The role of a curator ad litem and children's access to the courts

• Date: 01 January 2013
• Published date: 01 January 2013
• Pages: 707-726
• DOI: 10.10520/EJC146728
• Author: Trynie Boezaart

707

The role of a curator

ad litem

and

children’s access to the courts

Trynie Boezaart*

BA LLB LLD

Professor and Head, Department of Private Law, University of Pretoria

OPSOMMING

Die Ro l van d ie Kurator

ad litem

en Kinders se Reg op Toegang tot die Howe

Normaalweg is dit ’n kind se ouer(s) wat hom of haar in litigasie bystaan

of vir en namens die kind litigeer. In uitsonderlike gevalle is dit egter nie

moontlik of wenslik om hierdie funksie aan die ouers of voogde oor te laat

nie. Dit is deel van ons Romeins-Hollandse regserfenis dat kurators ad

litem in hierdie gevalle gebruik word om kinders se ontbrekende of

beperkte verskyningsbevoegdheid aan te vul. In hierdie bydrae word

aangetoon dat die regspraak die rol van die kurator ad litem duidelik

omskryf het deur dit onder andere te onderskei van die rol van die

Gesinsadvokaat en ’n regsverteenwoordiger. Daar word voorts ook

aangetoon dat die howe egter verder gegaan het en die rol van die kurator

ad litem wat vir kinders optree, uitgebrei het om onder andere ook die

belange van kinders in die algemeen te dien, dus in gevalle waar hulle nie

voor die hof was nie. Die uitbreiding van die rol van hierdie kurators kan

op vele maniere verklaar word. Dit kan egter nie betwyfel word dat die

Kinderwet 38 van 2005 en litigasie wat in die openbare belang ten

behoewe van kinders onderneem word, ’n leeue-aandeel hierin gespeel

het nie.

Hierdie uitbreiding word verwelkom omdat toegang tot die howe

noodsaaklik is ten einde sosiale geregtigheid te bewerkstellig en

kinderregte te verwesenlik. Daar word egter ook aangetoon dat die Suid-

Afrikaanse kinderreg in hierdie verband by ander regstelsels kan

kersopsteek, aangesien kinders in sekere gevalle steeds hul reg op

deelname aan belangrike besluitneming ontneem word.

1 Introduction

Access to the courts is essential to achieve social justice. This is true with

respect to everybody, including children. A curator ad litem legally assists

children in litigation.1 A curator ad litem is appointed “to avoid injustice.

1 I wish to express my gratitude towards Prof Ann Skelton, Director of the

Centre for Child Law for making unreported judgements available to me

and two of the academic associates in the Department of Private Law,

Hanneke Verwey and Lizelna Botha, for their assistance. A draft version of

the paper was presented at the “Private Law and Social Justice

Conference”, Port Elizabeth, 2013-08-19.

1 See Molete v MEC for Health, Free State (2155/09) [2012] ZAFSHC 126

where it was decided that a curator ad litem would serve no purpose

because the trial had been finalised. The court did proceed to appoint a

curator bonis to manage the child’s estate and compensation that the child

received.

*

708 2013 De Jure

… [T]he Court has power to appoint, and will appoint, a curator ad litem

to assist persons to vindicate rights where there is no other suitable

means…”.2 The purpose of this article is to establish the role of a curator

ad litem appearing for children in South African courts, and in particular

whether the role of the curator ad litem has developed to the extent that

it improves children’s right of access to the courts.

A very brief comparative study will be included comparing the curator

ad litem under South African law to similar appointments in other

jurisdictions. The aim of this comparison is to shed light on the

contribution these appointments make in securing access to the cour ts

for all children.

2 The Common Law Origin

The Roman Dutch law distinguished between an infans, a child under the

age of seven years, and a minor, a child of seven years or older, when

considering the legal capacity of the child.3 The infans had no capacity to

litigate, at least not in his or her own name.4 The parent or guardian of

the infans had to sue or be sued on behalf of the infans.5 A minor had

limited capacity to litigate.6 The general tenor regarding litigation in the

common law involving minors was that minors had no persona standi in

iudicio and could not institute court proceedings or defend legal

proceedings without the assistance of their parents or guardians.7 De

Groot explained that minors do not have the capacity to litigate because

they do not care for themselves or manage their own affairs.8

2 Per Reynolds J in Ex parte Phillipson and Wells NNO 1954 1 SA 245 (E) 246.

3 Voet 2 4 4. However, it must be borne in mind that “minor” sometimes

refers to all children, thus including infantes and sometimes in the narrow

sense, only referring to children aged seven and above.

4 Voet 2 4 4, 26 7 12. This incapacity of the infans originated in Roman law.

See De Groot 1 8 4; Van der Keessel Theses Selectae 127, Praelectiones 1 8

4.

5 De Groot 1 4 1, 1 6 1, 1 7 8. He confirmed 1 8 4 that all legal proceedings

must be conducted in the name of th e guardian. Compare also Voet 2 4 4, 5

1 11, 26 7 12; Van Leeuwen RHR 5 3 5; Van der Keessel Theses Selectae 127,

Praelectiones 1 4 1, 1 8 4; Van der Linden Koopmans Handboek 3 2 2.

6 De Groot 1 4 1, 1 8 4. Compare Van der Vyver “Verskyningsbevoegdheid

van minderjariges” 1979 THRHR 129 131.

7 De Groot 1 4 1 mentions an exception in criminal matters.

8 De Groot 1 4 1. See also De Groot 1 6 1, 1 7 8, 1 8 4; Groenewegen De Leg

Abr 3 6 3 2; Van Leeuwen RHR 5 3 5. Voet 2 4 4 mentions that minors may

not be summoned without the authority of a guardian. He adds (5 1 11) that

a minor ought not to institute proceedings without a guardian and explains

(26 7 12) that a guardian’s duty is to appear on behalf of his ward in legal

proceedings, whether he institutes an action on behalf of a minor or

defends him when the minor has been sued by another. See also Van der

Keessel Theses Selectae 127 explaining that a minor could not appear in

court either as plaintiff or defendant without the assistance of his or her

guardian. In Praelectiones 1 8 4 he comments that minors who institute

proceedings or defend such proceedings could not do so in their own