?

asLhll Mahara[ Summarlzed noLes LAWS1000

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Introduction
Basic Legal Concepts

luristic oct an acL whlch ls lnLended Lo have and has legal consequences 1hls acL creaLes alLers or
LermlnaLes a legal relaLlonshlp 1here are Lwo Lypes of !A's
O uollotetol (performed by one parLy) eg maklng a wlll cancellaLlon of a conLracL for a
breach
O llotetol/moltllotetol (2 or more parLles) eg maklng or changlng of a conLracL
9rson Lhe legal concepL whlch refers Lo an enLlLy lf Lhe enLlLy ls human lL ls referred Lo as a oototol
petsoo lf Lhe enLlLy ls flcLlLlous or arLlflclal person Lhey are referred Lo as jotlstlc petsoos ln summary
Lhe [urlsLlc persons lnclude unlverslLles companles organlzaLlons (SA8C) and any oLher volunLary
assoclaLlons
o/ copocity ls glven Lo boLh oototol jotlstlc petsoos and ls spllL lnLo Lhree Lypes of capaclLles
1ype of capac|ty

Who can perform w|th|n that capac|ty
1 CapaclLy Lo have r|ghts and dut|es Lvery person
2 CapaclLy Lo perform [urlsLlc acLs A mloot (below Lhe age of 7) connot prform ony
Some have llmlLed capaclLy
O A mlnor (of age 7 and upwards) can
perform [urlsLlc acLs and llLlgaLe(Lake a
clalm/dlspuLe Lo a courL of law) lf he has
Lhe asslsLance of a legal guardlan
3 CapaclLy Lo sue and be sued as a parLy Lo a
law sulL (llLlgaLe locos stooJl lo loJlclo)
5 AI
1


/iotion ls a legal bond beLween Lwo persons 1he one person (Jebtot) ls legally bound Lo render a
performance of some klnd (Lo glve someLhlng or Lo do/refraln from dolng someLhlng) Lo Lhe cteJltot
1he Jebtot has a duty Lo render Lhe performance and Lhe cteJltot has a r|ght Lo recelve lL




1
lease noLe LhaL because a [urlsLlc person has legal capaclLy debLs lncome eLc lncurred ln lLs name or on lLs
behalf are enLlrely lLs own 1he human belngs LhaL consLlLuLe Lhls [urlsLlc person are compleLely separaLe
(8eferred Lo as 1he LnLlLy rlnclpe" ln AccounLlng)
?asLhll Mahara[ Summarlzed noLes LAWS1000
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9rsono/ ro/ ond othr rihts
1he cteJltot's rlghL Lo recelve Lhe performance ln Lerms of an obllgaLlon ls a prsono/ riht ln
oLher words hls rlghL lles - wlLh Lhe debtor
A sells car Lo 8 and doesn'L dellver yeL A sells Lo C (ono fid slncerely wlLhouL lnLenL
Lo decelve) and dellvers 8 cannoL compel C Lo dellver Lhe car Lo hlm Lhere ls no
relaLlonshlp beLween 8 C
A ro/ riht ls wlLh respecL Lo a physlcal Lhlng such as Lhe rlghL Lo ownershlp of properLy
1he dlfference beLween a prsono/ riht ro/ riht ls LhaL a ro/ riht ls susLalnable agalnsL
Lhe whole world lnsLead of a parLlcular lndlvldual or a group of persons
A sells hls car Lo 8 8efore dellvery Lhe car ls sLolen and sold by Lhe th|ef Lo C A ls
enLlLled Lo recover hls car from C and lL ls lmmotetlol as Lo wheLher C was a ono fid
Lhlrd parLy/ acqulred Lhe car ln good falLh as well os tbe voloe of Lhe vehlcle
WlLh regards Lo Leases Lhe lessee has a rea| r|ght over Lhe land whlch holds
agalnsL Lhe lessor and any poLenLlal buyers of Lhe properLy (?ou're safe unless
your lease has explred)
mmotrio/ proprty riht relaLes Lo a nonphyslcal producL of an arLlsL lnvenLlve or commerclal
acLlvlLy such as a rlghL ln respecL Lo a work of arL a paLenL Lrademark or deslgn
4 controct ls an oqteemeot whlch cteotes oo obllqotloo A conLracL has Lhe followlng feaLures
O 4rmnt ls Lhe basls of a conLracL
O -1 a|| agreemenLs are conLracLs only Lhose LhaL crot on o/iotion
O 1here musL be ot /ost two parLles Lo a conLracL
O nly persons pr|vy (sharlng ln Lhe knowledge) Lo a conLracL or ound by lL (beLween Lhe parLles
Lo Lhe agreemenL)
A void
2
contract doesn'L glve rlse Lo obllgaLlons because lL doesn'L saLlsfy Lhe requlremenLs of a
conLracL (eg an lllegal agreemenL) A vo/id contract ls one whlch does glve rlse Lo obllgaLlons
A voido/ contract ls blndlng Lo boLh parLles only one of Lhe parLles has Lhe opLlon Lo seL lL aslde
unLll he does Lhe conLracL remalns vo/id and musL be carrled ouL by boLh parLles (eg a conLracL
lnduced by mlsrepresenLaLlon)
A conLracL LhaL doesn'L fall lnLo a wellknown caLegory (sale lease employmenL eLc) ls an
innominot conLracL

2
1hese Lerms are lnconslsLenL slnce conLracL" ls an agreemenL LhaL glves rlse Lo obllgaLlons !usL noLe LhaL we [usL
use Lhls for convenlence of descrlblng Lhem
?asLhll Mahara[ Summarlzed noLes LAWS1000
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A /ict ls wrongful and culpable (blameworLhy) conducL LhaL causes harm Lo anoLher's person
properLy or personallLy
Lach person owes a duty Lo every oLher member of socleLy noL Lo cause ln[ury wrongly and
culpably Lo oLhers
Lvery person has a correspondlng r|ght noL Lo be harmed ln Lhls way lf Lhls rlghL ls lnfrlnged Lhe
ln[ured parLy ls qtooteJ o temeJy Lo
1 An order dlrecLlng Lhe wrongdoer Lo pay hlm compensaLlon or
2 An lnLerdlcL Lo deslsL Lhe wrong doer from conLlnulng or repeaLlng Lhe conducL
A person's conducL ls deemed culpable lf he has been found neg||gent lf
1 A reasonable person ln hls poslLlon would have foreseen Lhe posslblllLy of hls conducL
causlng ln[ury Lo anoLher and would have Laken sLeps Lo prevenL Lhls
2 lalled Lo Lake such sLeps
Dnjustifid nrichmnt (beneflLs accrued Lo one parLy aL Lhe expense of anoLher) whlch ls also anoLher
source of obllgaLlons no legal grounds exlsL for Lhe Lransfer of beneflLs 1he obllgaLlon rlses when Lhe
enrlched parLy musL compensaLe Lhe lmpoverlshed parLy
crim ls wrongful conducL by whlch Lhe wrong doer ls punlshable by Lhe SLaLe
1he dlfference beLween crlme and dellcL lle ln Lhelr legal remedles as shown below
tlme uellct
lf someone has been ln[ured (comp/oinont) as a
resulL of a crlme Lhey don'L become a parLy Lo Lhe
ensulng crlmlnal proceedlngs alLhough Lhey may
be called upon Lo provlde evldence agalnsL Lhe
accused nly Lhe SLaLe agalnsL Lhe 4ccusd
1he ln[ured parLy (p/ointiff) agalnsL Lhe dfndont
or rspondnt 1he ln[ured parLy may be Lhe SLaLe
lLself
1he maln alm ls Lo proLecL socleLy by punlshlng Lhe
offender
1he maln alm ls Lo compensaLe Lhe vlcLlm for Lhe
harm he has suffered resulLlng from Lhe dellcLual
acL of Lhe wrong doer
Cenerally an offence Lo agree for reward oLher
Lhan where a flne ls payable for prosecuLlon
Consldered deslrable for Lhe llLlganLs Lo end Lhe
llLlgaLlon ln an ouLofcourL seLLlemenL

civi/ procdins are essenLlally ones whlch are noL a ctlmlool ptosecotloo civi/ clalmanL musL prove
Lhe facLs whlch esLabllsh Lhe llablllLy of Lhe defendanL on a balance of probablllLles crimino/ Lhe SLaLe
musL prove Lhe gullL of Lhe accused beyond a reasonable doubL Lo proLecL Lhe accused
?asLhll Mahara[ Summarlzed noLes LAWS1000
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e |udicial System
e Constitutional Court
O lghesL courL ln all consLlLuLlonal maLLers
O llnal say on wheLher a parLlcular maLLer falls wlLhln lLs [urlsdlcLlon
O Malnly an appeal courL blnds all oLhers
O ln maLLers regardlng Lhe SLaLe Lhls ls Lhe flrsL lnsLance and musL be approached dlrecLly
O 11 (lncl Chlef !usLlce and uepuLy Chlef !usLlce)
O AL leasL 8 [udges
e ordinary courts
O
Special courts

?asLhll Mahara[ Summarlzed noLes LAWS1000
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Sources of Law
6 Sources
1 1he ConLlLuaLlon
2 LeglslaLlon
3 8omanuuLch Law
4 !udlclal precedenL
3


?asLhll Mahara[ Summarlzed noLes LAWS1000
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ain divisions of te Law