High Court of South Africa Eastern Cape, Port Elizabeth - 2024 November

7 judgments
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7 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
November 2024
Defendant’s wilful non‑compliance with an order to provide trial particulars warranted coercive relief and adverse costs.
Rule 21(4) – enforcement of request for trial particulars; contumacious non‑compliance and sanctions; court discretion to strike out defence or craft coercive orders; interplay with Rule 30A; double‑barrelled claims and prescription issues (Rademeyer).
29 November 2024
Applicants need not give reasons for removing directors; board must convene meeting after receiving drafted resolutions.
Companies Act s61(3) – shareholder demand to convene meetings; s62 and s65 notice and resolution requirements; s71 removal of directors – distinction between shareholder-initiated removals and board-initiated removals; directors not entitled to pre-meeting reasons for shareholder-initiated removal; interpretation of memorandum of incorporation; urgency under Rule 6(12) and section 61(12).
28 November 2024
Court ruled unlawful arrest and detention and awarded damages for lack of reasonable suspicion and procedural integrity.
Criminal Law—Arrest without warrant—Reasonable suspicion assessed—Lawfulness of arrest and further detention—Possible malicious prosecution.
28 November 2024
Contempt application dismissed: non-compliance not shown to be wilful and mala fide; payment plan ordered for assumed arrears.
Family law – enforcement of maintenance order – civil contempt – requirements: order, service, non-compliance, wilfulness and mala fides – evidential onus shifts to respondent once order, service and non-compliance proved – genuine efforts to purge arrears can defeat contempt – structured payment plan as alternative remedy.
26 November 2024
Insurer’s repudiation complied with PPRs; no duty to search prior applications; applicant’s challenge dismissed with costs.
Insurance – Long-term insurance – Policyholder Protection Rules (PPRs) – Rule 17.6.3(a) – Insurer must inform claimant in plain language of reasons for repudiation in sufficient detail. Insurance – Non-disclosure/misrepresentation – insurer entitled to avoid policy where applicant’s telephonic underwriting answers omitted material medical history. Insurance – No general duty on insurer to search prior application records or 'fossick' for earlier disclosures, particularly where different distribution channels/systems were used. Civil procedure – condonation – late filing of answering affidavit condoned where adequate explanation provided.
19 November 2024
Mother's relocation with child upheld pending further inquiry, as court prioritizes child's best interests interim.
Family law – Child custody – relocation of minor child by primary caregiver – best interests of child – interim arrangements pending Family Advocate’s report.
19 November 2024
A conditional Rule 34 tender tied to a sale and not complying with rule 34(5) cannot justify revising a costs order.
Costs — Rule 34 offers to settle — applicability where plaintiff is defendant in reconvention — peremptory compliance with Rule 34(5) — conditional tenders (payment upon sale) non-compliant — discretion to reconsider costs under Rule 34(12).
14 November 2024