Civil Procedure 371: Semester 1
Table of Contents
STUDY UNIT 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................................2
1.1 WHAT IS CIVIL PROCEDURE .................................................................................................................................................................. 2
1.2 COURT SYSTEM AND OFFICIALS (JUST READ THROUGH)............................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 WHERE TO FIND THE RELEVANT LAW ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
1.4 CONSTITUTIONAL IMPACT ON CIVIL PROCEDURE........................................................................................................................................ 9
1.5 MAP OF CIVIL PROCEDURE .................................................................................................................................................................. 11
STUDY UNIT 2: CAUSE OF ACTION (BEFORE LITIGATION)......................................................................................................................15
2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................. 15
2.2 DELICTUAL CLAIMS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 15
2.3 CONTRACTUAL CLAIMS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17
2.4 DIVORCE ACTIONS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 18
2.5 CLAIMS BASED ON LIQUID DOCUMENTS ................................................................................................................................................. 18
STUDY UNIT 3: LOCUS STANDI (BEFORE LITIGATION) ...........................................................................................................................20
3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
3.2 DIRECT AND SUBSTANTIAL INTEREST ..................................................................................................................................................... 20
3.3 CAPACITY TO LITIGATE ........................................................................................................................................................................ 25
3.4 REPRESENTATION OF PARTIES .............................................................................................................................................................. 31
STUDY UNIT 4: JURISDICTION .................................................................................................................................................................33
4.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................. 33
4.2 MAGISTRATES’ COURTS JURISDICTION .................................................................................................................................................. 37
4.3 HIGH COURT JURISDICTION ................................................................................................................................................................. 48
STUDY UNIT 5: DEMAND ........................................................................................................................................................................63
5.1 WHAT IS A DEMAND? ........................................................................................................................................................................ 63
5.2 FORMS OF DEMAND .......................................................................................................................................................................... 63
5.3 CONTENTS OF THE DEMAND ................................................................................................................................................................ 63
5.4 CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE DEMAND MUST BE MADE ................................................................................................................................. 64
5.5 OTHER CONSEQUENCES OF DEMAND: COSTS & INTEREST ......................................................................................................................... 65
5.6 COMPONENTS TO A LETTER OF DEMAND & WORKED EXAMPLE .................................................................................................................. 66
STUDY UNIT 6: CALCULATION OF TIME LIMITS......................................................................................................................................69
6.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................. 69
6.2 TIME PERIODS WITHIN A CERTAIN PERIOD .............................................................................................................................................. 69
6.3 TIME PERIODS AFTER A CERTAIN PERIOD ................................................................................................................................................ 70
6.4 PRACTICAL NOTE: SERVICE OF COURT PROCESS ....................................................................................................................................... 70
STUDY UNIT 7: SERVICE OF LEGAL DOCUMENTS ...................................................................................................................................72
7.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................. 72
7.2 THE ISSUE OF PROCESS & DUTIES OF THE SHERIFF ................................................................................................................................... 72
7.3 METHODS OF SERVICE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 73
7.4 SUBSTITUTED SERVICE & EDICTAL CITATION ........................................................................................................................................... 75
7.5 JURISDICTION & SERVICE DISTINGUISHED ............................................................................................................................................... 76
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,Study Unit 1: General introduction
1.1 What is Civil Procedure
• Civil procedural law is that part of the adjective law that regulates civil litigation. It is, therefore, the
mechanism by means of which rights derived from substantive law are enforced.
o Law: is about creation & enforcement of rights
o Procedure: is that part of the law that deals with enforcement
• Therefore, Civil Procedure is “that part of civil law which enables a person to go about [recovering what is due
to him] in practice”
• Procedural law is the machinery used to bring about legal relief
o [Civil procedure] denotes the mode of proceeding by which a legal right is enforced, as distinguished
from the law which gives or defines the right, and which by means of the proceeding the Court is to
administer the machinery as distinguished from its product.” Poyser v Minors 1881
o Machinery created not for own purpose but for purpose of manufacturing a product
o Product of civil procedure is the enforcement of rights & obligations that have a basis in law
Civil procedural law Criminal procedural law
Civil action: Plaintiff vs. Defendant (institutes State vs. Accused
action vs. defends)
Civil application: Applicant vs. Respondent (brings
application vs. opposes)
Deciding whether: defendant/respondent liable Deciding whether: accused guilty of crime/offence?
for plaintiff/ applicant’s claim?
Liable on a balance of probabilities Guilty beyond reasonable doubt
Liable for claim or not Guilty of crime or offence
Punishment: liable to pay damages or specific Punishment: fine, imprisonment or both
performance
Aim of punishment: monetary compensation for Aim of punishment: less focus on monetary value
loss suffered or to compel/prevent a party from but rather retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation
doing something and etc.
Private in nature: State provides a system of civil Public in nature
courts for matters to be fought in, but it is up to
parties to initiate & pursue matters. Should they
not pursue it, the state won’t intervene.
Therefore, plaintiff/ applicant may be known as
the ‘dominus litis’ = the Lord/Master of their
litigation.
South African court system
• More adversarial than inquisitorial
o The parties dominate the procedure/the pace of the litigation
o The judge sits as an impartial 3rd party & only intervenes if there is a deviation from the court rules/
procedure
• We have inquisitorial components:
o Small Claims Court is very inquisitorial
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, o Like case management under dispute
§ Eg: class actions
o More & more SA courts are implementing directives – saying judge has to participate more
§ Eg. Limit the facts in dispute, limit the issues that need to be solved.
What happens when it becomes a civil liability?
• Money plays a significant role
• Majority of judgements include payment
• Not all civil cases involve claim for payment of money
o Eg. claim for specific performance in terms of a contract, where it’s possible for damages to be
claimed in addition. Other e.g. include ejectment, sequestration and divorce
Worth noting:
• Civil procedure is wider in scope & more complex than criminal procedure
• No single right existing outside of criminal law can be enforced without the use of civil procedure
• POD: Place evidence before the court & the evidence will dominate
Historical development; W de Vos articles
• South African Civil Procedural Law in Historical and Social Context 2002 Stell LR 236
o 1652-1795
§ Discusses two time periods specifically
§ He does this to show the development of civil procedural law
§ VOC, Holland, R-D law
i. Only & most prominent court in the Cape at the time = Raad van Justitie
o Problematic to a certain extent
o Members of the court were laymen – had no experience
o Court could be seen to be paternalistic
o Proceedings conducted in secret – lack of transparency
o 1795-1910
§ Dutch rule ended
§ British occupation
§ English constitutional principle – the law of a conquered country remains in place until
changed by the conqueror
§ But English were dissatisfied with our legal system, with the lack of transparency
§ Led to commission of enquiry being launched into civil procedure & led to the 1st & 2nd
Charters of Justice
§ Effect of these was to replace the Roman-Dutch civil procedural law with an English model
§ = hybrid legal system
i. Holistically we have English common law influences, we have Roman-Dutch Law
influences + customary law influences
ii. Distinction between Roman-Dutch substantive law & English procedural law
iii. English were mostly satisfied with the substantive law but changed the procedure
o 1910
§ British rule ended
§ Legislative reforms
§ All these changes facilitated a move to the current system that we have
§ Our current system = adversarial
i. Principle of morality
ii. Litigants have more say in court
§ Constitution: W de Vos “Civil Procedural Law and the Constitution of 1996” (1997) TSAR 444
o Constitutional impact
§ Litigation involving organs of state: before/after constitutional dispensation
§ Access to courts: s38 Constitution
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, § Common law rule requiring arrest of foreign peregrini to found/confirm jurisdiction: Bid
Industrial Holdings (Pty) Ltd v Strang and another (minister of Justice & Constitutional
Development, Third Party) 2008 (3) SA 355 (SCA)
i. Found to be unconstitutional
§ Arrest tanquam suspectus de fuga
i. A former remedy in our civil proc law – to arrest someone (a debtor) that is
suspected of fleeing to avoid payment of the debt.
ii. Not for the purpose of establishing jurisdiction – it is just to keep the person here.
• Skim over à Civil Procedural Law and the Constitution of 1996: an appraisal of procedural guarantees in civil
proceedings 1997 TSAR 444
o “Introduction
§ Aim of this paper is to focus on the recognition of procedural guarantees in the 1996
Constitution
§ Before new constitutional dispensation: fundamental rights or guarantees of civil litigants
were not accorded constitutional protection & parliament had the final say in this regard.
§ Interim Bill of Rights importance made elaborate provision for the protection of procedural
guarantees in the context of criminal proceedings, little attention was paid to that of civil
proceedings. For the first time in our history constitutional recognition was accorded, albeit in
brief fashion, to some civil procedural guarantees. The most important of these were the
right of "access to court" & the right to "equality before the law".' Other rights mentioned
included the right to "freedom and security of the person", the right to "privacy' and the right
of "access to information held by the state". In addition, the interim constitution explicitly
recognised the principles of the independence & impartiality of the courts.
§ The final Constitution breaks with tradition by giving more comprehensive protection to the
rights of civil litigants.
o Main features of the constitution
§ Structure of judicial authority
§ The Constitutional Court retains its name and remains the highest court in all constitutional
matters.
§ The Supreme Court has, however, undergone a structural change & a name change. The
provincial & local divisions of the Supreme Court have been replaced by separate high courts;
& the appellate division of the Supreme Court has made way for the SC of Appeal (SCA).
§ The SCA may now decide appeals in any matter, which means that it has the same jurisdiction
as the High Courts’ in connection with constitutional matters. This entails the power to decide
any constitutional matter, except one which falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the CC.
§ The Magistrates' Courts are not allowed to "enquire into or rule on the constitutionality of
any legislation or any conduct of the president".
o Application of BOR as seen in s8 of Constitution 1996
§ Having regard to the wording of this section, the main grounds supporting a direct horizontal
operation of the BoR can be summarised as follows:
i. The BoR applies to all law (including private law) & binds not only the legislature &
the executive, but also the judiciary.
ii. The BoR binds private persons in so far as the provision in question is applicable to
the circumstances.
iii. When applying the BoR to a private person, the court is enjoined to (it must) apply or
develop the common law with a view to give effect to the right in question
§ "[Civil procedural law] should be viewed as embracing the whole range of matters which lie at
the heart of the civil legal process. It covers the entire field of administration of justice."
i. Result = civil procedure has also become the instrument to enforce rights in the
public law domain, seen as evidenced by actions against the state administration.
And to the extent that a public interest action has been recognised, civil procedure
has become the device by means of which the public interest can be vindicated.
§ The final Constitution has further broadened the scope of civil procedure, by providing not
only for a vertical but also a full horizontal operation of the BoR. Thus, civil procedure serves
as the method to enforce the BoR in the wide spectrum of matters falling within the private &
public law domain, but outside the area of criminal justice.
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, o Rights with a bearing on civil litigation
§ The final Constitution endorses all of these rights, but also gives a new dimension to the right
of access to a court, by providing for "a fair public hearing"
§ Rights confirmed by the final constitution:
• Equality à s9(1)
• Freedom and security of the person à s12(1)
• Privacy à s14
• Access to information à s32(1)
• Enforcement à s38
• Limitation of rights à s36(1)
• Access to a court à 34
o Access to a court
§ S34 Con: "Everyone has the right to have any dispute that can be resolved by the application
of law decided in a fair public hearing before a court or, where appropriate, another
independent and impartial tribunal or forum."
§ This section gives recognition to the following guarantees:
• Access to justice
• Public hearing
• Fair hearing
• Judicial independence and impartiality
• Equality and the right to be heard
• Legal representation
• Party control
• Oral hearing
• Evidence obtained unlawfully
• Reasons for judgment
• Finality of court decisions and appeal
o Conclusion
§ Cappelletti: "[E]mbodied in [the] practices and rules [of civil procedure] are the great waves
of history: the socio-economic as well as the intellectual changes, revolutions, and
stagnations of history."
§ The most notable example in this regard, which lays the foundation for future development,
is the right to a fair trial.”
1.2 Court system and officials (just read through)
1.2.1 A practical approach
The basic court system (from less to more serious):
1. Magistrates’ Court (MC)
2. High Court (HC)
3. Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA)
4. Constitutional Court (CC)
1.2.2 Magistrates’ Court: District and Regional
• Creature of statute à Created & functions within MCA
• 2 levels:
o District MC
§ RSA divided into magisterial districts
§ Each district is served by a MC
§ Magisterial districts are in the process of being rationalized.
• Aim of this? To make their boundaries consistent with provincial & municipal
boundaries
o Regional MC
§ MC for regional divisions
§ These magistrates’ courts absorb the district MC
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