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Couzyn, Hertzog & Horak | Experienced Attorneys in Pretoria

Precautionary suspension of an employee: What are the requirements?

Employers are often challenged on the fairness of the precautionary suspension of an Employee. The inherent fairness criteria have been impacted by the decision of the Constitutional Court in Long vs South African Breweries (Pty) Ltd and others (2018) ZACC 7. The purpose of a precautionary suspension of an Employee is mainly to mitigate further risk […]

The rei vindicatio and the actio ad exhibendum

This article will briefly look at two actions that can be instituted simultaneously, and an alternative to each other, when you have been wrongfully deprived of possession of your property. The first action is the rei vindicatio. This action is instituted in order to claim the physical return of one’s property. The second action, which will […]

Domicilium citandi et executandi in South African Law

How is it possible that someone can obtain judgment against me, without my knowledge of any summons issued against me or a court date to state my side of the story? Well, in our law this could happen if you agreed to a domicilium address without notifying other parties about a change therein when you […]

Understanding Magistrates Court Act’s Section 45 on Consent to Jurisdiction

“I want to conclude a repayment agreement with a debtor for an amount which exceeds the magisterial jurisdictional amount of R400 000,00. I, however, do not want to abandon any part of my claim and would rather opt to insert a clause in the agreement where the debtor and myself consent to the jurisdiction of […]

Compliance certificates required when selling a property

There is a duty on the Seller when selling an immovable property to provide certain certificates of compliance to the Purchaser. There are five compliance certificates that the Seller is required to obtain at his/her own cost before the transfer of the property takes place. The following are the necessary certificates: Electrical Compliance Certificate The […]

Fraud: Remedies available to defrauded parties

Fraud can be defined as the unlawful and intentional making of a representation that causes actual or potential prejudice to another. Parties often act on the strength of another’s representation in order to commit some or other act. Such an innocent party may have acted to their detriment if the representation was fraudulent. The innocent […]

The cost of losing a legal battle

I recently sued someone who owes me R50,000. The Court found that the loan agreement was invalid and that the amount was not owed to me. The legal costs were subsequently awarded in the other party’s favour on a party and party scale. What do I need to pay, and how is this amount calculated? A Court is entitled to make an order […]

Precautionary suspension of an employee- what are the requirements?

The purpose of a precautionary suspension of an Employee is mainly to mitigate further risk to an Employer in instances where disciplinary action is contemplated. The circumstances warranting such a suspension differ from case to case.  Reasons for a suspension can include that the Employee may jeopardise an investigation; endanger the wellbeing or safety of […]