improve
the quality of life of all citizens; and
•
free
the potential of each person by every means possible;
AND SINCE the Black
Administration Act, 1927 (the Act), is regarded
as a law that-
•
is
repugnant to the values set out in the Constitution, particularly
section 1 and the Bill of Rights in Chapter 2 thereof;
•
is
reminiscent of past divisions and discrimination; and
•
ought
to be repealed as a matter of the utmost urgency;
AND SINCE the repeal of
some provisions of the Act, in the interests of legal certainty
and good governance, necessitates the
incremental approach adopted
hereunder, by repealing those provisions of the Act requiring
legislative alternatives on
a fixed and reasonably foreseeable future
date or on such date as the legislative alternatives are implemented
by the role players
in question, whichever occurs earlier,
BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED
by the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, as follows:”
[7]
The deceased acquired a grant of leasehold from
the Soweto City Council on 25 July 1991.
[8]
Around July 1991 the deceased mortgaged the
property to the bank in order to fund a business venture. The
executrix did not sign
any bond documents or sign any transfer
documents despite the marriage in community of property. The bank
admits this. This was
done in contravention of section 15(2)(a) and
(b) of the Matrimonial Property Act 88 of 1984 (“the MPA”)
which reads
as follows:
“
15 Powers of
spouses
(1) Subject to the
provisions of subsections (2), (3) and (7), a spouse in a marriage in
community of property may perform
any juristic act with
regard to the joint estate without the consent of the other spouse.
(2) Such a spouse shall
not without the written consent of the other spouse-
(a)
alienate,
mortgage, burden with a servitude or confer any other real right in
any immovable property forming part
of the joint estate;
(b)
enter
into any contract for the alienation, mortgaging, burdening with a
servitude or conferring of any other real right
in
immovable property forming part of the joint estate;”
[9]
Sections 15(4) and (5) of the MPA read as follows:
“
(4) The consent
required for the purposes of paragraphs
(b)
to
(g)
of
subsection (2), and subsection (3) may, except where it is required
for the registration of a deed in a deeds registry,
also be given by
way of ratification within a reasonable time after the act concerned.
(5) The consent required
for the performance of the acts contemplated in
paragraphs
(a)
,
(b)
,
(f)
,
(g)
and
(h)
of
subsection (2) shall be given separately in respect of each act and
shall be attested by two competent witnesses.”
[10]
The business venture failed and as a consequence
the deceased fell into arrears with the mortgage repayments.
[11]
On 23 November 1993 the bank issued summons
against the deceased (without citing or serving same on the
executrix) and on 18 January
1994 Cloete J granted default judgment
against the deceased in the following terms:
“
1. Payment of the
sum of R109 011,49.
2. Interest on the sum
mentioned in paragraph 1 at the rate of 16 % per annum from 1
st
November 1993 to date of payment such interest to be calculated on
daily balance and capitalised monthly in arrear.
3. An order declaring all
right title and interest in and to the leasehold in respect of ERF
1[…], O[…] W[…]
mortgaged under mortgage bond
no: B[…] dated 23 September 1991 executable for the said sums.
4. Attorney and client
costs.”
[12]
According to the executrix neither she nor the
deceased received any summons from the bank. The executrix is adamant
if it was served
on the deceased she would have been made aware
thereof. She also annexes a copy of the Sheriff’s return of
service which
asserts that the summons was served on Mrs Lethollo, a
person who is unknown to her.
[13]
The aforesaid took place prior to the 1994 Interim
Constitution, Act 200 of 1993 (“the interim Constitution)
coming into operation.
[14]
The bank thereafter purchased the property in
execution on 7 September 1994 for the paltry amount of R200. An
unhealthy practice
which was particularly rife amongst banks at the
time. By then the interim Constitution was in effect as of 27 April
1994.
[15]
Section 28 of the interim Constitution reads as
follows:
“
28 Property
(1) Every person shall
have the right to acquire and hold rights in property and, to the
extent that the nature of the rights permits,
to dispose of such
rights.
(2) No deprivation of any
rights in property shall be permitted otherwise than in accordance
with a law.
(3) Where any rights in
property are expropriated pursuant to a law referred to in subsection
(2), such expropriation shall be permissible
for public purposes only
and shall be subject to the payment of agreed compensation or,
failing agreement, to the payment of such
compensation and within
such period as may be determined by a court of law as just and
equitable, taking into account all relevant
factors, including, in
the case of the determination of compensation, the use to which the
property is being put, the history of
its acquisition, its market
value, the value of the investments in it by those affected and the
interests of those affected.”
[16]
Neither the deceased nor the executrix were
notified about the sale in execution and they continued to live on
the property with
their children in free and undisturbed possession.
[17]
The PIE Act 19 of 1998 (“PIE”) which
bolsters the section 26 rights in the Constitution pertaining to the
right to housing
which i.a. prevents arbitrary eviction and gives
effect to judicial oversight in matters of eviction in the meantime
came into
effect on 5 June 1998. This became important to the
executrix and deceased in the litigation with Ms Tshenolo but seems
to be of
no help wit the present litigation.
[18]
On 6 December 2001 Servcon Housing Solutions
(“Servcon”) purporting to act on behalf of the bank
contacted the executrix
and requested her to sign a lease agreement
with the bank in respect of the property. She signed same on the
instructions and advice
of the deceased who was in Kenya at the time.
She was unaware of the significance of the document. A letter dated
18 December 2001
was addressed to her to the effect that the bank
accepted the lease agreement and that a monthly rental is payable of
R904.00 from
1 February 2002. She was also provided with a copy of
the lease agreement.
[19]
According to the executrix it was her
understanding that if they continued to make payments to the bank the
property would remain
theirs. It was suggested in argument that the
executrix is not illiterate and educated and should have known
something is amiss
by the latter date. By 2007 she was studying
towards a master’s degree in chemistry. In my view it is highly
unlikely that
any earlier scientific studies would have conferred
upon her any legal knowledge. While the reasonable person may have
been suspicious
about the Servcon lease I have no reason to suspect
that she had any comprehension of the legal position under the MPA,
the Interim
Constitution, or the lease until such time as she and her
husband was advised by Fluxman’s attorneys about their legal
rights
in 2007.
[20]
Notwithstanding the aforesaid position they
continued to make improvements to the property in excess of R100 000
and the value
of the property increased to approximately R450 000.
The bank disputes these improvements in the absence of documentation.
[21]
Unbeknown to the deceased and the executrix and on
17 September 2002 the bank sold the property to Ms Tshenolo for the
sum of R50 000.
Registration and transfer in her name took place
on 11 May 2004. A copy of the Title Deed is annexed as “
BMM12
”
.
[22]
Prior to the registration of transfer and on 29
May 2003 Ms Tshenolo commenced with eviction proceedings against the
deceased under
case number 95536/04. Without withdrawing these
proceedings a second summons was issued on 4 August 2004. Ms Tshenolo
applied for
default judgment during August/September 2004 but as a
result of her failure to comply with the provisions of PIE the
application
was initially refused.
[23]
Upon being “served again” in July 2005
the deceased managed to raise funds and instructed Mills and
Groenewald to defend
the matter which was then postponed on numerous
occasions. Ultimately the executrix and the deceased was unable to
fund the matter
further and their attorney withdrew and on 2 May 2006
an eviction order was granted.
[24]
On 6 November 2007 the deceased and executrix were
evicted from the property. As a consequence they consulted Fluxman’s
Inc.
who launched an urgent application under case number 29102/07
against Ms Tshenolo and the Sheriff. In this matter the executrix
and
deceased sought to obtain possession of the property pending an
application/action against the bank, A copy of the Notice of
Motion
is annexed as “
BMM 13
”
.
[25]
The application was struck from the roll for lack
of urgency by Moshidi J but the deceased and the executrix was
nevertheless restored
in possession of the property pending
finalisation of the matter.
[26]
Under the rubric “
CONDONATION
AND REASONS FOR DELAY IN LAUNCHING THE APPLICATION
”
the executrix explains that she was advised that
for purposes of rule 42 (2)(a) (later corrected to read as rule
42(1)(a)), there
is no time period to launch an application of this
nature. She states that she was nevertheless advised that such an
application
may not be successful where an applicant has delayed
seeking a rescission or acquiesced in the execution of the judgment.
In light
of the lengthy period since the granting of judgment, her
and the deceased’s subsequent knowledge thereof and the time
frame
of the present application she believes an explanation is
necessary in order for the Court have a better understanding of her
position.
[27]
She further states in as much as reliance is
placed on rule 31(2)(b) an application to set aside the judgment upon
good cause being
shown ought to have been brought within 20 days of
deceased and her having knowledge of same. She states that although
she was
aware that summons had been issued she was not aware of the
fact that the bank had obtained judgment. She further states that she
and the deceased only became aware in December 2001 that the bank in
fact purchased the property in 1994.
[28]
They continued to live on the property for several
years thereafter and did not receive any documents pertaining to a
sale in execution
of the property.
[29]
It was only in 2007 and after consulting with
Fluxman’s Inc. who obtained all the relevant information that
the executrix
and the deceased learned that she had in fact signed a
lease agreement and it became apparent that the lease agreement is
still
in force as it had not been cancelled despite the sale of the
property to Ms Tshenolo.
[30]
She states that only after she and the deceased
were after 23 years evicted from the property did they understand the
severity of
the matter. The deceased’s sister took a loan from
Absa Bank and the executrix was assisted by her mother so that they
could
brief Fluxman’s Inc.
[31]
At this stage the deceased was already gravely
ill. He was in and out of hospital from January 2007 until his death
in October 2013.
The executrix points out that they were dependent on
government hospitals and even so R20 000 was required for
dialysis treatment.
The hospital records are extensive and annexed
marked “
BMM15 - 17
”
but are for all practical purposes illegible. Some
hospital accounts are annexed marked “
BMM
18
”
but I could find no diagnosis
reflected thereon. Some of the legible dates on these accounts
supports the executrix’s version.
She attached proof that a
medical aid i.e. Bonitas Medical Aid was obtained for the deceased.
This is marked as Annexure “
BMM
19
”
There is only mention of a
parent by the name of “Howard Meshack” with a birth date
of 28 February 1950 which corresponds
with that of the deceased.
“Howard Meschack’s” membership was subject to
excluded conditions of “Hypertension”
and “Renal
and Urethral Disorder” each with a “Start Date” and
“End Date” of “1/12/2012”
and “30/11/2013”.
This broadly ties in with the executrix’s description of the
deceased being in and out of hospital.
The pattern of hospitalisation
and treatment fits a patient who suffers from kidney failure due to
hypertension and ultimately
require dialysis. I would have expected
an attempt to produce a “fair typed copy” of the
illegible hospital documents
to assist the executrix in her
allegation that between 2007 and 2013 all the efforts went into
getting the deceased well.
[32]
On 29 August 2013 (before the deceased’s
death on 5 October 2013) Ms. Tshenolo pursued an application to
confirm the validity
of the eviction order granted at the
Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court together with an order for the
eviction of the deceased
and the executrix. This application was
granted on 23 April 2014 (after the death of the deceased). To date
this order has not
been executed.
[33]
At the time the deceased and the executrix
appointed an attorney by the name of Mr Morare to deal with the
matter. After he was
paid his legal fees the executrix was
pre-occupied by the critical medical condition of the deceased and
relied on Mr Morare to
attend to the matter. It is clear from the
executrix’s replying affidavit that her husband could no longer
afford Fluxman’s
fees.
[34]
After no feedback was received from Mr Morare for
a long time she and the deceased consulted with Mr Mathopo from
Mathopo attorneys
who advised that the matter is to complicated and
that he could not assist. By this time the deceased could not travel
easily and
was very sick. The executrix and her son thereafter
approached numerous other attorneys who were all reluctant to take on
the matter
as it was complicated and complex.
[35]
She even approached the Constitutional Court and
the Public Protector and was never contacted after giving her details
as requested.
She and the deceased was never referred to pro bono
organisations or legal aid clinics.
[36]
She submits that she and the deceased were not in
wilful default. Despite the fact that judgment was granted in 1994
the procedural
defects only came to their attention in 2007. Between
2003 and 2014 she and the deceased were embroiled in litigation with
Ms Tshenolo
and in the process the deceased passed away.
[37]
She was only appointed as executrix in the
deceased’s estate on 17 February 2014.
[38]
The time period that elapsed until the present
application for rescission was launched on 30 June 2015 is not fully
explained. Given
the picture presented i.e. of a long struggle with
the deceased’s illness with concomitant expenditure and
inability to obtain
pro bono legal assistance it suggests that
funding may again have been the cause of the delay coupled with the
intricacies of administering
the deceased’s estate and
obtaining all the medical records and documents to launch the present
application for rescission.
[39]
There is no evidence to indicate that the
intention to obtain the rescission relief against the bank was
abandoned or waived in
this period.
[40]
She points out that should the application not be
allowed she will suffer severe prejudice in that she would lose the
home they
stayed in for 23 years and built from scratch and even
improved. The executrix is at present a single parent who is still
studying
and have two children. Her son Modlei is currently studying
at Soweto College for Civil Engineering. Her daughter of 33 years is
currently the only breadwinner and is employed full-time and is also
studying for a B.Com degree. Her eldest son of 36 years is
unemployed
and resides with his wife and two children with the executrix. She
also helps support her other son’s granddaughter.
[41]
The executrix is studying for a PHD degree at the
University of Johannesburg on a bursary and is also a tutor on a
part-time basis.
At all earlier times before her husband’s
death the litigation against Ms Tshenolo was funded by her husband.
[42]
She firmly believes that on a proper and full
adjudication and hearing of the matter it will be clear that to not
grant the relief
would be wrongful and unlawful.
[43]
She believe that the judgment was erroneously
sought and granted in that an irregularity occurred given that she
was not cited as
co-owner of the property. Thus it was not legally
competent for the court to have granted default judgment and to have
declared
the property executable. In addition she believes that her
section 26(3) Constitutional right not to be evicted from her home
until
a Court has considered all relevant circumstances have been
violated. I am not satisfied that the aforesaid arises in the relief
sought against the bank but accepts that she subjectively believed
that the Constitution afforded her some protection against the
conduct of the bank.
[44]
On the aforesaid grounds she seeks a rescission of
the judgment. It is clear that the effect of Chapter 111 of the MPA
and the fact
that she was from the outset married in community of
property with all the usual consequences affected the citation,
judgment and
the execution process. Given the effect of Chapter 111
of the MPA questions arise whether the bank ever acquired ownership
in the
execution process as a bona fide purchaser and subsequently
passed any valid ownership to Ms Tshenolo.
[45]
Should her case not meet the requirements of rule
42 she relies on Uniform Rule 31(2)(b). In this regard she submits
that she has
to provide a reasonable explanation for her and the
deceased’s default, the application must be bona fide and not
made to
merely delay the claim of the bank and she must show that she
has a bona fide defence to the claim. She submits that if the summons
was served on her and she was cited as a defendant she would have
taken every possible measure to protect her interest.
[46]
She also refers to the title deed annexed as “
BMM
10
”
wherein according to the bank
it appears that her marriage to the deceased did not have the legal
consequences of a marriage in
community of property. She states that
position to be patently false given the facts disclosed above which
are now common cause
in terms of the joint practice note. She further
states that the judgment obtained by the bank is patently defective
in that she
was not joined to the proceedings as a party despite
being a co-owner of the property having a direct and substantial
interest
therein.
[47]
She further contends that in the eviction
proceedings launched by Ms Tshenolo she was again not joined as
co-owner and occupier
of the property. In these proceedings Ms
Tshenolo falsely alleged that she (Ms Tshenolol) was owner of the
property as of May 2003.
This is contradicted by the title deed
annexed marked “
BMM12
”
.
Apparently the bank sold the property to Ms Tshenolo on 17 September
2002.
[48]
It is alleged that the latter bought more than one
home under similar circumstances. Ms Tshenolo produced proof that she
was entitled
to purchase the property in terms of permission obtained
from the South African Reserve Bank attached as “
BMM20
”
This letter is dated 14 March 2003 and in
contradiction to the date of the power of attorney referred to in
“
BMM12
”
.
It is therefore alleged to be tainted. In this regard I am referred
to section 91(2)(b) of the Banks Act 94 of 1990 which seem
to have
read at all relevant times as follows:
“
(2) A director or
employee of a bank or controlling company who, or any company in
which such director or employee has a direct
interest and which-
(a)
accepts
from any person any benefit for or in connection with any advance
granted by that bank or by the bank in respect
of which that
controlling company is registered; or
(b)
otherwise than with the written consent of the Authority or at
a duly advertised public auction purchases any immovable property
owned by or mortgaged to that bank or the bank in respect of which
that controlling company is registered, and which is sold by
or at
the instance of the bank in question or is sold at a judicial sale at
the instance of any other person,
shall be guilty of an
offence.”
with the exception of the
word “Authority” which found its way into the Banks Act
due to section 290 of Act 7 0f 2017
with effect 1 April 2018. Prior
thereto the section referred to “the Registrar”.
[49]
The bank filed an answering affidavit denying that
the consequences of the marriage were that the parties were married
in community.
It denied that executrix is entitled to relief in terms
of Uniform Rule 42 or Uniform Rule 31(2)(b). It took the stance that
a
long period of time has elapsed since the judgment was taken, that
there is no proper explanation of the delay and that the executrix
was in wilful default having known about the lease agreement since
2007 and took the stance that no good cause was made out for
setting
the default judgment aside. It also annexed the affidavit the
deceased filed in support of the urgent application to be
restored to
the property after Ms Tshenolo obtained an eviction order. The
deceased explains herein that in his understanding the
lease
agreement would only operate until the debt to the bank is paid
whereafter the property would be his. He also drew attention
to
certain improvement “liens” which he submitted could be
enforced against Ms Tshenolo.
[50]
The bank has no records pertaining to the
execution of the judgment given that the executrix waited 21 years to
launch the present
application or at least 14 years after the sale
came to her knowledge on 6 December 2001. It in any event states that
the sheriff
would not have proceeded with the sale in execution in
1994 had there been any defects in the execution process. No
explanation
is proffered for the paltry price paid by the bank for
the property.
[51]
The executrix filed a replying affidavit in
principle reiterating her stance.
[52]
She explains that her husband was in Kenya when
Servcon prepared the lease agreement in her name and requested her to
sign it. She
states that she was unaware of its significance and
signed it on the instruction and advice of her husband.
[53]
She reiterates that she is a layperson and have no
legal training or experience in the legal field.
[54]
She was unaware during 2001 that a judgment had
been taken in the matter and points out that no judgment has been
taken in her personal
capacity.
[55]
She is unaware as to when the deceased got notice
of the judgment but nevertheless ventures the opinion that it came to
his knowledge
in 2007 when Fluxman’s was instructed to bring
the urgent application.
[56]
She understood that once the indebtedness to the
bank had been discharged the property would be re-transferred to the
deceased and
her. The latter is her response to the allegation made
by the bank that the executrix is well-educated and the contents of
the
lease agreement is clear and unambiguous and to allege that she
only became aware the document she signed was a lease agreement,
when
the consultation with Fluxman’s was held, is disingenuous. I do
not find it disingenuous at all.
[57]
She is of the view that she should also have been
cited by the bank from the outset.
[58]
It is
not necessary to deal with the bank’s expert witnesses due to
the concession ultimately made by the bank as to the consequences
of
the marital regime. Ultimately the bank sought and obtained leave to
file a further Supplementary Affidavit. This was due to
conflicting
expert reports and the decision in
AS
and Another v GS and Another 2020
(3)
[1]
.
It then conceded that the marriage had all the normal consequences of
a marriage in community of property. In view hereof it pleaded
three
defences under the MPA i.e. sections 15(6),15(9) and s17(5). In doing
so the bank acted on advice it received which it accepted
i.e. that
to make the concession is in the interests of the matter and the
interests of justice. I am of the view that this was
correctly done.
[59]
The executrix replied to this affidavit and
specifically raised the defence that she did not consent to the
deceased’s loan
agreement with the bank.
Legal
Analysis
[60]
Section 15(6) of the MPA reads as follows:
“
(6)
The provisions of paragraphs
(b)
,
(c)
,
(f)
,
(g)
and
(h)
of
subsection (2) do not apply where an act contemplated in
those paragraphs is performed by a spouse in the ordinary
course of
his profession, trade or business.”
[61]
With regard to the above defence she pleaded that
there is a vast difference between funding a business venture and
contracting
in the ordinary course of one’s business. She
specifically states that the deceased was not acting in the ordinary
course
of his business when contracting with the bank.
[62]
For
this reason she pleads that section 15(6) is of no avail to the bank.
I can but agree. The proposition is in my view so trite
that no
authority is required.
[2]
[63]
Section 15(9) of the MPA stipulates that:
“
9) When a spouse
enters into a transaction with a person contrary to the provisions of
subsection (2) or (3) of this section, or
an order under section 16
(2), and-
(a)
that person does not know and cannot reasonably know that the
transaction is being entered into contrary to those provisions
or
that order, it is deemed that the transaction concerned has been
entered into with the consent required in terms of the said
subsection (2) or (3), or while the power concerned of the spouse has
not been suspended, as the case may be;
(b)
that spouse knows or ought reasonably to know that he will
probably not obtain the consent required in terms of the said
subsection (2) or (3), or that the power concerned has been
suspended, as the case may be, and the joint estate suffers a loss
as
a result of that transaction, an adjustment shall be effected in
favour of the other spouse upon the division of the joint estate.”
[64]
The bank specifically pleads in its Supplementary
Affidavit that in the circumstances of the case it could not
reasonably be aware
that the marriage was one of “
in
community of property
”
and that
consent was required. The reasons the bank provides why it could not
reasonably be aware are as follows:
61.1
The marital regime was never declared by as one of “
in
community of property
” by the deceased or the executrix;
61.2
The default marital regime at the time was one of “
out of
community of property
”;
61.3
The deceased had never declared the marriage to the bank at the time
the loan application was made and granted.
Due to the long lapse of
time in the launching of the application there are no documents
available relating to the loan. It pleads
that from the documents
relied upon by the executrix there was no indication that the marital
regime was one of “
in community of property
” but
rather the opposite. It then refers the court to he following
documents:
61.3.1 The leasehold
granted to the deceased annexure “
BMM 5
” to the
founding affidavit which does not indicate any marital disposition.
This is alleged to be relevant as the mortgage
bond registered in
favour of the bank was registered over the said leasehold as appears
from the summons which is annexed marked
“SFA 2” and in
paragraph 1 of which the bond is referred to as being
“
Mortgage
Bond No BL5 1440/91 hypothecating as a First Mortgage all right ,
title and interest in and to the leasehold in respect
of the
property”
;
61.3.2 The title deed in
respect of the sale in execution annexed marked “
BMM6
”
to the founding affidavit which describes the deceased as follows:
“
MESCHACK
HOWARD MOGUDI
IDENTITY NUMBER 5[…]
MARRIED BY VIRTUE OF
SECTION 22(6) OF ACT 38 OF 1927
WHICH MARRIAGE DOES NOT
HAVE THE LEGAL
CONSEQUENCE OF A MARRIAGE
IN COMMUNITY OF PROPERTY”;
61.4
The bank pleads that it is common conveyancing practice that the
description of
inter alia
the owner of the property be carried
forward in successive documents without change. Thus the aforesaid
description of the deceased
would also have been as such in the
original title deed, registered in the name of the deceased, and the
mortgage bond registered
in favour of the bank. (This is an
assumption whilst the bank has no proof of a system that was in place
as to how they would deal
with marriages truly in community of
property as opposed to black marriages in community of property where
the usual consequences
of same would not have followed as referred to
in the 1927 Act).
[65]
The bank thus submits that the loan agreement was
valid at the time it was concluded between the deceased and the first
respondent.
[66]
To this the executrix pleads that the bank has no
proof that there was no declaration of the marital regime and cannot
rely on the
contents of documents to confirm that no declaration was
made and she in any event denies the content of these paragraphs. She
steadfastly maintains that she and the deceased were married in
community of property with the normal consequences following thereon
(which is now conceded by the bank).
[67]
She also states that it is unlikely that the
deceased would not have declared his true marital status when
contracting with the
bank. In addition she states that being a large
financial institution one would have expected the bank’s
applications for
loans and other services to include provision for a
declaration. The executrix states expressly that either the bank is
alleging
that no such declaration was sought by it or that the
deceased misstated the true state of affairs.
[68]
The executrix unsurprisingly alleges that the bank
knew or ought reasonably to have known that the deceased was married
in community
of property. Once it knew that the deceased was married,
it should have taken positive steps to confirm the marital property
status
of such marriage. It makes no allegations that it did so.
[69]
The executrix thus pleads that section 15(9) of
the MPA does not apply or assist in the circumstances. As will later
appear I am
of the view that I can decide the matter on this issue.
Although the executrix pleaded in this reply that she did not consent
to
the loan agreement with the bank I am of the view that section 14
of the MPA has the effect that such consent is unnecessary save
in as
much as such loan is tied to the security of a mortgage bond. (See
paragraph 12 of the replying affidavit). I will revert
to this
defence below.
[70]
The bank finally pleads that because of section
17(5) of the MPA the rescission application, be it under Rule
42(1)(a) or Rule 31(2)(b),
cannot succeed only because the executrix
was not cited.
[71]
Sub-section 17 (5) of the MPA is part of a larger
section 17 bearing the heading “
Litigation
by or against spouses
”
. The
complete section reads as follows:
“
(1) A spouse
married in community of property shall not without the
written consent of the other spouse institute legal
proceedings
against another person or defend legal proceedings instituted by
another person, except legal proceedings-
(a)
in
respect of his separate property;
(b)
for the
recovery of damages, other than damages for patrimonial loss, by
reason of the commission of a delict against him;
(c)
in respect of a matter relating to his profession, trade or
business.
(2) A party to legal
proceedings instituted or defended by a spouse may not challenge the
validity of the proceedings on the ground
of want of the consent
required in terms of subsection (1).
(3) If costs are awarded
against a spouse in legal proceedings instituted or defended by him
without the consent required in terms
of subsection (1), the court
may, with due regard to the interest of the other spouse in the joint
estate and the reason for the
want of consent, order that those costs
be recovered from the separate property, if any, of the
first-mentioned spouse and,
in so far as those costs cannot be so
recovered, that they be recovered from the joint estate, in which
case the court may order
that upon the division of the joint estate
an adjustment shall be effected in favour of the other spouse.
(4)
(a)
An
application for the surrender of a joint estate shall be made by both
spouses.
(b)
An
application for the sequestration of a joint estate shall be made
against both spouses: Provided that no application for
the
sequestration of the estate of a debtor shall be dismissed on the
ground that such debtor's estate is a joint estate if the
applicant
satisfies the court that despite reasonable steps taken by him he was
unable to establish whether the debtor is married
in community
of property or the name and address of the spouse of the
debtor.
[Sub-s. (4) substituted
by
s
.
11
of
Act 122
of 1993
(wef
1 September 1993).]
(5) Where a debt is
recoverable from a joint estate, the spouse who incurred the debt or
both spouses jointly may be sued therefor,
and where a debt has been
incurred for necessaries for the joint household, the spouses may be
sued jointly or severally therefor.”
[72]
The bank thus pleads in its Supplementary
affidavit that it is common cause that the deceased incurred the debt
and that the bank
could thus decide who to sue for the debt, which it
did by suing the deceased.
[73]
The executrix in her reply hereto states that
section 17(5) is inconsistent with the provisions of section 15 of
the MPA. She pleads
that the subject matter of this matter is not a
“debt” within the ordinary meaning of the word. It is a
mortgage bond
over “immovable” which is specifically
dealt with under section 15. She pleads that she in any event had a
direct and
substantial interest over the property and should have
been cited and served. She goes on to plead that section 17(5) of the
MPA
is unconstitutional to the extent that it allows immovable
property to be pledged or mortgaged and does not require that an
affected
spouse be joined to proceedings in relation to that
property.
[74]
The harm section 15(2) of the MPA is directed
against does not relate to a debt in its ordinary meaning. It relates
inter alia
to
the
burdening
of
immovable property by a mortgage bond. Given that the mortgage bond
is also the very instrument that enables the bank to obtain
execution
in respect of the property without first selling the debtor’s
movables it is clear to me that to simply assume
that the word “debt”
in section 17(5) intends to cross-refer to the security rather than a
“debt” would
be wrong. Given the fact that section 15(2)
makes no mention of a ”debt” in the ordinary sense it is
clear that section
17(5) has no bearing on section 15 (2). What
section 17(5) probably has in mind is to leave the option to a
creditor to sue in
either parties’ name as far as a “debt”
is concerned. This is to my mind the logical inference given that
section
14 which uses the term “debt”, has bestowed on
both parties married in community of property equal rights to incur
debts. If the legislature wanted to deal with that which secures the
debt it would have used the terminology set out in section
15(2).
[75]
The
following observation made about mortgage bonds and debts in
Standard
Bank of South Africa Ltd v Saunderson and others
[3]
springs
to mind:
“
The
mortgage bond thus curtails the right of property at its root, and
penetrates the right of ownership, for the bond-holder’s
rights
are fused into the title itself”
Although this observation
was made in a different context it is an apt description of the
effect of a mortgage bond and demonstrates
that the use of the word
“debt” can never be equated with the use of the word
“mortgage”
[76]
I should add that the point that section 17(5) is
unconstitutional was correctly not proceeded with by Mr Mahon SC who
appeared
for the executrix. No rule 16A notice was delivered and in
addition certain other relevant parties were not cited.
[77]
The
question remains whether the bank can rely on section 15(9)(a) as a
defence in the sense that if it did not know and cannot
reasonably
know that the transaction entered into is in breach of section 15(2).
The case law on this has been made clear by the
SCA in
Marais
and Another NNO v Maposa And others
.
[4]
[78]
The SCA held as follows:
“
[26] The effect of
s 15 may be summarised as follows. First, as a general rule, a spouse
married in community of property 'may perform
any juristic act in
connection with the joint estate without the consent of the other
spouse'. Secondly, there are exceptions to
the general rule. In terms
of ss 15(2) and (3), a spouse 'shall not' enter into any of the
transactions listed in these subsections
without the consent of the
other spouse. Subject to what is said about the effect of s 15(9)
(a)
,
if a spouse does so, the transaction is unlawful, and is void and
unenforceable. This, it seems to me, flows from what Innes
CJ,
in
Schierhout
v Minister of Justice
,
called a 'fundamental principle of our law', namely, that 'a thing
done contrary to the direct prohibition of the law is void
and of no
effect'. Thirdly, if a listed transaction is entered into without the
consent of the non-contracting spouse, that transaction
will
nonetheless be valid and enforceable if the third party did not know
and could not reasonably have known of the lack of consent.
While the
consent requirement is designed to provide protection to the
non-contracting spouse against maladministration of the
joint estate
by the contracting spouse, the 'deemed consent' provision in s
15(9)
(a)
is
intended to protect the interests of a bona fide third party who
contracts with that spouse.
[27] Section 15 thus
seeks to strike a balance between the interests of the non-consenting
spouse, on the one hand, and the bona
fide third party, on the other.
Whether the legislature has struck an appropriate balance has been
fiercely debated by academic
writers, but is an issue that does not
have to be engaged with in this judgment. In
Sishuba v
Skweyiya and Another
the context in which s 15, and s
15(9)
(a)
in particular, is to be interpreted was set out
as follows:
'These provisions seek to
regulate marriages in community of property after the abolition of
marital power. They must be interpreted
and applied within this
context — one in which "the restrictions which the marital
power places on the capacity of a
wife to contract and to litigate"
have been abolished; in which "a wife in a marriage in community
of property has the
same powers with regard to the disposal of the
assets of the joint estate, the contracting of debts that lie against
the joint
estate, and the management of the joint estate as those
which a husband in such a marriage had immediately before the
commencement
of this Act"; and in which proper effect must be
given to the fundamental right of everyone to equality before the law
and
the equal protection and benefit of the law.'
[28] A third party to a
transaction contemplated by ss 15(2) or (3) that is entered into
without the consent of the non-contracting
spouse is required, in
order for consent to be deemed and for the transaction to be
enforceable, to establish two things: first,
that he or she did not
know that consent was lacking; and secondly, that he or she could not
reasonably have known that consent
had not been given. In terms of
the general principle that the party who asserts a particular state
of affairs is generally required
to prove it, the burden of
bringing s 15(9)
(a)
into play rests on the party seeking
to rely on the validity of the transaction.
[29] The reference to
reasonableness in the phrase 'cannot reasonably know' imports an
objective standard into the proof of this
element: it must be
established with reference to the standard of the reasonable person,
in terms of what the reasonable person
would do in the circumstances
and the conclusion that the reasonable person would draw.
[30] In other words, a
duty is placed on the party seeking to rely on deemed consent to make
reasonable enquiries. Van Heerden et
al say:
'Lack of actual knowledge
on the part of the third party is a straightforward enough
stipulation and capable of determination. But
"cannot reasonably
know" is more problematic. It must imply that the third party is
under some sort of obligation to
enquire about the status of the
person with whom he or she is contracting. The third party is called
upon, it is submitted, to
take reasonable steps to ascertain whether
the person with whom he or she is dealing is married and, if so,
whether they have obtained
whatever consent may be necessary for the
particular transaction.'
The authors make the
point that the third party may not do nothing, because then s
15(9)
(a)
would be meaningless. To put it at its lowest,
the third party is 'put on enquiry'.
[31] The views of the
academic writers are in harmony with the views expressed in various
High Court judgments. For instance, in
Visser v Hull and
Others
, Dlodlo J, after referring to the views of Steyn, held:
'I agree with Professor
Steyn that a third party is expected to do more than rely upon a bold
assurance by another party regarding
his or her marital status. An
adequate inquiry by the third party is required. If this proposition
and interpretation of the liability
of third parties is accepted,
then it could be argued that the third parties in the case under
consideration should have made the
necessary inquiries into the
current state of the applicant and the deceased's marital status.'
The same conclusion was
reached in
Sishuba v Skweyiya and Another
, with reference
to the views of Van Heerden, Cockrell & Keightley replicated in
[30] above.
[32] I endorse the views
expressed in the cases to which I have referred, as well as the views
of the academic writers upon which
they are based: a duty is cast on
a party seeking to rely on the deemed-consent provision of s
15(9)
(a)
to
make the enquiries that a reasonable person would make in the
circumstances as to whether the other contracting party is married,
if so, in terms of which marriage regime, whether the consent of the
non-contracting spouse is required and, if so, whether it
has been
given. Anything less than this duty of enquiry, carried out to the
standard of the reasonable person, would render s 15(9)
(a)
a
dead letter. It would not protect innocent spouses from the
maladministration of the joint estate and would undermine the
Matrimonial
Property Act's purpose of promoting equality in marriages
in community of property.”
[5]
(I have excluded all
references to footnotes in the above extract)
[79]
Banks are in the business of granting loans
secured by bonds. By 1993 the repressive apartheids regime was in its
dying days and
black persons were in the position of acquiring an
interest in land in black townships and ultimately ownership. A bank
which wanted
to enter this market was in my view obliged to acquaint
itself with the pitfalls of entering into mortgage bonds with black
persons
and should have made enquiries as to the true status of such
a person’s marriage. To simply raise the default position based
on laws dealing with such persons as a defence is not enough. The
mere fact that the legal possibility existed that a black person
could be married in community of property with the normal
consequences as opposed to the “default” consequences is
not enough. The bank brought no evidence to the table to the effect
that it embarked on a systematic approach to establish the
true
status of the deceased’s marriage in this matter at the time
the bond was granted.
[80]
It blames the executrix and the deceased for
raising the matter so late that by the time the bank is faced with
the present matter
it has no documentation pertaining to the relevant
matters. If banks wish to destroy documents which could have
protected them
so be it. The attempt to rely on the “carry
over” from the original documents reflecting the deceased’s
interest
in the property and the subsequent title deeds is of no
help. Banks who entered the field of financing of property sold to
blacks
and then sought security by way of a mortgage of the property
should have taken cognisance of the MPA and the actual status of he
deceased’s marital status. A reasonable banker would in my view
have done so when dealing with a white couple married in
community of
property and would in the ordinary course, cause the property and the
bond to be registered in the names of such a
couple jointly. Sole
reliance on the fact that the “default position” of black
marriages in community of property were
different at the time is
tantamount to conduct one’s business reckless or negligently.
Given the admission finally made as
to the marital status of the
deceased at the time the loan and mortgage bond was granted, the bank
to my mind has no defence at
all. The attempt to shift the blame to
the executrix and the deceased for delaying so long cannot cure what
appears to be a transaction
that was void from its inception.
[81]
The
bank’s position is not enhanced by the acquisition of the
property for an amount of R200 which has all the makings of
a
simulated transaction. In
Nxazonke
v Absa Bank Limited
[6]
Davis J regarded such a transaction as a simulation in the absence of
an explanation albeit in interim proceedings and an abuse
of process.
He held that same should not be permitted absent a clear and
acceptable explanation. In addition it is clear that Court
oversight
was lacking as to the sale in execution. If the executrix’s
rights was acknowledged as it should have been at the
time she would
have been able to intervene in the execution process once she was
made aware of it. She did not have knowledge prior
to 2007 of the
execution. Such a sale for a trifling amount was held to be an abuse
of process by Davis J. Although I have no municipal
valuation
available to compare the price to, the amount secured by the bond
i.e. R125 000 tells its own story. The bank provided
no
explanation at all for this abuse which resulted in the executrix
(and the deceased’s) right to the surplus after payment
of the
judgment debt being destroyed. It is no excuse to say that it no
longer has any files relating to the execution.
[82]
The practice to buy in properties at a low price during the earlier
1990’s was rife and notoriously known. I believe
so much so
that I may take judicial cognisance thereof. I do not accept that the
bank did not have access to witnesses (even if
they are retired) who
are unable to explain (even if it is only in general terms) how this
practice came into existence and why
same prevailed at the time. If
such witness was not prepared to co-operate the bank had remedies at
its disposal to obtain such
evidence.
[83]
In the above matter the
court found the starting point for the prima facie right to be the
decision in
Jaftha
v Schoeman & Others, Van Rooyen v Stoltz & Others
[7]
where the Constitutional Court held that an order which follows a
default judgment declaring a property executable was
unconstitutionally
invalid when it was not made by a judicial
officer, after taking into account all the relevant considerations,
in particular whether
the order sought would infringe the applicant's
right of access to adequate housing under section 26(3) of the
Constitution.
[84]
In the present matter the
socio-economic rights were not yet in place in terms of the Interim
Constitution. These rights such as
the right to adequate housing only
came about once the 1996 Constitution was certified.
[8]
I need not dwell upon this topic.
[85]
The fact that the
executrix and the deceased had no notice of the sale in execution (on
their version) which is peremptory according
to the decision in
Joosub
v J I Case SA (Pty) Ltd (Now Known as Construction & Special
Equipment Co (Pty) Ltd)) and Others
[9]
is of
some importance
.
The
decision in
Knox
NO v Mofokeng
and
Others
[10]
should also be
borne in mind. In the latter matter the court was concerned with the
rights of bona fide purchasers of property
at sales in execution
where the judgment under which the sale in execution was carried out
was subsequently rescinded
and
the
validity of the transfer of immovable property to a chain of
successive (bona fide) purchasers. In such cases the abstract theory
of passing of ownership comes into play.
[86]
This
theory is explained as follows in
Legator
v McKenna Inc. and Another v Shea and Others
[11]
:
“
In
accordance with the abstract theory the requirements for the passing
of ownership are twofold, namely delivery - which in the
case of
immovable property is effected by registration of transfer in the
deeds office - coupled with a so-called real agreement
or 'saaklike
ooreenkoms'. The essential elements of the real agreement are an
intention on the part of the transferor to transfer
ownership and the
intention of the transferee to become the owner of the property (see
eg Air-Kel (Edms) Bpk h/a Merkel Motors
v Bodenstein en 'n
Ander
1980
(3) SA 917 (A)
at
922E - F; Dreyer and Another NNO v AXZS Industries (Pty)
Ltd supra at para 17). I Broadly stated, the principles
applicable
to agreements in general also apply to real agreements.
Although the abstract theory does not require a valid underlying
contract,
eg sale, ownership will not pass - despite registration of
transfer - if there is a defect in the real agreement (see eg Preller
and Others v Jordaan
1956
(1) SA 483 (A)
at
496; Klerck NO v Van Zyl and Maritz NNO supra at 274A -
B; Silberberg J and Schoeman op cit at 79 - 80”
[12]
[87]
Given the paltry purchase price paid I have
serious doubts as to whether the bank was a bona fide purchaser and
could ever have
passed ownership to Ms Tshenolo. Despite that there
is in my view insufficient evidence to find that it was a simulated
transaction
or an abuse of process. I must also assume that Ms
Tshenolo acted bona fide despite the fact that she bought more than
one property
from the bank as an employee. The error as to the date
of the acquisition of the property is of no help as to whether she
was a
bona fide purchaser or not. The next question is whether the
abstract theory of transfer of immovable property protects Ms
Tshenolo
against the absolute illegality of the mortgage bond which
is the (illegal) instrument which permitted the sale of the property
to the bank.
[88]
In
Oriental
Products (Pty) Ltd v Pegma 178 Investments Trading CC and Others
[13]
Tshongwe JA also dealt with the abstract system of transfer and said
that:
“
[12] It is trite
that our law has adopted the abstract system of transfer as opposed
to the causal system of transfer. Under
the causal system of
transfer, a valid cause (
iusta
causa
)
giving rise to the transfer is a
sine
qua non
for
the transfer of ownership. In other words, if the cause is
invalid, eg non-compliance with formal requirements, the
transfer of
ownership will also be void — see Carey Miller 'Transfer of
Ownership' in Feenstra & Zimmermann
Das
Römisch-Holländische Recht
537;
'Transfer of Ownership' in Zimmerman & Visser
Southern
Cross: Civil Law and Common Law in South Africa
727
at 735-9. Under the abstract system the most important point is that
there is no need for a formally valid underlying transaction,
provided that the parties are
ad
idem
regarding
the passing of ownership:
Meintjies
NO v Coetzer and Others
2010
(5) SA 186 (SCA)
.
[13] It is correct that
registration of title in terms of the
Deeds Registries Act 47 of 1937
is a brilliant system of public access to the register of owners of
property and the registration of other protected
rights
such as servitudes. What is even more important is the correctness of
the contents of the register. It is said that
—
'(w)hen the Dutch settled
in the Cape Colony they brought over from Holland this system of
registration, and the titles to land
granted by the governors were
registered before the Commissioners of the Court of Justice. No sales
of this land and no servitudes
imposed thereon were recognised,
unless these were registered against the title before
the Commissioners.'
[89]
The purposes are to publicise to the world and to protect registered
owners —
Houtpoort Mining & Estate Syndicate
Ltd v Jacobs
1904 TS 105
; and
Hollins v Registrar
of Deeds
1904 TS 603
and the cases cited therein. Even
though there is no guarantee of title, the record needs to
be accurate, though subject to
correction. The record provides
proof of the present registered owner of the property or right.”
[90]
Although the majority of the SCA bench disagreed
with Tshongwe JA as to the issue of estoppel (which was not pleaded
and thus do
not arise in the present matter) the court accepted the
applicability of the above.
[91]
In my view the fact that
section 15(2)
leads to
the mortgage bond being an absolute illegality Ms Tshenolo’s
rights of ownership cannot be rescued by the abstract
theory of
transfer of ownership.
[92]
The question is on what basis should I rescind the
judgment. Clearly the bank could not have transferred more rights
that it had
and neither did it obtain a valid judgment against the
executrix given that it failed to cite her or obtained a valid
judgment
against her. She should have been joined.
[93]
Leaving aside whether or not the executrix was wilfully absent
an applicant must demonstrate that
:
“…
. but for
the error he relies on, this Court could not have granted the
impugned order. In other words, the error must be something
this
Court was not aware of at the time the order was made and which would
have precluded the granting of the order in question,
had the Court
been aware of it.”
[14]
[94]
In
Lodhi 2 Properties
Investments CC and Another v Bondev Developments (Pty) Ltd
Streicher
JA (and concurred in by the other members of the bench) held that:
“
Similarly,
in a case where a plaintiff is procedurally entitled to judgment in
the absence of the defendant the judgment if granted
cannot be said
to have been granted erroneously in the light of a subsequently
disclosed defence. A Court which grants a judgment
by default like
the judgments we are presently concerned with, does not grant
the judgment on the basis that the defendant
does not have a defence:
it grants the judgment on the basis that the defendant has been
notified of the plaintiff's claim as required
by the Rules, that the
defendant, not having given notice of an intention to defend, is not
defending the matter and that the plaintiff
is in terms of the Rules
entitled to the order sought. The existence or non-existence of
a defence on the merits is an irrelevant
consideration and, if
subsequently disclosed, cannot transform a validly obtained judgment
into an erroneous judgment”
[15]
[95]
The
above extract was relied upon by Khampepe J writing for the Court in
Zuma
v Secretary of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of
State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector
Including
Organs of State
[16]
I have also considered the decision in
Naude
v Wright
[17]
I am not entirely persuaded that it is on all fours with the facts in
this matter given the final findings with regard to
section 15(2)
of
the MPA.
[96]
In the
present matter the applicant on my finding above had a vital interest
in the outcome of the proceedings and should have been
joined. In
this sense and although the error is not on record, now that a court
is aware of it, it is clearly erroneously granted.
I am thus inclined
to grant relief in terms of
rule 4
2(1)(a).
[18]
[97]
In the alternative and should the above not be a
case of a judgment being erroneously granted it appears to me that
rule 31(2)(b)
may well be of use given the fact that good cause have
been demonstrated and in my view an acceptable explanation for the
delay
has been provided. In any event irrespective of the delay the
absolute illegality and voidness that ensues in the present
circumstances
points towards the need for condonation being granted.
[98]
I am persuaded that the judgment should be
rescinded and consequential relief should be granted based on such
rescission. The executrix
seeks an order to the effect that the
property be transferred in her name. Counsel for the bank correctly
pointed out that such
property should be treated as an asset in the
deceased estate and on that basis, given that the deceased left no
will, the property
should be subject to the laws of intestate
succession in which case the executrix only stands to inherit a
child’s portion.
I am not seized with the administration of the
estate, but the point is well made.
[99]
Adv Mahon S.C., despite this argument, persisted
in the original relief. In my view the following is clear. Due to the
illegality
the bank acquired no rights from the tainted transaction
and could pass no rights to Ms Tshenolo. She was cited as an
interested
party but did not participate in the present litigation. I
assume that as between the bank and herself the consequences of my
judgment
will be reckoned with. I am not seized with these issues..
[100]
I am satisfied that the executrix is entitled to
vindicate the property on the basis of my finding from Ms Tshenolo.
The fact that
the executrix should ultimately deal with the property
as an asset in the estate can be provided for in my order. The
property
should however be vindicated soonest before any other
purchasers become involved.
[101]
All the potential heirs in any event live together
with the executrix.
[102]
In all the circumstances I make the following
order:
1. Condonation for
the late filing of this application is granted to the extent
necessary;
2. The judgement in
Case Number 31834/1993 granted by Cloete J on 18 January 1994 in
favour of the first respondent is hereby
rescinded and set aside
including the order declaring the property executable;
3 Pending the
finalisation of the deceased’s estate the applicant is declared
the lawful owner of the immovable property
located at Erf 1[…],
O[…] W[…], bearing physical address 1[…] M[…]
Street, M[…], O[…],
D[…], Soweto (“the
property”);
4
The third respondent is directed
to forthwith do all things
necessary to re-register and transfer the property into the name of
the applicant;
5 The applicant is
directed to administer the aforesaid property as part of the
deceased’s estate in terms of the law
of intestate succession
to the satisfaction of all the deceased’s heirs.
6 The first
respondent is directed to pay the applicant’s costs on scale C
such costs to include the use of one senior
counsel and one junior
counsel.
S VAN NIEUWENHUIZEN
ACTING JUDGE OF THE
HIGH COURT
JOHANNESBURG
Date
judgment reserved: 27 November 2024
Date
judgment delivered: 21 May 2025
For
the Applicant:
Adv D. Mahon SC
Tel: 083 257
7428
with Adv K Ramcharethar
060 529 4336
The Maisels Group,
Maisels Chambers,
Johannesburg
Instructed
by:
Nishlan Moodley Attorneys
Applicant’s
Attorneys
10 Paula Road,
Olivedale,
Randburg,
2188
Email: deniro@vzlr.co.za
Tel: (011) 462 9032
Fax:(086) 219 3420
Mobile:073 330 6690
Ref :NM/M0567
Email:
info.nmattorneys@gmail.com
c/o Maharaj Attorneys,
First Floor, Henley
House,
Greenacres Offices Park,
Cnr Rustenburg and
Victory Road,
Victory Park,
Tel: (011) 595 9478
For
the 1
st
Respondent: Adv M
Reineke
Mreineke1@mweb.co.za
Group 21 Chambers,
Johannesburg
Tel: 082 411 9452
Instructed
by:
Ramsaywebber,
First Respondent’s
Attorneys
2
nd
Floor,
The Reserve,
54 Melville Road,
Illovo,
Johannesburg
Tel: 011 778 0600
Email:
mr@ramweb.co.za.co.za/ms@ramweb.co.za
Ref : M Strydom/Mr.
M Rahimtoola/MAT9773
For the 2
nd
Respondent: No appearance
Attorneys:
F.R. Pandelani Inc,
2
nd
Floor
Mineralia House,
78 De
Korte Street,
Braamfontein,
Johannesburg
[1]
SA 365(KZD)
[2]
See however
Amalgamated
Banks of South Africa Bpk v De Goede en 'n Ander
-
1997 (4) SA 66
(SCA) where the court dealt with a suretyship and the
judgment in
Investec
Bank Limited v Singh and another
[2024]
JOL 65917
(GP)
[2024]
ZAGPPHC 690 (GP)
;
where
the court dealt with guarantees.
[3]
See 2006(2) SA 264 (SCA)
on p269 para 2
[4]
See 2020(5) SA 111 SCA
[5]
See para 26-32
[6]
See 2012 JDR 2196
(WCC).
[7]
See
2005(2) SA 140 (CC).
[8]
Ex
parte Chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly: In
re Certification of the Constitution of
the
Republic of South Africa
[1996] ZACC 26
; ,
1996
1996
(4) SA 744 (CC) p 800 para 76.
[9]
1992 (2)
SA 665 (N).
[10]
2013(4)
SA 46 (GSJ)
[11]
2010(1)
SA 35 (SCA).
[12]
See
para 22 on p 44 of the decision.
[13]
2011
(2) SA 508 (SCA).
[14]
See
Daniel v President of the
Republic of South Africa
2013
JDR 1439 (CC) para 6.
[15]
See
2007 (6) SA 87
(SCA) para 27.
[16]
See
2021 JDR 2069 (CC) para 63.
[17]
See
2017JDR
1418 (GP).
[18]
See
Erasmus Superior Court
Practice discussion of this rule on RS 25,2024,D1 Rule 42-18-19 and
Clegg v Priestley 1985(3) SA 950 (W).
sino noindex
make_database footer start
Similar Cases
Mogodi v Shackleton Credit Management (Pty) Ltd and Another (2020/22076) [2025] ZAGPJHC 195 (28 February 2025)
[2025] ZAGPJHC 195High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)100% similar
Mogomotsi v Mogale City Local Municipality (A2024-140407) [2025] ZAGPJHC 1218 (24 November 2025)
[2025] ZAGPJHC 1218High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)99% similar
Mogale City Local Municipality and Another v Gelita SA (Pty) Ltd (2021/18762) [2023] ZAGPJHC 46 (16 January 2023)
[2023] ZAGPJHC 46High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)99% similar
Mavuso v S (SS77/2024) [2025] ZAGPJHC 886 (5 September 2025)
[2025] ZAGPJHC 886High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)99% similar
M.M.S v H.K (2023/117058) [2025] ZAGPJHC 387 (17 April 2025)
[2025] ZAGPJHC 387High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)99% similar