Case Law[2022] ZAGPJHC 3South Africa
Standard Bank of South Africa Limited v Lamont (17022/2018) [2022] ZAGPJHC 3; 2022 (3) SA 537 (GJ) (25 January 2022)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)
25 January 2022
Headnotes
SUMMARY JUDGMENT
Judgment
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# South Africa: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
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## Standard Bank of South Africa Limited v Lamont (17022/2018) [2022] ZAGPJHC 3; 2022 (3) SA 537 (GJ) (25 January 2022)
Standard Bank of South Africa Limited v Lamont (17022/2018) [2022] ZAGPJHC 3; 2022 (3) SA 537 (GJ) (25 January 2022)
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sino date 25 January 2022
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REPUBLIC
OF SOUTH AFRICA
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
GAUTENG
LOCAL DIVISION, JOHANNESBURG
CASE
NO: 17022/2018
REPORTABLE: YES
OF INTEREST TO OTHER
JUDGES: YES
REVISED.
25/1/2022
In
the matter between:
STANDARD
BANK OF SOUTH AFRICA LIMITED
Applicant
and
CLINT
JOHN
LAMONT
Respondent
Civil
procedure – application of Uniform Rule 46A in summary judgment
proceedings – application is deficient if it fails
to comply
with Rule 46A(4)(ii) – consequence of non-compliance is that
Court unable properly to comply with its obligations
under Rule
46A(2) – practitioners cautioned to ensure compliance in
drafting applications seeking order declaring property
specially
executable in summary judgment proceedings
J
U D G M E N T
KEIGHTLEY,
J:
INTRODUCTION
AND PROCEDURAL ISSUES
1.
This is an application for summary judgment
against the respondent for payment of a capital amount of R601 152.
71, and interest.
The applicant’s cause of action is an alleged
breach of a home loan agreement. In addition, the applicant seeks an
order
declaring certain immovable property executable. It is common
cause that the property is the primary residence of the respondent
and his family, which includes three children. Accordingly, Rule 46A
applies.
2.
As the summary judgment was applied for prior to
the effective date of the amendment effected to Uniform Rule 32, the
pre-amendment
rule applies. Although the respondent has not yet filed
a plea to the summons issued against him, he filed an affidavit
opposing
the grant of summary judgment indicating his defence. The
matter was enrolled subsequently as an opposed motion.
3.
There were some procedural complications in the
matter arising from the fact that the applicant was bound to comply
with the procedure
prescribed by Rule 46A of the Uniform Rules of
Court, and at the same time was required to comply with the procedure
to be followed
in summary judgment applications. As a result, I had
to refer the matter back to the parties many times to ensure that
everything
that needed to be before the court was placed in the court
file.
4.
One of the difficulties was that because the
applicant was guided primarily by the fact that it was seeking relief
by summary judgment,
it did not comply with Rules 46A(3) and (4).
These Rules provide that:
“
(3)
Every notice of application to declare residential immovable property
executable shall be —
(a)
substantially in
accordance with Form 2A of Schedule 1;
(b)
on notice to the
judgment debtor and to any other party who may be affected by the
sale in execution, including the entities referred
to in rule
46(5)
(a)
:
Provided that the court may order service on any other party it
considers necessary;
(c)
supported by
affidavit which shall set out the reasons for the application and the
grounds on which it is based; and
(d)
served by the sheriff
on the judgment debtor personally: Provided that the court may order
service in any other manner.
(4)
(a)
The
applicant shall in the notice of application —
(i)
state the date on which the application is to be heard;
(ii)
inform every respondent cited therein that if the respondent intends
to oppose the application or make submissions to the court,
the
respondent must do so on affidavit within 10 days of service of the
application and appear in court on the date on which the
application
is to be heard;
(iii)
appoint a physical address within 15 kilometres of the office of the
registrar at which the applicant will accept service
of all documents
in these proceedings; and
(iv)
state the applicant’s postal, facsimile or electronic mail
address where available.
(b)
The
application shall not be set down for hearing on a date less than
five days after expiry of the period referred to in
paragraph
(a)
(ii).”
5.
Compliance with these Rules is obviously important
because in terms of Rule 46A(6)(a):
“
A
respondent, upon service of an application referred to in sub (3),
may-
(i)
oppose the application; or
(ii)
oppose the application and make submissions which are relevant to the
making of an appropriate order
by the court; or
(iii)
without opposing the application, make submissions which are relevant
to the making of an appropriate order
by the court.”
6.
It is only if a respondent has been given the
opportunity to “
make submissions
which are relevant to the making of an appropriate order by the
court
”
that the court can
properly exercise the discretion it is required to under Rule 46A(2),
which reads:
(2)
(a)
A
court considering an application under this rule must —
(i)
establish whether the immovable property which the execution creditor
intends to execute against is the primary residence of
the judgment
debtor; and
(ii)
consider alternative means by the judgment debtor of satisfying the
judgment debt, other than execution against the judgment
debtor’s
primary residence.
(b)
A
court shall not authorise execution against immovable property which
is the primary residence of a judgment debtor unless the
court,
having considered all relevant factors, considers that execution
against such property is warranted.
(c)
The
registrar shall not issue a writ of execution against the residential
immovable property of any judgment debtor unless a court
has ordered
execution against such property.
7.
In this case, while the respondent had been
notified in the summons that his s 26 rights might be imperiled, and
while he had filed
an affidavit opposing the application for summary
judgment, he had never been informed, as is required under sub-rule
46A(4)(ii)
that he had a period of 10 days within which to make
submissions to the court on an appropriate order. In other words, it
had never
been drawn to his attention that, quite apart from setting
out a defence to the summary judgment application, he was also
entitled
to draw the court’s attention to any information
regarding his personal circumstances and how an order of
executability might
affect him.
8.
This was not a deliberate ploy on the part of the
applicant. It was simply a result of a failure by the lawyers
drafting the pleadings
in the matter effectively to marry the summary
judgment procedure with that of Rule 46, which requires that this
specific notice
be given to the respondent. Of course, some
respondents, particularly those who are legally represented, may, as
a matter of course
in their affidavit opposing summary judgment, also
make submissions to the court regarding their personal circumstances
and the
consequences to them of an order of executability being made.
However, in this case, the respondent had not done so, merely stating
generally in his opposing affidavit that he would be rendered
homeless if an order was granted.
9.
For this reason, I was not satisfied that there
had been substantial compliance with the notice requirement embedded
in Rules 46A(3),
(4) and (6), or that the respondent had been given a
proper opportunity to make the specific representations identified in
those
sub-rules. Without those representations, I did not feel that I
could comply with my obligations under Rule 46A to ensure that the
order I made was appropriate. In order to avoid unnecessary legal
costs (which in these matters usually increase the debt burden
on the
respondent home-loan debtor) and further time delays, I gave the
respondent an opportunity to file an affidavit providing
the
information that he was entitled to provide to the court under
subrule 46A(6)(a). Having received this affidavit, which sets
out in
detail what the respondent’s family circumstances are, I am now
in a position to make a determination on the issue.
10.
However, I think it is important to caution
practitioners when drafting papers in similar matters to ensure that
the requirements
of Rule 46A do not fall by the wayside when seeking
orders of executability by way of summary judgment against home-loan
debtors.
This may require a hybrid application in which notice is
given to the respondent both of her rights under Rule 32, and her
rights
under Rule 46A. The most important objective is to ensure that
the respondent is notified that in addition to opposing the summary
judgment application, or even in the event that she elects not to do
so, she is nonetheless entitled under subrule 46A(6) to make
representations to the court regarding what effect an order of
executability may have on her and her family’s right to housing
under s 26 of the Constitution.
SUMMARY JUDGMENT
11.
The respondent’s defence to the applicant’s
application for summary judgment is that the loan was extended to him
in
contravention of the provisions prohibiting reckless credit
agreements under the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 (the Act), and
the loan agreement is thus null and void. Section 80(1) of the Act
provides that:
“
(1)
A credit agreement is reckless if, at the time that the agreement was
made, or at the time when the amount approved in terms
of the
agreement is increased, other than an increase in terms of section
119 (4)-
(a)
the
credit provider failed to conduct an assessment as required by
section 81 (2), irrespective of what the outcome of such an
assessment might have concluded at the time; or
(b)
the credit provider, having conducted an
assessment as required by section 81 (2), entered into the credit
agreement with the consumer
despite the fact that the preponderance
of information available to the credit provider indicated that-
(i)
the
consumer did not generally understand or appreciate the consumer's
risks, costs or obligations under the proposed credit agreement;
or
(ii)
entering
into that credit agreement would make the consumer over-indebted.”
12.
Section 81 is also relevant. It provides that:
(1)
When applying for a credit agreement, and while
that application is being considered by the credit provider, the
prospective consumer
must fully and truthfully answer any requests
for information made by the credit provider as part of the assessment
required by
this section.
(2)
A credit provider
must not enter into a credit agreement without first taking
reasonable steps to assess-
(a)
the proposed
consumer's-
(i)
general understanding and appreciation of the risks and costs of the
proposed credit, and of the rights and obligations of a
consumer
under a credit agreement;
(ii)
debt re-payment history as a consumer under credit agreements;
(iii)
existing financial means, prospects and obligations; and
(b)
whether there is a
reasonable basis to conclude that any commercial purpose may prove to
be successful, if the consumer has such
a purpose for applying for
that credit agreement.
(3)
A credit provider must not enter into a reckless credit agreement
with a prospective consumer.
(4)
For
all purposes of this Act, it is a complete defence to an allegation
that a credit agreement is reckless if-
(a)
the credit provider
establishes that the consumer failed to fully and truthfully answer
any requests for information made by the
credit provider as part of
the assessment required by this section; and
(b)
a court or the
Tribunal determines that the consumer's failure to do so materially
affected the ability of the credit provider to
make a proper
assessment.”
13.
The respondent says that in June 2000 he had been
placed under administration by an order of the Magistrate’s
Court in Boksburg
in terms of s 74 of the Magistrates Court Act 32 of
1944. He does not have documentation from the court to substantiate
this averment,
but he annexed a letter from his alleged attorney at
the time confirming that he was placed under administration. The
respondent
says that he was still under administration when he
applied for the loan from the applicant.
14.
At that stage he was employed, but was having
financial difficulties. In about August 2007, he needed additional
finance. He already
had a smaller bond over the immovable property of
R80 000. He was turned down by other financial institutions when he
sought financial
assistance. He says that this was because they
picked up that there was an active administration order against his
name.
15.
A friend then advised him to approach “
a
certain company
”
whose details he
can no longer remember. This company was assisting people to get
loans from the applicant. The company asked him
to bring a copy of
his ID book, proof of residence, a municipal account and three
months’ salary advices. He did this and
he says he told the
person he was dealing with at this company that he had a negative
credit rating. However, they told him this
would not be a problem. He
says that he even told the person at this unnamed company that he was
under administration, as she noticed
a garnishee order on his salary
advice. He sought a loan of R500 000.
16.
Three weeks later he was telephoned by this
consultant at the unnamed company who advised him that his
application had been successful,
although the applicant was only
prepared to approve an amount of R320 000, after doing an
“
affordability test
”
.
The respondent says that: “
I have
every reason to believe the person or consultant who assisted me to
apply for the loan or bond was an agent or intermediary
of the
Plaintiff. I say so because following the representations I have
explained elsewhere, the Plaintiff and I signed a Mortgage
Agreement
(on) 27th September 2007… .
”
17.
The nub of his defence then follows. He says that:
“
I submit that the granting of the
loan and the subsequent registration of a mortgage bond was so done
by the Plaintiff with the
full knowledge that I was a person under
administration. It is on the basis set out above that I submit that
the conduct of the
Plaintiff/Applicant constitute (sic) reckless
credit.
”
He says that loan
agreement should be declared to be of no force and effect.
18.
The
rationale and requirements for the grant or refusal of summary
judgment are trite. They are neatly summarised in the Supreme
Court
of Appeal judgment in
Joob
Joob Investments
[1]
as
follows:
“
The
rationale for summary judgment proceedings is impeccable. The
procedure is not intended to deprive a defendant with a triable
issue
or a sustainable defence of her/his day in court. After almost a
century of successful application in our courts, summary
judgment
proceedings can hardly continue to be described as extraordinary. Our
courts, both of first instance and at appellate
level, have during
that time rightly been trusted to ensure that a defendant with a
triable issue is not shut out. In the
Maharaj
case
at 425G–426E, Corbett JA was keen to ensure, first, an
examination of whether there has been sufficient disclosure by
a
defendant of the nature and grounds of his defence and the facts upon
which it is founded. The second consideration is that the
defence so
disclosed must be both bona fide and good in law. A court which is
satisfied that this threshold has been crossed is
then bound to
refuse summary judgment. Corbett JA also warned against requiring of
a defendant the precision apposite to pleadings.
However, the learned
judge was equally astute to ensure that recalcitrant debtors pay what
is due to a creditor.
Having
regard to its purpose and its proper application, summary judgment
proceedings only hold terrors and are drastic for a defendant
who has
no defence. Perhaps the time has come to discard these labels and to
concentrate rather on the proper application of the
rule, as set out
with customary clarity and elegance by Corbett JA in the
Maharaj
case
at 425G–426E.”
19.
The defendant must place sufficient facts before
the court to satisfy it that on the facts disclosed by the defendant,
she has a
defence that is
bona fid
e
and good in law. The defence must not be bald, vague or sketchy.
20.
One of the problems with the respondent’s
defence is that it is very vague about the identity of the company
that apparently
assisted him to secure the loan. This is a material
problem because on his own version, he says that the applicant had
full knowledge
that he was under administration, and yet recklessly
proceeded to grant him the loan. In order to succeed with this aspect
of his
defence, the respondent would have to show, as he says, that
the unnamed company, and unidentified person from the company who
acted as a go-between for him was an “
agent
or intermediary
”
of the
applicant. The only reason he gives for this conclusion is that the
loan agreement was entered into thereafter. It does not
seem to me
that on his own version the respondent provides sufficient facts to
establish that the so-called intermediary, whom
he avers knew of his
financial difficulties and the administration order, was an agent of
the applicant. On the bald and sketchy
facts pleaded, this is not
evident.
21.
There is a further difficulty for the respondent.
He confirms that he signed the loan agreement. This agreement is
attached to the
applicant’s particulars of claim, including the
terms and conditions of the loan, which were signed by him too. On
the last
page of the terms and conditions, under the heading:
“Acceptance”, the respondent was asked to confirm that:
21.1.
the quotation/cost of credit and the terms and
conditions had been fully explained to him and that he understood his
rights and
obligations and the risks and costs of the loan;
21.2.
he had been informed that he could refer any
further questions he may have to the applicant at any time;
21.3.
he accepted the offer of the loan contained in
Part A and the related terms and conditions and confirmed that:
21.3.1.
he could afford the capital and interest payments
and the fees referred to in the agreement;
21.3.2.
he was not under debt review, nor applied for debt
review.
21.3.3.
he was aware that he should not accept the
agreement unless he understood his rights and obligations, and the
risks and costs of
the loan.
22.
Clause 18.10 of the document appears on the
previous page. In it, as one of the general terms and conditions of
the loan, the respondent
was directed as follows: “
You
must tell us immediately if you are placed under an administration
order
, become insolvent, or have
any other form of legal disability
.”
(My emphasis). Furthermore, under clause 14 of the agreement, it was
expressly noted that default under the agreement would
occur if:
22.1.
he was placed under administration order, or
22.2.
any representation made or given in connection
with the application of any information supplied by him was
materially incorrect.
23.
By signing the agreement, the respondent confirmed
that he understood the terms and conditions, and that he understood
his obligations
under the agreement. Therefore, he understood that he
had an obligation to tell the applicant if he was placed under
administration.
He also understood that if he gave the applicant
false information or made a false representation, this would
constitute an act
of default by him. Despite this, on the
respondent’s own version, he signed the agreement knowing that
he was under an administration
order, knowing that he would have
difficulty repaying the loan, and yet keeping this information from
the applicant, in breach
of the very conditions he signed as having
understood.
24.
Section 81(1) of the Act provides that a
prospective consumer must fully and truthfully answer any request for
information made
by the credit provider as part of the assessment
required. Section 81(4), which is cited in full earlier is important.
It provides
that it will constitute a complete defence to a claim of
reckless credit if the credit provider establishes that the
consumer
failed to fully and truthfully answer any requests for
information, and a court finds that this failure materially affected
the
credit provider
’
s ability to make
a proper assessment.
25.
From the facts averred by the respondent, and his
signature of the loan agreement, it is plain that he did not fully
and truthfully
answer the requests for information as part of the
assessment. He did not advise the applicant that he was under an
administration
order. There can be no question that this would have
materially affected the applicant’s ability to make a proper
assessment.
This provides the applicant with a complete defence to
the respondent’s reckless credit averment on which he relies.
It follows
that the respondent has failed to show that he has a
bona
fide
defence to the applicant’s
claim that is good in law.
26.
Summary judgment must be entered in favour of the
applicant.
AN APPROPRIATE ORDER
UNDER RULE 46A
27.
Rule 46A was enacted to formalise a procedure for
the protection of the right to housing in circumstances where an
execution creditor
seeks to execute against a debtor’s primary
residence. It followed in the footsteps of many judgments which had
sought, incrementally,
to ensure that the execution process did not
undermine this fundamental right.
28.
On the
other hand, these judgments, and indeed the Rule itself, recognise
that a balance needs to be struck between the protection
of a
debtor’s right to housing, which is threatened by execution,
and the rights of the execution creditor to enforce its
contractual
and real rights against the debtor. So, for example, in
Gundwana
,
[2]
the
Constitutional Court directed that it is only when there is
disproportionality between the means used in the execution process
to
exact payment of the judgment debt, compared to other available means
to attend the same purpose, that alarm bells should start
ringing. In
Foscher
,
[3]
a full
court of this Division laid down a list of factors that ought to be
considered by a court in determining whether an order
of
executability was warranted. It included a consideration of the
proportionality of prejudice the creditor may suffer if execution
were to be refused compared to the prejudice the debtor would suffer
if execution went ahead and she lost her home.
29.
Rule 46A(2)(B) directs that a court: “
may
not authorise execution against immovable property which is the
primary residence of a judgment debtor unless the court, having
considered all relevant factors, considers that execution against
such property is warranted
.”
Inherent in the process of making this determination is the need for
the court to consider factors relevant to weighing
the balance of
prejudice between the right of the judgment debtor to her home, on
the one hand, with the rights of the judgment
creditor to extract
payment of the debt, on the other.
30.
One of
the factors the Rule requires the court to consider is whether there
are alternative means by which the judgment debtor might
satisfy the
debt, other than via execution of the property.
[4]
Rule
46A(8)(d) authorises the court to “
order
execution against the primary residence of a judgment debtor if there
is no other satisfactory means of satisfying the judgment
debt
.”
The court must also be provided with documents indicating the market
value of the property, the local authority valuation,
amounts owing
to the local authority as rates and other dues, and any other factor
which may be necessary to the exercise of the
court’s
discretion as to an appropriate order.
31.
Folscher
lists a
number of specific factors that may be relevant to the exercise of a
court’s discretion to authorise execution. They
include the
arrears outstanding under the bond when it was called up; the arrears
on the date judgment is sought; the debtor’s
payment history;
the total amount owing; whether there is any possibility that the
judgment debtor’s liability may be liquidated
within a
reasonable period without having to execute against the property;
whether the debtor will lose access to housing as a
result of
execution being levied against her home; and the position of the
debtor’s dependents and other occupants of the
house.
32.
In this case, the respondent has provided the
court with details of his and his family’s personal
circumstances and how they
will be affected if execution is ordered.
The immovable property is the family home. The respondent is 42 and
the head of a household
of five (including himself). He lives in the
home with his customary law wife and their three children. The eldest
is 17 and the
youngest is 11 years of age. The children all attend
school in the area. Although the respondent is only 42 years of age,
he provides
proof of serious health problems which mean that he is
unemployable. He is the recipient of a SASSA temporary disability
grant
of R1 800 per month. In addition, the family receives R450 per
month as a child grant in respect of two of the children. The
respondent’s
wife does not work and she is his carer. The
respondent and his family survive on the financial grants. They have
no other income.
33.
There can be no question that if execution against
the property is ordered, the family stand to lose their present home.
This will
not automatically mean that the family will be rendered
homeless, as they could only be lawfully evicted from their home by a
subsequent
order of court. However, execution would undoubtedly be
the first step in a process that might lead to homelessness. Given
the
family’s precarious situation, the state would have an
obligation to provide them with alternative emergency accommodation
should they ultimately face the threat of eviction.
34.
The respondent and his family’s situation is
plainly tragic. However, I need to balance his interests, and those
of his minor
children, with the interests of the judgment creditor.
Compliance with contractual obligations is an important element of
the rule
of law, as are the enforcement of real rights held by third
parties in another’s property. The applicant’s
constitutional
protection of its property rights is also relevant and
must be balanced against those of the respondent.
35.
The facts show that there is simply no other way
in which the respondent’s indebtedness can be satisfied save
through a sale
of the immovable property. When summons was issued the
respondent’s arrears on his bond payments were R94 000. Since
then,
they have escalated to R334 000, which is the equivalent of 44
months of arrears. His last substantial payment into the bond account
was on 3 March 2018. At that stage, he had already accumulated 17
months’ worth of arrears. In short, for a number of years,
now,
the respondent has been in arrears on his bond repayments. He is
unemployable and dependent on state assistance. There seems
to be no
other income stream that may be tapped to pay the monthly
instalments, let alone the arrears.
36.
Unfortunately, the respondent is in a hopeless
situation. While the consequences of losing his current home will be
serious for
him and his family, the applicant cannot be expected to
continue to provide housing for them when there is no prospect at all
that
the respondent is likely to be able to rectify the situation and
comply with his obligations to the applicant. It seems to me that
this is one of those cases where the sale of the primary residence is
unavoidable.
37.
Does this mean that an immediate order of
execution is warranted? Given the dire circumstances in which the
respondent and his family
find themselves, a factor to consider is
whether the possibility of a private sale of the property should not
first be explored
before resorting to execution and sale by auction.
Although a reserve price would be appropriate, this is no guarantee
that a sale
in execution will provide the family with an effective
opportunity to realise the best value they can for the property.
38.
This seems to me to be one of those cases where
the interests of the parties will be balanced most appropriately by
authorising
the execution of the property, with an appropriate
reserve price, but suspending the operation of the order of execution
for a
period of a few months to allow the respondent, possibly with
the assistance of the applicant, the opportunity to market the
property
for private sale. These types of orders are not uncommon in
this Division, and in my view such an order would be appropriate in
this case.
39.
As to the reserve price, the applicant has
provided a valuation which gives the market value of the property as
R650 000, and a
forced sale value of R450 000. The respondent
disputes that this is an accurate valuation and contends that the
value of the property
is higher. He says that he attempted to sell
the property privately in early 2018 and that an estate agent at the
time told him
that it could be sold for R750 000. However, he did not
secure a buyer. The respondent provided a summary of property sales
by
Property 24 in the area between March 2018 and June 2021. The
prices range from R550 000 to R955 000. Of course, these are not
valuations, and I have no details of the types of properties involved
and how they might compare to the respondent’s property.
I
cannot simply accept on this basis the respondent’s assertion
that an appropriate reserve price would be between R700 000
and R900
000.
40.
It is also important to bear in mind that a
reserve price must be realistic: it cannot be so high that the
auction is likely to
fail to attract a buyer. That would serve the
interests of neither party. In particular, the respondent, as
judgment debtor, ultimately
would be burdened with the increased
costs associated with a failed execution process.
41.
The respondent’s capital debt as reflected
in the latest certificate of balance at the time the Rule 46A
affidavit by the
applicant was deposed to was over R770 000. It is
unlikely, in my view, that a reserve price close to this amount would
be realistic.
What I intend to do is to set a reserve price of R600
000 in my order. However, I will permit either of the parties to
approach
the court, on the same papers, supplemented as needs be, to
seek an amendment to the reserve price. My reason for making
provision
for this is that the marketing of the property in the
interim may give a better sense of what may be a realistic reserve
price.
42.
I accordingly make the following order:
1.
Judgment is entered against the Respondent for payment of the amount
of R601
152. 71, together with interest on this amount at the rate of
14.65% per annum calculated from 26 March 2018 to date of payment,
both dates inclusive.
2.
Subject to paragraph 5 below, the property mortgaged to the Applicant
described
as follows is declared specially executable:
Erf [....] ELANDFONTEIN
TOWNSHIP REGISTRATION DIVISION: I.R, PROVINCE OF GAUTENG
IN EXTENT 831 (EIGHT
HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SQUARE METRES, HELD BY DEED OF TRANSFER NO.
T[....]
SUBJECT TO ALL THE TERMS
AND CONDITIONS CONTAINED THEREIN ("the Property" ).
3.
Subject to paragraph 5 below, the registrar is authorised to issue a
writ of
execution in respect of the property.
4.
The auction of the property under the writ of execution is subject to
a reserve
price of R600 000, save that either party may approach the
court on the same papers, supplemented as needs be, to apply for an
amendment to the reserve price so set.
5.
The effect of paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 above is suspended for a period
of four months
from the date of this judgment in order to permit the
property to be marketed for purposes of a private sale. If no
agreement of
sale has been secured by the end of this period the
orders under paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 will automatically take effect.
6.
The Respondent's attention is drawn to
section 129(3)
of the
National
Credit Act No. 34 of 2005
in that the respondent may pay to the
Applicant all amounts that are overdue together with the Applicant's
permitted default charges
and all reasonable taxed or agreed costs of
enforcing the agreement prior to the sale and transfer of the
property and so revive
the credit agreement.
7.
The Respondent is directed to pay the costs of the Applicant on an
attorney and
client scale.
This
judgement was prepared and authored by the Judge whose name is
reflected and is handed down electronically by circulation to
the
Parties/their legal representatives by email and by uploading it to
the electronic file of this matter on CaseLines. The date
for
hand-down is deemed to be 21 January 2022.
KEIGHTLEY
J
JUDGE OF THEHIGH COURT
GAUTENG LOCAL DIVISION
Date
Heard (Via Ms-Teams):
At various sittings between 7 June 2021 and 12 October 2021, when
final submissions received
Date
of Judgment:
25 January 2022
On
behalf of the Applicant:
ZE Mohamed
Instructed
by:
JOUBERT SCHOLTZ INC.
On
behalf of the Respondent:
Mr Lamont, in person
[1]
Joob
Joob Investments (Pty) Ltd v Stocks Mavundla Zek Joint Venture
2009
(5) SA 1
(SCA)
at
11G–12D
[2]
Gundwana
v Steko Development
2011
(3) SA 608
(CC) at 626F-G
[3]
First
Rand Bank v Folscher and Another, and Similar Matters
2011
(4) SA 314 (GNP)
[4]
Rule
46A(2)(a)(ii)
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