Author: Kennedy Mudzuli

A Johannesburg homeowner narrowly avoided losing his primary residence over a R50 000 levy debt after serious flaws emerged in the execution process, including nondisclosure, disproportionality and an unlawful writ.

A dog owner who voluntarily surrendered his pet to the SPCA has lost an urgent High Court bid to reclaim the animal, with the court ruling that consent defeats spoliation claims.

The Limpopo High Court has dismissed an application for posthumous recognition of a customary marriage, reiterating that lobola payment alone, without proof of customary rites, does not establish a valid marriage.

A tour operator has failed in its attempt to avoid liability for a passenger’s injuries, after the court ruled that vague disclaimers and an indemnity signed without the passenger’s consent cannot defeat consumer protection law.

Publication of land in the Government Gazette as a claimed land has serious consequences for the owner. He can no longer deal with the claimed land as he pleases and without the consent of the Regional Land Claims Commissioner. Claiming someone’s land as your is a serious matter and the claim must strictly comply with the requirements of the Act.

A security company has been ordered to pay compensation after a stuttering security guard proved that he was unfairly moved from his post because of his disability, in a ruling that strengthens workplace equality protections.

A landowner asks the Constitutional Court to decide whether a settlement order can permanently block environmental challenges, raising urgent questions about access to court, res judicata and constitutional justice.

The Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled that Pick n Pay remains legally responsible for customer safety even after outsourcing cleaning services, confirming that retailers cannot delegate their duty to keep store floors reasonably safe when shoppers are injured on their premises.

Even in a ‘dead marriage’, divorce must wait for proper asset division. In a significant ruling on community of property marriages, the Johannesburg High Court has made it clear that spouses cannot dissolve their marriage while leaving the ownership of their joint estate unresolved, warning that fairness in money must come before freedom from the marriage.

The Western Cape High Court has set aside the tax fraud conviction of accountant Shafiek Khan after finding that unlawful procedural decisions rendered the entire trial a nullity.