Enige persoon met ‘n inkriminerende uitslag op ‘n alkoholblaastoets of bloedtoets by ‘n padblokkade, kan gearresteer word op ‘n klagte van bestuur onder die invloed van alkohol. Jy is ook nie geregtig om te weier om getoets te word nie.

Volgens ‘n onlangse uitspraak van die Appèlhof is hierdie toetse deurslaggewend vir regmatige arrestasie. In die afwesigheid van so ‘n toetsresultaat kan die polisie nie ‘n motoris regmatig arresteer waar die beampte se vermoede slegs gebaseer is op “die blote feit dat hy liggies na alkohol ruik” nie. 

Die arrestasie en aanhouding 

• ‘n Polisiebeampte wat van diens af was, is deur sy kollega gearresteer. Die kollega het vermoed dat hy onder die invloed van drank bestuur het. Hy het self die ander beamptes afgetrek om hulp te vra, nadat sy motor in die nag op ‘n gevaarlike plek van die pad gery het en in ‘n sloot vasgeval het.
• Hy is vir vier en ‘n half ure in onmenslike en verskriklike toestande in die polisieselle aangehou, voordat ‘n bloedtoets bevestig het dat hy wel onder die wettige perk was. Die strafregtelike klagte teen hom was gevolglik teruggetrek. Continue reading →

Anyone failing a breathalyser or blood test at a roadblock can expect to be arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol – and you can’t refuse to be tested.But, per a recent Supreme Court of Appeal decision, in the absence of such a test the police cannot lawfully arrest a motorist if the arresting officer’s suspicion is based on nothing more than “the mere fact that he smelt lightly of alcohol”.

The arrest and the detention

• An off-duty police officer was arrested by his colleagues on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor.  He had flagged the other officers down to ask for assistance after his vehicle veered off the road and fell into a ditch on a dangerous section of road at night.
• He was detained in police cells for four and a half hours in “inhumane and horrid” conditions before a blood test confirmed that he was in fact below the legal limit.  The charge was accordingly withdrawn. Continue reading →

‘n Ooreenkoms waarin die verkoop van ‘n besigheid uiteengesit word, sal dikwels ook die toedeling van die koopprys aan spesifieke bateklasse bevat. Bedrae sal toegewys word vir toerusting, vir handelsvoorraad, vir kantoortoerusting, vir voertuie, vir klandisiewaarde ( “goodwill”) en so aan.

Maak seker dat die toedeling wel aangedui word en dat dit ook reg gedoen word. Enige onduidelikheid hieroor kan teen jou tel indien daar later ‘n dispuut tussen die partye ontstaan. Dan is daar ook ‘n wesentlike belastingrisiko indien die verdeling tussen bateklasse nie reg aangedui word nie. Continue reading →

“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge) 

Jy is in dispuut met jou plaaslike owerheid oor die omvang van jou munisipale rekening. Dan sny hulle jou watertoevoer af. Wat is die regsposisie ter sprake? Die Hoogste Hof van Appèl het onlangs die toepaslike regsposisie neergelê:–

• Toegang tot water is nie alleen ‘n persoonlike saak tussen jou en die munisipale verskaffer van water nie – daar is ook statutêre en basiese grondwetlike regte ter sprake.
• Enige inperking of opskorting van waterdienste moet gevolglik op regverdige en billike wyse geskied. Continue reading →

Jy koop jou droomhuis in die platteland in ‘n gebied wat uitsluitlik vir landboudoeleindes gesoneer is. Hier gaan jy afgesonderd, rustig, in harmonie en in stilte na aan die natuur lewe. Dan besluit die buurplaas se eienaars om hul eiendom in ‘n konferensiefasiliteit te omskep. Hulle spits hul veral toe op die aanbieding van huweliksonthale. Skielik word jou naweke oorheers deur die polsende klank van harde musiek, plesierige mense wat sing en skree – hoe later, hoe kwater – afgerond met vertrekkende bruilofspare en gaste wat self toeterend afskeid neem.

Dan wend jy jou tot die hof vir beskerming. Die hof gee jou gelyk en die bure word by wyse van interdik verbied om aan te gaan met hul steurende aktiwiteite. Die hofbevel verbied die aanbieding van enige troufunksies, onthale, konferensies en/of soortgelyke funksies wat geraas maak. Ongelukkig steur die bure hul nie aan die hofbevel nie en die funksies en onthale gaan onverpoosd voort.

Wat is jou volgende stap? 

Jou remedie is om die hof weer te nader vir afdwinging van die oorspronklike hofbevel. Enige opsetlike verontagsaming en verbreking van die hofbevel sal nie ligtelik hanteer word nie. In hierdie spesifieke geval is die oortreders beboet met   R20 000 of ses maande gevangenisstraf (met ‘n verdere ses maande gevangenisstraf wat voorwaardelik vir drie jaar opgeskort is). Die hof beveel verder dat die buurman wat suksesvol was in sy aansoeke om regsbeskerming, se regskostes deur die ander party betaal moet word en wel op die bestraffende skaal soos tussen prokureur en kliënt.

Die meeste munisipale owerhede kan ook van hulp wees wanneer hulle in kennis gestel word van rumoerige bure – die munisipale regulasies moet afgedwing word.

Indien dit duidelik raak dat die munisipaliteit sloer en nie die regulasies gaan afdwing nie, hoef jy dit nie daar te laat nie. Wend jou tot die hof!

© DotNews, 2005-2012. This newsletter is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice.

Business sale agreements often provide for allocation of the purchase price between the various assets of the business – so much for goodwill, so much for stock, so much for fixed assets etc.  Make sure that the allocation is both made and recorded correctly – not only does any imprecision risk litigation in the event of a dispute, but you could also face a substantial tax downside.

The buyer who lost an R82m tax deduction – don’t let it happen to you!

A recent Supreme Court of Appeal case illustrates the tax risk.  The agreement of sale of a business had allocated the purchase price between six categories of asset, with specific maximum amounts to be allocated to “Immovable Property”, “Other Fixed Assets” and “Trademarks”.  But no maximum amounts were specified for stock in trade or debtors, leading to doubt as to what had actually been agreed. Continue reading →

“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge) What are your rights when you are fighting with your local municipality over a municipal services account, and they cut off your water?

The Supreme Court of Appeal recently clarified the legal principles applicable –

• Water supply is not just a personal right in terms of your supply contract with the municipal supplier – it is also underpinned by statutory and basic Constitutional rights.
• Any “limitation or discontinuation” of water services must therefore be “fair and equitable”. Continue reading →

You buy a house in an area zoned for agricultural use, dreaming of a quiet and peaceful life ‘far from the madding crowd’.  Then the neighbours decide to turn their farm into a conference and wedding venue, and your rural peace and quiet is shattered by boisterous events featuring loud music, singing, shouting, and hooting.

You go to court, and obtain an order restraining the neighbours from organising or hosting any “wedding functions, receptions, conferences and/or similar noise generating events”.  But to no avail – the neighbours carry on arranging events in breach of the court order.

Your remedy

Your remedy is another approach to the courts which will, as illustrated in a recent High Court case, brook no nonsense in penalising any deliberate and intentional violation of court orders.  The offenders in the case in question were not only fined R20,000 or 6 months’ imprisonment (with a further 6 months’ imprisonment conditionally suspended for 3 years), but were ordered to pay their long-suffering neighbour’s legal costs on the punitive attorney and client scale.

Note that most municipalities can also assist with nuisance neighbours via noise by-laws.  But don’t suffer in silence if you get no joy from local law enforcement – go to court! 

© DotNews, 2005-2012. This newsletter is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice.