The doctrine of notice in property law
| dc.contributor.advisor | Van der Merwe, C. G. | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Siphuma, Nzumbululo Silas | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Law. Dept. of Private Law. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-02-25T07:28:00Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-04-28T12:20:51Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2020-02-25T07:28:00Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2020-04-28T12:20:51Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020-03 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (LLD)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since its reception in the 1880s, the doctrine of notice has caused many controversies in South African private law. The doctrine provides that if an acquirer of ownership was aware or foresaw the possibility of the existence of a prior personal right aimed at acquisition of ownership over the land when he or she accepted transfer (by registration), the holder of a prior personal right is entitled to have the sale and the subsequent transfer set aside, and have registration of ownership effected in his or her name. In case of an unregistered limited real right, the grantee is entitled to compel the subsequent owner to cooperate in the registration of the limited real right in the land in the deed office in his or her favour. This outcome appears to conflict with several basic principles of South African private law. Consequently, the doctrine of notice has caused several doctrinal problems in both the South African system of property law and in the basics of the South African law of contract. Early South African case law and academic literature show that discourse regarding the doctrine of notice was centered on its doctrinal bases and scope of application. As a result, various doctrinal bases were developed in case law and academic literature in an attempt to justify and explain why under the doctrine a prior weaker personal right trumps a subsequent stronger real right. The main doctrinal bases advanced are equity, delictual liability, fraud, wrongfulness and fiction or recognition that the doctrine is an anomaly. However, recent case law and academic discourse has shown that there is a distinct lack of judicial and academic consensus regarding the doctrine’s dogmatic basis. The absence of clear doctrinal basis caused considerable ambiguity regarding the true scope of application of the doctrine of notice. Pertinently, the question is whether the doctrine should only protect prior personal rights to acquire real rights (iura in personam ad rem adquirendam) or should be extended to protect other rights, including rights that are purely personal in nature. Accordingly, this dissertation examines the doctrinal basis, scope and application of the common law doctrine of notice in South African property law. Drawing from the insights gained from scrutinising the two most recent comparative contributions, I conclude that explanations in terms of the derivative acquisition model and fraud in its modern appearance as mala fides are the two most persuasive bases for the doctrine because they demonstrate that the doctrine is rooted in South African property law. Furthermore, the dissertation concludes that the doctrine should not be extended to the scenarios of sales in execution, options, rights of pre-emption, sales subject to approval by a third person, and other rights purely personal in nature, since these right operates outside of the two-stage derivative acquisition model. Therefore, the application of the doctrine should be restricted to the classic scenarios of double and successive sales, and personal rights which will become real on registration (iura in personam ad rem adquirendam) acquired by the prior purchaser or grantee of certain limited real rights because holders of these rights are operating within the domain of the two-stage derivative acquisition model. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert die opname van die kennisleer in die 1880’s, het dit talle strydpunte veroorsaak in die Suid-Afrikaanse privaatreg. Die leerstuk bepaal dat indien ’n verkryger van eiendomsreg bewus was van, of die moontlikheid voorsien het van die bestaan van ’n voorafgaande vorderingsreg, gemik op die verkryging van eiendomsreg ten opsigte van die grond toe hy of sy oordrag aanvaar het (deur registrasie), die houer van ’n voorafgaande vorderingsreg geregtig is om die verkoop van, en die daaropvolgende oordrag ter syde te laat stel, en registrasie van eiendomsreg te laat bewerkstellig in sy of haar naam. In die geval van ’n ongeregistreerde beperkte saaklike reg, is die begiftigde geregtig om die daaropvolgende eienaar te dwing om mee te werk aan die registrasie in die aktekantoor in sy of haar guns van die beperkte saaklike reg ten opsigte van die grond. Hierdie uitkoms skyn in stryd te wees met verskeie basiese beginsels van die Suid-Afrikaanse privaatreg. Gevolglik het die kennisleer verskeie leerstellige probleme in sowel die Suid-Afrikaanse sakereg as die basiese beginsels van die Suid-Afrikaanse kontraktereg veroorsaak. Vroeë Suid-Afrikaanse regspraak en akademiese literatuur toon dat die diskoers aangaande die kennisleer gefokus het op die leerstellige grondslae en omvang van die toepassing van die leerstuk. As gevolg daarvan is verskeie leerstellige grondslae ontwikkel in regspraak en akademiese literatuur in ’n poging om te regverdig en te verduidelik waarom ’n voorafgaande swakker vorderingsreg ’n daaropvolgende sterkter saaklike reg troef. Die hoof leerstellige grondslae wat aangevoer word, is billikheid, deliktuele aanspreeklikheid, bedrog, onregmatigheid en fiksie of erkenning dat die leerstuk ’n anomalie is. Nietemin het onlangse regspraak en akademiese diskoers aangetoon dat daar ’n duidelike gebrek aan regterlike en akademiese konsensus is aangaande die dogmatiese basis van die kennisleer. Die afwesigheid van ’n duidelike leerstellige grondslag het aansienlike dubbelsinnigheid aangaande die ware omvang van die toepassing van die kennisleer veroorsaak. Pertinent is die vraag of die kennisleer slegs voorafgaande vorderingsregte om saaklike regte te verkry (iura in personam ad rem adquirendam), moet beskerm, óf of dit uitgebrei moet word om ander regte, insluitend regte wat suiwer persoonlik van aard is, te beskerm. Dienooreenkomstig ondersoek hierdie proefskrif die leerstellige grondslag, omvang en toepassing van die gemeenregtelike leerstuk van die kennisleer in die Suid-Afrikaanse sakereg. Die proefskrif put uit die insigte verkry uit die bestudering van die twee mees onlangse regsvergelykende bydraes en kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat ’n verduideliking in terme van die afgeleide eiendomsverkrygingsmodel en bedrog in sy moderne aansig as mala fides die twee mees oortuigende grondslae van die kennisleer is, aangesien hulle aantoon dat die leerstuk gewortel is in die Suid-Afrikaanse sakereg. Verder kom die proefskrif tot die gevolgtrekking dat die kennisleer nie uitgebrei behoort te word na die scenario’s van eksekusieverkopings, opsies, voorverkoopsregte, verkope onderworpe aan die goedkeuring van ’n derde persoon en ander regte wat suiwer persoonlik van aard is nie, aangesien hierdie regte funksioneer buite die tweestadium afgeleide eiendomsverkrygingsmodel. Daarom behoort die leerstuk beperk te word tot die klassieke scenario’s van dubbel- en opeenvolgende verkope, en vorderingsregte wat saaklik sal word met registrasie (iura in personam ad rem adquirendam), verkry deur die voorafgaande koper of begiftigde van sekere beperkte saaklike regte omdat houers van hierdie regte funksioneer binne die domein van die tweestadium afgeleide eiendomsverkrygingsmodel. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Doctoral | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xiii, 330 leaves | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/108128 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Property -- Law and legislation -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Notice (Law) -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Civil law -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Contracts for deeds -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Customary law -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | en_ZA |
| dc.title | The doctrine of notice in property law | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |