Section 30P of the Pension Funds Act: A Review, Appeal or What?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2023/v26i0a14045

Keywords:

Section 30P, Adjudicator, Appeal, Review, Reconsideration, Pension Funds Act, high court, aggrieved person, application

Abstract

Section 30P of the Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956 (hereafter PFA) is an important procedural tool that allows those dissatisfied with the Pension Funds Adjudicator's determinations to apply to the High Court for such determinations to be set aside. This article discusses this section and demonstrates that neither the legislature nor the courts have provided clarity on whether what is intended by this section is an appeal, a review or a reconsideration of determinations of the Pension Funds Adjudicator. It also illustrates the confusion that has been created by the courts with the High Court referring to this procedure as sui generis and the Supreme Court of Appeal, without referring to previous High Court decisions, referring to this procedure as an appeal in the wide sense. In this article a reflection on whether these two formulations are synonymous or if there is a need to settle for only one of them will be made. Furthermore, a call for judicial reconsideration of the applicability of the Plascon-Evan Rule in section 30P applications will be made in this article.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Motseotsile Clement Marumoagae, University of the Witwatersrand

    Associate Professor, University of Witwatersrand

           

References

Bibliography

Literature

Dyani-Mhango N "Does the Board of a Pension Fund in South Africa Perform a Public Function or Exercise Public Power When Determining Death Claims Under Section 37C of the Pension Funds Act?" 2021 De Jure 549-564

Erasmus HJ "Judicial Review of Inferior Court Proceedings – or, the Ghost of Prerogative Writs in South African Law" 2015 TSAR 94-104

Fergus E "The Distinction Between Appeals and Reviews: Defining the Limits of the Labour Court's Powers of Review" 2010 ILJ 1556-1574

Godfrey K "Irregularity in the High Court: Appeal or Review?" 1972 Rhodesian Law Journal 240-247

Joubert JJ (ed) Criminal Procedure Handbook 11th ed (Juta Cape Town 2014)

Marumoagae C "Section 13A of the PFA: Employer's Failure to Pay Employees Contribution to the Employees' Pension Fund" 2015 Speculum Juris 68-85

Marumoagae C "The Need to Provide Members of Retirement Funds Which are Not Regulated by the Pension Funds Act Access to a Specialised Dispute Resolution Forum" 2019 De Jure 115-137 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/2225-7160/2019/v52a8

Marumoagae C "The Correct Route to Follow When Dealing with Pension Fund Adjudicator’s Determinations" 2020 April De Rebus 17-18

Marumoagae C "Dispute Resolution Forum: Is Your Pension Fund Regulated by the Pension Funds Act?" 2020 July De Rebus 22-23

Mhango M "Does the South African Pension Funds Adjudicator Perform an Administrative or a Judicial Function?" 2016 LDD 20-45 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ldd.v20i1.2

Mhango M "The Right to Equality and Access to Courts for Government Employees in South Africa: Time to Amend the Government Employees Pension Law" 2019 AHRLJ 337-360 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/1996-2096/2019/v19n1a16

Nevondwe L and Odeku KO "An Analysis of the Role of Pension Funds Adjudicator in South Africa" 2013 Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 817-827 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n13p817

Case law

Altron Group Pension Fund v Thompson CSF South African Pension Fund (2008/25327) [2010] ZAGPJHC 196 (15 April 2010)

Associated Institutions Pension Fund v Van Zyl 2005 2 SA 302 (SCA)

Bato Star Fishing (Pty) Ltd v Minister of Environmental Affairs 2004 4 SA 490 (CC)

Beqfin (Pty) Ltd v Ntane (02662/2013) [2013] ZAGPJHC 202 (12 August 2013)

Bidvest South Africa Retirement Fund v Siphuma (Financial Services Tribunal) (unreported) case number PFA32/2022 of 19 September 2022

Collatz v Alexander Forbes Financial Services (Pty) Ltd (A 5067 of 2020) [2022] ZAGPJHC 75 (31 January 2022)

Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service v Van der Merwe 2016 1 SA 599 (SCA)

Darries v Sheriff, Magistrate's Court, Wynberg 1998 3 SA 34 (SCA)

De Beers Pension Fund v Pension Funds Adjudicator 2003 6 BPLR 4764 (C)

Edumbe Municipality v Makhoba (1940/16P) [2016] ZAKZPHC 100 (27 October 2016)

Gentiruco v Firestone SA (Pty) Ltd (2) 1971 2 PH F68 (A)

Gentleman v Goosen (4383/2017) [2018] ZAECGHC 88 (20 September 2018)

Govender v Alpha Group Employees Provident Fund (3) 2001 10 BPLR 2583 (PFA)

Gqwetha v Transkei Development Corporation Ltd 2006 2 SA 603 (SCA)

Health Professions Council of SA v De Bruin 2004 4 All SA 392 (SCA)

Iscor Pension Fund v Murphy 2002 2 SA 742 (T)

Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Co v Johannesburg Town Council 1903 TS 111

Joint Municipal Pension Fund v Maree 2007 JOL 20614 (W)

Khalimashe v Eskom Pension and Provident Fund 2011 JOL 26889 (ECM)

Kim v Agri Staff Pension Fund (2017/47543) [2019] ZAGPJHC 156 (6 February 2019)

Kunz v Swart 1924 AD 618

Leigh v Registrar of Pension Funds 2018 JOL 39804 (FSAB)

Lohan Civils (Pty) Ltd v Tokologo Local Municipality (2676/2019) [2020] ZAFSHC 20 (14 February 2020)

May v Municipal Workers' Retirement Fund 2019 JOL 41084 (PFA)

Mayhew v Lincoln Wood Provident Fund 2003 11 BPLR 5303 (PFA)

Metro Group Retirement Fund v Murphy 2002 9 BPLR 3821 (C)

Meyer v Iscor Pension Fund 2003 2 SA 715 (SCA)

Minister of Public Works v Roux Property Fund (Pty) Ltd (779/2019) [2020] ZASCA 119 (1 October 2020)

Mmileng v Government Employees Pension Fund (7397/16) [2016] ZAGPPHC 1067 (15 December 2016)

Municipal Employees Pension Fund v Mongwaketse 2021 1 All SA 772 (SCA)

Municipal Employees Pension Fund v Mongwaketse (CCT 34/21) [2022] ZACC 9 (14 March 2022)

National Union of Textile Workers v Textile Workers Industrial Union (SA) 1988 2 All SA 118 (A)

Ngwane v Pension Funds Adjudicator (Financial Services Tribunal) (unreported) case number PFA 13/2022 of 16 September 2022

Old Mutual Life Assurance Co (South Africa) Ltd v Pension Funds Adjudicator 2007 3 SA 458 (C)

Plascon-Evans Paints Ltd v Van Riebeeck Paints (Pty) Ltd 1984 3 SA 623 (A)

President of the RSA v SA Rugby Football Union 1999 10 BCLR 1059 (CC)

R v Bates and Reidy 1902 TS 199

Resa Pension Fund v Pension Fund Adjudicator 2000 3 SA 313 (C)

Room Hire Co (Pty) Ltd v Jeppe Street Mansions Ltd 1949 3 SA 1155 (T)

Saloojee v Minister of Community Development 1965 2 SA 135 (A)

Samancor Group Pension Fund v Samancor Chrome 2010 4 All SA 297 (SCA)

Shell and BP South Africa Petroleum Refineries (Pty) Ltd v Murphy 2000 9 BPLR 953 (D)

Sindane v Sentinel Retirement Fund (93656/2016) [2019] ZAGPPHC 274 (27 June 2019)

South African National Blood Service Provident Fund v Pension Fund Adjudicator (53555/17) [2022] ZAGPPHC 365 (20 May 2022)

Sportsbook Logistics (Pty) Ltd T/A Racing Distribution v Chetty (Financial Services Tribunal) (unreported) case number PFA39/2022 of 23 September 2022

Super Rent a Division of Super Group Trading (Pty) Ltd v PFA (Financial Services Tribunal (unreported) case number PFA 17/2021 of 22 August 2022

Swart v Lukhaimane (54157/2019) [2021] ZAGPPHC 124 (12 February 2021) DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429327414-54

Tickly v Johannes 1963 2 SA 588 (T) DOI: https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1963.tb25210.x

Titi v Funds at Work Umbrella Provident Fund 2011 JOL 28125 (ECM)

Tofa v The State (20133/14) [2015] ZASCA 26 (20 March 2015)

Toyota South Africa Motors (Pty) Ltd v Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service (495/2000) [2002] ZASCA 27 (28 March 2002)

Urban Tolling Alliance v South African National Roads Agency Limited 2013 4 All SA 639 (SCA)

Wolgroeiers Afslaers (Edms) Bpk v Munisipaliteit van Kaapstad 1978 1 SA 13 (A)

Legislation

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996

Financial Sector Regulation Act 9 of 2017

Government Employees Pension Law (Proclamation 21) of 1996

Magistrates Court Act 32 of 1944

Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956

Post and Telecommunications-related Matters Act 44 of 1958

Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000

Superior Courts Act 10 of 2013

Transnet Pension Fund Act 62 of 1990

Government publications

Uniform Rules of Court (published in GN R48 in GG 999 of 12 January 1965, as amended up to 1 December 2020)

Internet sources

Cambridge Dictionary Date Unknown Reconsideration https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reconsideration accessed 19 February 2022

Government Employees Pension Fund 2021 The GEPF Launches the Government Employees Pension Ombud (GEPO) Office https://www.gepf.gov.za/the-gepf-launches-the-government-employees-pension-ombud-gepo-office/ accessed 19 February 2022

Government Employees Pension Ombud Office Date Unknown About the Pension Ombuds Office https://gepo.co.za/about-us/ accessed 19 February 2022

Khumalo S Date Unknown Noteworthy Financial Services Tribunal Rulings https://www.pensionlawyers.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Noteworthy-FS-Tribunal-rulings.pdf accessed 19 February 2022

Lukhaimane M 2018 PFA Decisions Can Be Taken on Appeal to Financial Services Tribunal https://www.pfa.org.za/Publications/Latest%20Media%20Releases PFA%20decisions%20can%20be%20taken%

on%20appeal%20to%20financial%20services%20tribunal%20(FANEWS%204%20Sept%202018).pdf accessed 19 February 2022

Published

04-04-2023

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Section 30P of the Pension Funds Act: A Review, Appeal or What? (M. C. Marumoagae , Trans.). (2023). Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 26, (Published on 4 April 2023) pp 1 - 39. https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2023/v26i0a14045

Similar Articles

311-320 of 1157

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.