Booysen and Others v Booysen and Others

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Citation: 2012 (2) SA 38 (GSJ)

Booysen and Others v Booysen and Others
2012 (2) SA 38 (GSJ)

2012 (2) SA p38

Citation	2012 (2) SA 38 (GSJ)
Case No	29558/2010
Court	South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
Judge	Moshidi J
Heard	November 10, 2010
Judgment	November 15, 2011
Counsel	N Adam for the applicants.; Z Omar (attorney) for the first and second respondents.; No appearance for the third, fourth and fifth respondents.

Flynote : Sleutelwoorde B

Land — Sale — Contract — Formalities — Contract of sale of land in joint estate by surviving spouse without consent of executor in estate of deceased spouse — Deceased estate not finalised — Executor as representative of estate only person having authority to sell property — Surviving spouse having no legal authority to sell such property — Sale not complying with C s 2(1) of Alienation of Land Act 68 of 1981 and therefore void ab initio.

Headnote : Kopnota

The surviving spouse of a couple married in community of property has, after the death of his or her spouse, no legal authority to enter into an agreement of sale of immovable property in the joint estate without the consent of the D executor and in circumstances where the estate of the deceased spouse has not been finalised. As the deceased estate is not a separate legal persona, the executor is the person representing the estate and only person having authority to sell the property. Such an agreement of sale of immovable property by the surviving spouse does not comply with s 2(1) of the Alienation of Land Act 68 of 1981 and is therefore void ab initio. Nor can the agreement of sale be rectified by attaching the signature of the executor E subsequently. (Paragraph [15] at 44D – I.)

Cases Considered

Annotations:

Reported cases

Greenberg and Others v Estate Greenberg 1955 (3) SA 361 (A): referred to

Kotze NO v Oosthuizen 1988 (3) SA 578 (C): distinguished F

Mills NO v Hoosen 2010 (2) SA 316 (W): applied

Tabethe and Others v Mtetwa NO and Others 1978 (1) SA 80 (D): applied

Van den Bergh v Coetzee 2001 (4) SA 93 (T): distinguished.

Statutes Considered

Statutes

The Alienation of Land Act 68 of 1981, s 2(1): see Juta's Statutes of South Africa G 2010/11 vol 2 at 1-835.

Case Information

Application for an order declaring the sale of certain immovable property to be invalid. The facts appear from the reasons for judgment.

N Adam for the applicants.

H Z Omar (attorney) for the first and second respondents.

No appearance for the third, fourth and fifth respondents.

Cur adv vult.

Postea (March 25). I

Judgment

Moshidi J:

Introduction

[1] The applicants seek an order declaring the sale of certain immovable J property, erf 649, Gladiolus Street, Reiger Park, Extension 1, Boksburg

2012 (2) SA p39

Moshidi J

(the immovable property), by Joseph Booysen, to the first and the second A respondents, to be invalid. The applicants also seek to declare as invalid the sale agreement and the addendum thereto in respect of the immovable property. In respect of the third respondent, the applicants seek an order interdicting and restraining the third respondent from registering the transfer of the ownership of the immovable property to the first and the second respondents. B

Opposition

[2] The first and the second respondent are opposing the application. They have also brought a counter-application which may become C relevant later herein, if necessary. The third, fourth and the fifth respondents are not opposing the application.

Background

[3] Some background is indispensable. This is by all accounts a family D feud centring around immovable property. Joseph Booysen and Dora Booysen were married to each other in community of property. They were the parents of the first applicant, the second applicant and the first respondent. The second respondent is married to the first respondent in community of property. Dora Booysen died on 16 April 1998, and was survived by her husband, Joseph Booysen, who also died later, as E indicated later herein. Their children are the first applicant, the second applicant and the first respondent.

Some common-cause facts

[4] Prior to her demise, the mother, Dora Booysen, and her husband, F Joseph Booysen, executed a joint will on 1 December 1995 at Boksburg. Clauses 1 and 4 of the joint will read, respectively, as follows:

'1.

Mits die langslewende van ons die eerssterwende van ons vir 'n tydperk van tien dae oorleef benoem ons die langslewende as die enigste erfgenaam of erfgename van die restant van die boedel van die eerssterwende van ons.' G

And para 4 thereof as follows:

'4.

As eksekuteurs van ons boedels benoem ons die een van Standard Trust Bpk en die Standard Bank van Suid-Afrika Bpk wat eerste die benoeming formeel aanvaar en ons gelas dat ons eksekuteurs H nie verplig sal wees om in daardie hoedanigheid sekuriteit te verskaf nie. Bykomend tot hulle vergoeding vir hulle funksies in daardie hoedanigheid kan ons eksekuteurs of enige instansie waarin hulle 'n belang, geldelik of andersins, het enige ander gebruiklike heffings, gelde en/of kommissies ten opsigte van enige dienste en/of werk wat aan ons boedels voorsien word, behou. I

Waar die eksekuteurs dit na hulle uitsluitlike goeddunke toepaslik ag is hulle, gedurende die bereddering van die boedels in ooreenstemming met hulle normale bevoegdhede, ook daartoe gemagtig om die wyse en voorwaardes van die verkoop van enige bate te betaal, opsies uit te oefen en toe te staan, regte tot beleggings op te neem, huurkontrakte aan te gaan, prospekteerregte toe te staan, verbandsbeswaarde eiendom J

2012 (2) SA p40

Moshidi J

A in te koop, besighede voort te sit en die boedels te bind ten opsigte van enige laste wat noodwendig aangegaan moet word ten einde die beredderingsproses te vergemaklik.'

Upon her death in April 1998 the estate of Dora Booysen was duly reported at the offices of the fifth respondent, the Master of the court. In B terms of clause 4 of the joint will, one Elizabeth Margaret Breedt (EM Breedt) of the fourth respondent was duly appointed as the executrix of the estate of the late Dora Booysen. For some strange reason, this appointment by the Master was only made on 1 July 2008, some ten years after the death of...