SECTION 3 RESIDUAL COMMON-LAW OBLIGATIONS OF THE SELLER AND THE REMDIES OF THE BUYER Flashcards
What are the residual common-law obligations of the seller and the remedies of the buyer?
- Seller is required to take care of the res vendita until the merx is made available.
- Seller’s duty to make the thing sold available
- Seller’s duty to transfer ownership if he has it, or can obtain it, failing which, to warrant the buyer against eviction
- Duty to make the res vendita available free from defects/diseases
What does the obligation that ‘the seller is required to take care of the res vendita until the merx is made available’ mean?
Contract being perfecta does not release the seller from the responsibility for the thing sold while it remains in his possession.
What is the general rule ito the obligation that ‘the seller must take care of the res vendita until the merx is made avaialble’?
The seller is under an obligation to take care of the thing until the time for performance comes, and he will be responsible for any damage caused by his fraud/negligence.
What is the leading case for the obligation of taking care of the res vendita until the merx is made available?
Frumer v Maitland
What did the court hold in Frumer v Maitland?
- First consider the obligations of a seller who has not yet delivered the property sold
- It is the seller’s duty to look after it as would a bonus paterfamilias
- If seller fails in that duty the purchaser would be entitled to claim damages, to repudiate the contract and to refuse to take delivery
- But, only if, the result of the seller’s neglect is that the thing sold is materially different from the thing tendered.
What is the position if the seller is in mora in making the thing available?
The seller becomes liable for all loss, no matter how it comes about.
What is the position if the buyer is in mora in taking delivery?
The seller’s obligation is diminished.
What is the position if the buyer has failed to take delivery?
The seller will only be liable for the consequences of his gross negligence or fraud, no liability for ordinary negligenc.
What are the buyer’s remedies when the seller has not taken due care of the res vendita (i.e. breached a tacit term of the contract?
- SP
- Cancellation
- Damages
What does the type of remedies available depend on?
On whether the goods are specific or unascertained.
What determines the remedy ito specific goods?
Whether the damage is material or not.
What is the position in the case of specific goods, where the damage is material?
The buyer is entitled to refuse to accept delivery of the goods and to cancel the contract, claim damages and a refund of the price if paid.
What is the position in the case of specific goods where the damage is not material?
The buyer must accept the delivery of the goods, and the main remedy is damages.
What is the position where the sale is of unascertained goods?
- The buyer has greater powers to reject the goods and once again treat the seller as if there had been no delivery at all (whether the breach is major or not).
- Specific performance is usual remedy
- Damages could be claimed for delay or wasted costs.
What are the requirements of the obligation of the seller’s duty to make the thing sold available?
- To make the thing available at the agreed time and place
- The thing must be made available in the condition that it was at the time of sale
- The thing must be made available in accordance with the specifications regarding size, quantity, grade or any other aspect agreed upon in the contract of sale
- The thing must be made available with all its accessories, appurtenances and fruits
- The buyer must placed in a position whereby he acquires undisturbed possession
- The seller must, at his own expense, do whatever is necessary to make thing sold available to the buyer.
What if there is no time stipulated in the contract within which to make the thing available?
The res vendita must be made available immediately :
1. If performance is possible at the time of sale
2. Within a reasonable time, if performance is not possible at the time of sale.
What are the cases for time within which to make the res vendita available?
- Concrete Products v Natal Leather Industries.
- Moosa v Robert Shaw & Co Ltd
Is the seller entitled to delivery by instalments?
No, unless the parties agreed on that.
What is the case for ‘place of making the thing available’?
Goldblatt v Merwe
What happens if no place is agreed on?
- Seller must make the thing sold available at the place where the thing is if it is specific
- If the res is unascertained, the seller must make it available at his place of business or at his residence
- If the thing is ordered to be manufactured, the thing must be made available at the place of manufacture, in the absence of any agreement to the contrary.
What is the authority for the requirement that the thing sold must be made available in the condition that it was at the time of sale?
Frumer v Maitland, “no material differences in the thing in which it was at the date of the contract”.
What are the two facets regarding the requirement that the thing must be made available in accordance with specifications agreed upon in the contract of sale?
- Sales concluded by sample, the contract contains an express warranty that the bulk of the goods will conform to the sample.
- Seller may not make available more or less than the amount stated in the contract, nor the contract goods mixed with others of a different description.
What happens if the final consignment does not comply w the sample in a sale concluded by sale contract?
Warranty is breached, buyer has an actio empti and other contractual remedies.
What happens if the sale is by description and the goods do not measure up?
Remedies are for misrepresentation or breach if the description was made a term of the contract.
What cases deal with the remedies of a buyer if the seller makes available more/less than the amount stated in the contract or the contract goods mix with others of a different description?
- Cedarmount STore v Webster & Co
- Mannix v Osborn
- Wepener v Bremer
Which section of the CPA deals with the remedies available to a buyer if the seller makes more/less available than the amount stated in the contract and the contract goods mix with others of a different description?
Section 19(8)
What does section 19(8) of the CPA hold?
If the supplier delivers to the consumer some of the goods the supplier agreed to supply mixed with goods of a different description not contemplated in the agreement, the consumer may-
(a) accept delivery of the goods that are in accordance with the agreement and reject the rest; or
(b) reject all of the delivered goods.”
What are accessories?
Things which, though capable in the abstract of separate conception, in fact form an integral portion of the principal thing, and lose their individual existence.
What are appurtenances?
Things which are naturally adapted to serve and augment permanently the utility of the principal thing.
What is the rule regarding fruits ito obligations?
The seller must make the thing sold available with any fruits which have accrued to it since the sale was perfecta.
What is the case for making the fruits available?
De Kock and Another v Fincham.
What does the obligation of placing the buyer in a position whereby he acquires undisturbed possession mean?
- The seller must make thing available in such a manner that no one is alleging any immediate right of possession over the res
- Buyer acquires free and undisturbed possession, at the time the thing is made available.
What is the case for seller’s duty to ensure buyer acquires free and undisturbed possession?
Abdulla v Long
What are the duties of the obligation that the seller must do whatever is necessary to make the thing sold available to the buyer?
- Unsascertained goods, seller must appropriate the goods to the contract and ensure that the quantity and description and quality of the goods thus are appropriated in accordance with the terms of the contract.
- If anything has to be done to the res vendita to put it ina deliverable state, the seller is responsible for doing so at his own expense.
What is the case for the seller’s duty to put the res vendita ina deliverable state at his own expense.
Stephen Fraser v Clydesdale Collieries.
What are the buyers remedies if the seller fails to do his duties i.e, breach?
- SP
- Cancellation
- Damages
When is SP available to a buyer?
When a buyer rejects the tender of goods as being inappropriate.
What is the case for cancellation?
Landau v City Auction Mart.
What did the court state in Landau v City Auction Mart?
“I can find nothing in Roman-Dutch law which stands in the way of an order being made in favour of a purchaser for cancellation of a contract of sale and repayment of the price by reason of a refusal by the defendant to deliver the property sold.”
What are the facts of Concrete Products v Natal Leather Industries?
- Concrete Products v Natal Leather Industries entered into a sale agreement for a large number of steel corners for suitcases in different sizes, with several thousand of each sze to be delivered every week
- Order for small corners were urgent
- No time for the commencement of delivery was fixed
What was the holding in Concrete Products v Natal Leather Industries?
The contract being an ordinary commercial one, time was of its essence, and in the absence of an agreed date for the commencement of delivery, delivery must occur within a reasonable period.
What are the facts of Moosa v Robert Shaw?
- Parties entered into a sale agreement for two consignments of 100 hair-nets at specified prices
- 50 for day use, 50 for night wear
- The consignments were to be delivered at separate times
- In each case, Moosa refused to accept delivery or to meet the bills drawn for the purchase price and the charges
- 2nd consignment was invoiced at a higher price than the one originally set out in the order
- The contract did not provide for delivery to be made by instalments.
What are the facts of Goldblatt v Merwe?
- Goldblatt undertook to supply Merwe with 30 000 cigarette boxes
- Merwe took delivery of some at the place of manufacture
- After some delay on the part of Goldblatt in supplying the remaining boxes
- Merwe demanded delivery of them at his own residence
- Goldblatt offered to make the gods available at the place of manufacture
What is the holding in Goldblatt v Merwe?
- In the case of a sale of specific goods, in the absence of agreement as to the place of delivery, they must be delivered at the place where they were at the time of the sale
- If the goods are ordered to be manufactured, they must be delivered at the place of manufacture
- If a local custom is relied upon as taking a case out of the general rule, there must be clear proof of such custom.
What are the facts of Cedarmont Store v Webster?
- Cedarmont Store sold to Webster 400 bags of grade 2 white hickory maize
- Webster rejected the consignment because a large proprotion of the consignment was bad and could not be regarded as grade 2
- Some maize experts were of the opinion that at least 10% of the consignment was bad and could not be graded as no.2
- Maize was gree and mouldy due to being exposed to water or damp.
What did the court in Cedarmont Store v Webster hold regarding remedy?
- Actio quanti minoris presupposes that the contract has been fulfilled, but not to the full extent
- If there has not been substantial performance, the right of election lies with the purchaser
- Election of the purchaser is to refuse to accept the goods and rely either on the actio ex empto (based on the purchase) to reject or on the Aediliation Edict.
What are the facts of Mannix v Osborn?
- Mannix purchased from Osborn 100 bags of grade 6 mielies which on inspection by the Gov, 19 bags were found to be grade 4 and 13 grade 8
- Osborn admitted that the Government grading was correct
- Mannix purchased the mealies for resale to Selbowitz
without informing Osborn
What is the remedy applied by the court in Mannix v Osborn?
Actio Redhibitoria
What is the Actio Redhibitoria?
Action to cancel a sale on consequence of defects in the thing sold, allows for restitutio in integrum.
What are the facts of Wepener v Bremer?
- Wepener sold Bremer bags of wheat which arrived later, Bremer took delivery nonetheless and deposite the wheat in their stores
- On subsequent examination, it was found that some of the bags in the consignments did not answer to the contract description and quality and were musty
- Bremer ordered 1200 bags, 728 of the bags were delivered.
- 294 of the 728 were non-compliant
- Wepener offered to replace the 294 bags, but the offer was refused, the bags were then sold to a 3rd party
- Bremer cancelled the conrtact and refused to accept the balance of the 1200 bags on the ground that the wheat already railed was not ito the contract and on the ground that time for railing had expired.
What did the court hold in Bremer v Webster?
There is a right to replace defective goods during the currency of the contract i.e. the date for delivery has been fixed by demand.
What are the facts of De Kock v Fincham?
- De Kock was the agent for both the buyer and seller and collected the rents from the sold property
- Francis is the seller and Fincham is the buyer
- De Kock handed over the rent money to Francis
What is the rule in De Kock v Fincham?
Where IP is sold on terms of payment on transfer, the purchaser is entitled to recover the rents.
What are the facts of Abdulla v Long?
- Abdulla bought property from Long in ignorance of the hypothec which was fraudulently concealed from him by Long
- Ito an Ordinance, the hypothec attaches to the property an Abdulla is liable for it.
- Abdulla claims an order on Long to redeem certain land from a hypothec in favour of Wynberg Municipality.
What is the rule in Abdulla v Long?
Seller’s duty in general is to give vacuo possession and that enjoins the duty of delivering the property free from any burdens not specifically stated at the time of the sale.
What are the facts of Stephen Fraser v Clydesdale Transvaal Collieries?
- Stephen Fraser Co and Clydesdale Transvaal Collieries had entered into a sale agreement for 600 bales of grain bags
- Bags to be delivered to Springs Station
- 600 bales had been duly delivered ito the contract of sale but CTC had refused to pay the purchase price owing on 90 of the 600 bales
- Contract showed that SFC had undertaken to deliver the goods free of all charges at Springs Station
- Trucks with the 90 bales arrived at Springs Station but station-master refused to make delivery on the ground that the duty had not been paid.
What is the holding in Stephen Fraser Co v Clydesdale Transvaal Collieries?
Where a vendor undertakes to make delivery of the goods he has sold at a distant place, the carrier is the agent of the vendor to deliver, not of the purchaser to receive the goods.
What happens if a seller mala fide fails to transfer ownership?
The buyer will have an actio ex empto for transfer of ownership as soon as he or she discovers the true position
What is the warranty against eviction?
The warranty requires of the seller that he must do whatever is legally possible to protect the buyer in his possession of the res vendita.
What happens if the seller does not do whatever is legally possible to protect the buyer in his possession of the res vendita?
The seller will be rendered liable under the warranty against eviction
In which legislative provision does the warranty against eviction appear?
Section 44(1)(d) of the CPAA.
What are the three basic requirements that must be met before the seller will become liable on the buyer’s eviction?
- Eviction
- Notice
- Buyer is required to put up a determined defence (virilis defensio) against the claim of the 3rd party