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,Introduction
Law of persons
Law of persons determines:
1. which beings are legal subjects
2. how a legal subject originates and comes to an end
3. what legal status involves
4. what effect various factors have on a person's legal status
Confined to treatment of the natural person only: not juristic persons.
Deals virtually exclusively with the status of natural persons in the field of private law.
Different kinds of legal subjects
Legal personality is bestowed only on legal subjects.
In SA we have:
1. The natural person
2. The juristic person
Factors determining recognition as a legal subjects
Legal personality is conferred only to entities the law sees fit to recognize as legal subjects.
The following factors determine what is recognized as a legal entity within a country:
1. Legal norms and views of a particular community
2. The needs of commercial traffic
3. Historic and cultural background of a specific nation
Thus, as these factors change, what is recognized as a legal entity is subject to change.
Natural Person
All human beings, irrespective of age, mental capacity or intellectual capacity, are recognized as
legal subjects: known as “natural persons”
Thus: every human can have rights, duties and capacities based on mental capacity & age.
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, Exceptions before modern law
Slavery was not abolished in the Cape until 1834: until then slaves in SA were legal objects who
could not have rights, duties or capacities.
Monstra: babies born so deformed that they lacked the human form and human mind were not
legal subjects under Roman & Roman Dutch law: today any abomination is regarded as a legal
subject.
Juristic person
Legal personality is also bestowed on certain associations of natural persons.
The association itself is granted legal personality and is called a juristic person.
Characteristics of a juristic person
1. Enjoys a legal existence independent from its members or the people who created it
2. Must always act through its functionaries, i.e. directors of a company
3. When functionaries act on behalf of the juristic person, it juristic person acquires rights,
duties and capacities, i.e. be bind itself to a contract, be owner of things, etc.
What is recognized as juristic persons?
1. Associations incorporated in terms of general enabling legislation, i.e. companies,
banks, close corporations and co-operatives
2. Associations especially created and recognized as juristic persons in separate
legislation, i.e. universities, semi-state organizations, public corporations (Eskom, SABC)
3. Associations which comply with the common-law requirements for the recognition of
legal personality of a juristic person, i.e. churches, political parties, trade unions: known
as universitates: Must meet following requirements:
a. Association must have a continued existence irrespective of the fact that its
members may vary
b. Must have rights, duties and capacities
c. Its object must not be the acquisition of gain
Trusts and partnerships are not recognized.
Beginning of legal personality
Legal personality begins at birth: foetus is not a legal subject.
Requirements for the beginning of legal personality:
1. Birth must be fully completed: complete separation between mother & foetus;
umbilical cord does not have to be severed
2. Child must live after the separation: stillborn foetus does not acquire legal personality.
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For more information on other modules assistant tutorials, bookings, revision class etc please contact
info@btsclearning.com or call on 012 323 0662/071 246 8412
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