Private Law 171: Notes, 2018
Semester 1: Law of Persons
Table of Contents
STUDY UNIT 1: DEFINITIONS OF CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGY ............................................................................. 2
1 DEFINITION OF LAW OF PERSONS: ............................................................................................................................... 3
2 CONCEPTS: .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
3 LEGAL SUBJECT:........................................................................................................................................................ 3
4 LEGAL OBJECT: ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
5 STATUS: .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
STUDY UNIT 2: THE BEGINNING OF LEGAL SUBJECTIVITY ......................................................................................... 5
1 BIRTH: .................................................................................................................................................................... 6
2 REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS ........................................................................................................................................... 6
3 PROTECTION OF THE INTERESTS OF THE UNBORN – THE NASCITURUS-FICTION...................................................................... 8
4 STATUTORY PROVISIONS FOR THE “PROTECTION” OF THE UNBORN FOETUS ....................................................................... 13
5 BIRTH CONTROL ..................................................................................................................................................... 14
STUDY UNIT 3: TERMINATION OF LEGAL SUBJECTIVITY ......................................................................................... 16
1 DEATH ............................................................................................................................................................... 17
2 PRESUMPTION OF DEATH ......................................................................................................................................... 18
3 COMMORIENTES .................................................................................................................................................... 20
STUDY UNIT 4: FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE STATUS ............................................................................................. 20
1 HORIZONTAL & VERTICAL APPLICATION OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS ...................................................................................... 21
2 LAW OF PERSONS & THE BILL OF RIGHTS .................................................................................................................... 21
UNIT 5: FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE STATUS: AGE – THE INFANS ......................................................................... 21
1 LEGAL CAPACITY: .................................................................................................................................................... 22
2 CAPACITY TO ACT: .................................................................................................................................................. 22
3 CAPACITY TO LITIGATE: ............................................................................................................................................ 24
4 CAPACITY TO INCUR DELICTUAL LIABILITY: ................................................................................................................... 24
UNIT 6: FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE STATUS: AGE – THE MINOR .......................................................................... 24
1 LEGAL CAPACITY ..................................................................................................................................................... 26
2 CAPACITY TO ACT.................................................................................................................................................... 26
3 CAPACITY TO LITIGATE ............................................................................................................................................. 32
4 CAPACITY TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR CRIMES AND DELICTS ...................................................................................... 32
5 TERMINATION OF MINORITY .................................................................................................................................. 33
STUDY UNIT 7: FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE STATUS – BIRTH ................................................................................ 34
1 DISTINCTION BETWEEN CHILDREN BORN IN AND OUT OF WEDLOCK ............................................................................... 35
2 PROOF OF PATERNITY ........................................................................................................................................... 36
3 STATUS OF THE CHILD OF UNMARRIED BIOLOGICAL PARENTS ........................................................................................ 37
4 CHANGING THE STATUS OF A CHILD BORN OF UNMARRIED PARENTS................................................................................. 41
STUDY UNIT 8: DOMICILE ...................................................................................................................................... 41
1 MEANING OF DOMICILE ........................................................................................................................................ 42
2 RELEVANCE OF DOMICILE ...................................................................................................................................... 42
3 TYPES OF DOMICILE .............................................................................................................................................. 42
4 SUCCESSION OF DOMICILE ..................................................................................................................................... 44
5 PROBLEMATIC CASES ............................................................................................................................................ 44
6 EVIDENTIARY IMPLICATIONS ................................................................................................................................... 44
STUDY UNIT 9: FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE STATUS – MENTAL ILLNESS ............................................................... 45
1
, 1 GENERAL .............................................................................................................................................................. 45
2 CAPACITY OF A MENTALLY ILL PERSON TO ACT .............................................................................................................. 45
STUDY UNIT 10: FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE STATUS – PRODIGALITY .................................................................. 46
1 GENERAL .............................................................................................................................................................. 46
2 CAPACITY OF PRODIGAL TO ACT ................................................................................................................................. 47
STUDY UNIT 11: FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE STATUS – INSOLVENCY ................................................................... 47
1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................... 47
2 EFFECT OF INSOLVENCY ON CAPACITY TO ACT............................................................................................................... 47
3 CAPACITY TO LITIGATE ............................................................................................................................................. 47
4 LEGAL CAPACITY ..................................................................................................................................................... 48
LIST OF PRESCRIBED CASES .................................................................................................................................... 48
Study Unit 1: Definitions of Concepts and Terminology
In this study unit students are exposed to certain basic legal principles and concepts that play an important role in the
Law of Persons. One could even go as far as stating that these basic concepts play a key role throughout your student
years as well as in future practice.
After completion of the course students should be able to:
1. Draw a distinction between objective law and subjective law
2. Define “legal subject”
3. Define “law of persons”
4. Explain who or what can be classified as legal subjects
5. Distinguish between the two different types of legal subjects
6. Explain what is meant by the term “status”
7. Explain what is meant by the following competencies:
a. Legal capacity
b. Capacity to act
c. Capacity to litigate
d. Capacity to be held accountable for crimes and delicts
OUTLINE
• Definition of Law of Persons
• Concepts
• Legal subjects
• Legal Objects
• Status
STUDY MATERIAL
• Prescribed: Heaton The South African Law of Persons (hereafter Law of Persons) 1 - 6; 35 - 37.
Explain the meaning of the following concepts
• The Law of Persons
• Legal subject and legal subjectivity
• Status
• Legal subject and legal object
• Natural and legal persons
• The objective law
• Subjective rights
2
,1 Definition of Law of Persons:
• That part of the objective law (specifically private law) that regulates certain things. The LOP determines
which entities are legal subjects and it regulates the coming into existence, the private law status and the
coming to an end of a natural person as a legal subject.
2 Concepts:
Law viewed from 2 angles:
1. Objective law:
a. System of norms of conduct or rules provided by competent bodies regulating relations between
members of the community. For eg. Pacta sunt servanda: fulfilling ones contracts.
b. The law of South Africa. The National law.
c. Subdivided: into public, private and mercantile law.
i. Public law -> Officer of the state enforcing the law against a legal person.
ii. Private law -> deals with relationships between legal subjects.
iii. Mercantile law -> falls under both public and private law. In public: tax. In private: a
company’s relationship with its shareholders (juristic persons).
2. Subjective law:
a. Network of legal relationships amongst legal subjects. For eg. When someone owns a vehicle
(object), they have a right to that vehicle in respect of other persons.
b. The objective law determines the content and limit of every subjective right. For eg. The owner of a
car may, inter alia (among other things), drive the car but may not do so in a way that would cause
harm to others.
Regarding the law and rights, there is a dual relationship:
1. Subject – subject relationship; this is a right with a corresponding obligation. Bearer of the right is entitled to
the right and other legal subjects have an obligation to respect that right.
2. Subject – object relationship; a right relating to an object.
The connection is that the objective law determines the content and limit of every subjective right.
3 Legal subject:
• An entity that can have rights, duties and capacities. Legal subject is granted legal personality by the law.
Legal subjectivity for a natural person begins at birth.
4 Legal object:
• Defined by 3 aspects
o Any object with economic value;
o in respect of which a legal subject can have rights, duties & capacities; and
o does not have rights, duties & capacities.
Difference between the two: human beings (legal subjects) can act which can have legal consequences. Legal subjects
can act with regard to and in respect of, legal objects – can have ownership over. Whereas, legal objects have no
rights, duties and capacities.
Roman jurists:
• Held the concept of persona = “human being” as a legal subject.
• Did not consider monstra (children born deformed) and slaves as legal subjects.
Legal objects and the rights they confer on legal subjects:
Object Right Eg.
Corporeal things Real right. A tangible thing. Eg: A right
3
, someone has in respect of
their car. Ownership over the
car.
Performance Personal right, or a claim. Person A has a right to claim
performance from person B in
terms of an
agreement/contract.
Personality property Personality right. Right to your reputation,
honour, identity, & physical
integrity.
Immaterial property Immaterial property right. Not tangible. Refers to
copyright and patent rights to
intellectual property.
Legal subjects:
• Natural person; all human beings. Can have rdc but the content of these rdc may vary depending on certain
factors (eg. Age and mental capacity). To distinguish from other personae iuris, human beings are known as
natural persons.
o Slaves and monstra were excluded from legal personality, in ancient law. Slaves were legal objects
ito (in terms of) Roman and Germanic law. Monstra = children born seriously malformed.
• Juristic person; certain associations of natural persons to which legal personality is granted and a new legal
subject arises. The juristic person’s legal existence is independent to its members’. The juristic person
acquires rights, duties and capacities when it’s functionaries act on behalf of it. The following 2 entities are
juristic persons;
o 1. Companies, banks, mutual banks, close corporations, & co-operatives; incorporated in terms of –
general enabling legislation.
o 2. Universities, semi-state organizations, & public corporations (eg. SABC); especially created &
recognized in – separate legislation.
o These juristic persons are known as universitates (plural). Under the common law requirements, a
universitas (singular) must;
§ Have continuous existence despite amount of members varying.
§ Have rights, duties & capacities in its own right.
§ Its object must not be the acquisition of gain.
§ Note: Partnerships aren’t juristic persons nor is a trust.
5 Status:
A person’s standing in law. Determined by;
a) Domicile (your permanent home)
b) Birth outside of marriage
c) Youth
d) Physical illness or incapacity
e) Mental illness or incapacity
f) Intoxication
g) Prodigality (the reckless spending of money)
h) Insolvency (inability to pay debt)
A person’s status is determined by a persons capacities. No one can change the capacities arising from his/her status
but they can change certain aspects of their status for eg. Domicile.
Capacities:
The capacities that a legal subject can have, that come from the law in the objective sense, are sometimes called
“competences”.
Most NB capacities;
4
, • Legal capacity – rights and duties
• Capacity to act – to perform valid juristic acts
• Capacity to litigate (legal standing in law = “locus standi in iudicio”) – to enforce rights and duties in a lawsuit
• Accountability – capacity to be held accountable for crimes and delicts
Legal Capacity:
• To have rights and duties.
• Applies to all legal subjects. Eg. Infants, mentally ill, insolvent, etc.
• Rights and duties (status) differ when a person has limited legal capacity. For eg; an infant (child below age
of 7) may not marry and can therefore not have rights that arise from marriage.
• Certain legal subjects can’t have certain rights or duties.
Capacity to act:
• To perform valid juristic acts.
• Juristic act = human act to which the law attaches some of the consequences desired by the party or parties
performing the act.
• Valid juristic act – if the law attaches consequences to a person’s declaration of intent.
• Person must have achieved a level of intellectual development before the law grants him or her, capacity to
act.
• For eg.
o Infants (children below 7 years) & mentally ill persons = no capacity to act.
§ Yet a certain person may act on their behalf.
o Minors (7-18 years) = limited capacity to act.
Capacity to litigate:
• Locus standi in iudicio/judicio – capacity to appear in court.
• When appearing in court, a person has the capacity to be; an applicant, respondent, or a plaintiff in law.
• It may be considered that everyone has all 3 of the above capacities (legal capacity, capacity to act and
capacity to litigate).
• Even infantes and mentally ill persons have capacity to act and litigate, just not on their own behalf.
• Can’t perform some juristic acts at all à marry or execute a will.
Capacity to be held accountable for crimes and delicts:
• Influenced by age and mental condition because fault in the form of intent (dolus) or negligence (culpa) is a
requirement for criminal and delictual liability.
• Ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and to act in accordance with this.
• If someone cannot have fault (for eg. due to age or mental illness) then they cannot be held accountable.
Study Unit 2: The beginning of legal subjectivity
This study unit is dedicated to the studying of the beginning of legal subjectivity. In the previous study unit it was seen
that the South African Law distinguishes between two different types of legal subjects, namely natural persons and
juristic persons. The Law of Persons is limited to the former and in this study unit one will determine when a natural
person attains legal subjectivity. It will, however, become clear that there are situations in which the interests of the
unborn foetus are protected. This study unit is, in addition to this, aimed at establishing the legal principles that will
apply to these exceptional circumstances. Finally, regard will also be had to the formal requirements of registration of
birth.
After completion of the course students should be able to:
• Explain the juristic requirements for the beginning of legal subjectivity
5
, • Explain the meaning of “birth” for purposes of section 239 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977
• Explain the meaning of “birth” for purposes of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 51 of 1992
• Explain under whose surname a child born of married parents will be registered
• Explain under whose surname a child born of unmarried parents will be registered
• Explain who has the legal obligation to register a child and within which time period registration must take
place
• Explain, apply and critically evaluate the nasciturus fiction
• Explain the situations under which the interests of the unborn foetus will be protected by legislation
• Discuss the provisions relating to sterilisation and birth control
OUTLINE
1. Birth
2. Registration of Births
3. Protection of the unborn foetus – Nasciturus Fiction
4. Statutory provisions for the protection of the unborn foetus’ interests
5. Birth control
1 Birth:
STUDY MATERIAL
1. Prescribed: The Law of Persons pg 7
2. Supplementary: S 239 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977
3. S 9 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 51 of 1992
QUESTIONS:
1. What are the different meanings of “birth” in the following contexts: s 239 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51
of 1977, s 9 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 51 of 1992, birth as the moment when legal
subjectivity begins.
2. Is viability a requirement for legal subjectivity? Should it be? Explain your answer.
Legal subjectivity:
• Ability of a legal subject to, through his/her capacities, take part in legal intercourse.
The beginning of legal personality:
• Natural person’s legal personality begins at birth.
• Foetus is not a legal subject.
• Different legal disciplines have different definitions of birth (NB):
o Law of Criminal Procedure
§ According to s239(1) Criminal Proc. Act 51/1977; “deemed to have been born alive if…
proved to have breathed”.
o Administrative Law
§ Parents/guardians/state has a statutory obligation to register the birth of a child under the
Births & Deaths Registration Act 51/1992 according to which, birth is defined as the living
birth of a child who showed specific signs of life (breathed, cried, movement of fingers etc.).
o Law of Persons
§ Birth must be fully completed. There must be separation between mother and child (not
including the severing of umbilical cord).
§ Child must live after separation (even if only for a short period). Stillborn or children who die
during birth do not acquire legal personality.
§ Some authors say a child must be viable (able to live after birth) before he/she is granted
legal personality, but viability is a vague concept so it is suggested that it not be a
requirement.
2 Registration of births
6
