FLS101-V
1
,FLS101-V
2
,FLS101-V
Study Unit 1: General Introduction
The external history of the law traces the sources and factors which have contributed directly or
indirectly to the development of the legal system. These relate to the political, constitutional,
economic, sociological and religious factors that have influences the development of the legal system
The internal history of the law covers the origins and development of the legal rules and principles
themselves, under the influence of external historical events
External history of the law sheds light on the internal history of the law
The main sources of origin of our law : legislation; court decisions; common law; customary law and
indigenous African law
Common law: is the centre around which other sources that generate law revolve. Refers to Roman-
Dutch law as influenced by English law. Is a living law, which is capable of adapting to the changing
values of society
Civil law: systems have been influenced by Roman law
Three major components of our law: the western or European component ( Roman Dutch and
English law); the indigenous African component and the Universal component (human- rights law)
Fundamental Rights are those rights that are possessed by all human beings because they are
human. Referred to as universal as a result of the movement towards the universal recognition of
human rights
African Component: has existed since time immemorial
Western component: consists of Roman law, Dutch Law and English law. History of the western
component started with the foundation of Rome 753 BC firstly to the Western Empire and at the
death of Justinian moved to the Eastern Empire 6th C AD. English law can be traced to 11th C AD
Universal component: can be traced back to the rise of natural – law as well as to the Church fathers
of 4th C AD
There is no comprehensive written version of our law that has the force of legislation- our law is not
codified
The Reception phenomenon
Reception refers to the absorption or adoption of the rules, principles and institutions of a legal
system in an existing legal system. if the reception is very comprehensive we speak of an in
complexu reception- a reception of an entire legal system
Transplantation means the importation or introduction of a legal system into a territory which has no
legal system
Imposition imposing a legal system on a territory which already has an existing legal system- against
the wishes of the local inhabitants
Roman- Dutch law was an imposition on indigenous law. English law was received
3
, FLS101-V
Reception of Roman law into Western Europe: 3 phases
1. Pre-reception area: few Roman-law rules were chosen and then incorporated in Germanic customary
law. Started in 5th C
2. Intellectual Rediscovery: rediscovery by a group of jurists called glossators of Justinian’s Roman law
12th C
3. early reception phase: increase in the scientific study of Roman law 13th and 14th C
4. Reception proper of Roman law: 15th and 16th C Roman law was incorporated into the legal systems
of some countries to form part of their common law
Reception of Roman law can be either Practical reception (the reception of the actual rules of Roman
law) or scientific reception (the concepts, the categories, the principle and the divisions of Roman
law)
South African law has been influenced by the Roman or civilian tradition and the English or common-
law tradition, as well as the indigenous African tradition, we may say we have a Hybrid or mixed legal
system
The pre-colonial era: the period before the first English annexation of the Cape in 1795
Study Unit 2: The African Component
Indigenous law: refers to the law of the Bantu speakers who presently occupy the greatest part of
Africa South of the Sahara. The Bantu speakers originated on North-East Nigeria and Cameroon.
The Bantu speakers came to South Africa about 1500 years ago- established themselves as iron-
using farmers in the Limpopo region in 500 AD
Bantu speakers have a preliterate tradition
Oral traditions are oral narrations, or communications from the past. They are unwritten verbal
accounts of the past. Songs, legends and epic poems, memorized and transmitted from generation
to generation
Oral traditions form the main source of information on a preliterate community’s past
Various reasons why historians chose not to research the unwritten history of Africa: human memory
alone was not regarded as entirely reliable; there was uncertainty about what method could be used
to process oral information in order to reconstruct the history of preliterate communities and it is
possible that historical facts could be distorted when recounted orally
Objections to the study and teaching of preliterate African history were overcome: by making use of
an interdisciplinary approach, by using the source material of other disciplines such as ethnography
and archaeology, and by the critical analysis and comparison of various oral accounts. In this way
information could be substantiated and the most likely version of the historical events related could
be reconstructed, much in the same way as written records.
Ethnography the act of researching the cultural acts of a community by physically becoming part of
that community and often even participating in their daily activities.
Archaeology aims at reconstructing the past by digging up cultural relics that previous generations
left behind
The cape 1652- 1795
Jan Van Riebeeck came in 1652. before that missionaries and traders had already bought western
cultures over
The Dutch East India Company – trading company in the Netherlands- interested in the South
African Interior for its strategic position as it was on the shipping route from India to the far east
The Raad van Justitie- court established in 1685 run by laymen and then inexperienced lawyers
As the colonist started moving out eastwards, they overpower the khoi and the San. By 1795 the khoi
were almost extinct
The pre-colonial era is regarded as having come to an end in 1795 when the British took control of
the Cape
The colonial period
During the colonial period administrators tried to “civilize” the indigenous population. Where
indigenous law was recognized, it was subject to the strict application of a repugnancy clause. The
repugnancy clause determined that indigenous law would only apply as so far as it was not contrary
to the western notion of public policy and natural justice
4
1
,FLS101-V
2
,FLS101-V
Study Unit 1: General Introduction
The external history of the law traces the sources and factors which have contributed directly or
indirectly to the development of the legal system. These relate to the political, constitutional,
economic, sociological and religious factors that have influences the development of the legal system
The internal history of the law covers the origins and development of the legal rules and principles
themselves, under the influence of external historical events
External history of the law sheds light on the internal history of the law
The main sources of origin of our law : legislation; court decisions; common law; customary law and
indigenous African law
Common law: is the centre around which other sources that generate law revolve. Refers to Roman-
Dutch law as influenced by English law. Is a living law, which is capable of adapting to the changing
values of society
Civil law: systems have been influenced by Roman law
Three major components of our law: the western or European component ( Roman Dutch and
English law); the indigenous African component and the Universal component (human- rights law)
Fundamental Rights are those rights that are possessed by all human beings because they are
human. Referred to as universal as a result of the movement towards the universal recognition of
human rights
African Component: has existed since time immemorial
Western component: consists of Roman law, Dutch Law and English law. History of the western
component started with the foundation of Rome 753 BC firstly to the Western Empire and at the
death of Justinian moved to the Eastern Empire 6th C AD. English law can be traced to 11th C AD
Universal component: can be traced back to the rise of natural – law as well as to the Church fathers
of 4th C AD
There is no comprehensive written version of our law that has the force of legislation- our law is not
codified
The Reception phenomenon
Reception refers to the absorption or adoption of the rules, principles and institutions of a legal
system in an existing legal system. if the reception is very comprehensive we speak of an in
complexu reception- a reception of an entire legal system
Transplantation means the importation or introduction of a legal system into a territory which has no
legal system
Imposition imposing a legal system on a territory which already has an existing legal system- against
the wishes of the local inhabitants
Roman- Dutch law was an imposition on indigenous law. English law was received
3
, FLS101-V
Reception of Roman law into Western Europe: 3 phases
1. Pre-reception area: few Roman-law rules were chosen and then incorporated in Germanic customary
law. Started in 5th C
2. Intellectual Rediscovery: rediscovery by a group of jurists called glossators of Justinian’s Roman law
12th C
3. early reception phase: increase in the scientific study of Roman law 13th and 14th C
4. Reception proper of Roman law: 15th and 16th C Roman law was incorporated into the legal systems
of some countries to form part of their common law
Reception of Roman law can be either Practical reception (the reception of the actual rules of Roman
law) or scientific reception (the concepts, the categories, the principle and the divisions of Roman
law)
South African law has been influenced by the Roman or civilian tradition and the English or common-
law tradition, as well as the indigenous African tradition, we may say we have a Hybrid or mixed legal
system
The pre-colonial era: the period before the first English annexation of the Cape in 1795
Study Unit 2: The African Component
Indigenous law: refers to the law of the Bantu speakers who presently occupy the greatest part of
Africa South of the Sahara. The Bantu speakers originated on North-East Nigeria and Cameroon.
The Bantu speakers came to South Africa about 1500 years ago- established themselves as iron-
using farmers in the Limpopo region in 500 AD
Bantu speakers have a preliterate tradition
Oral traditions are oral narrations, or communications from the past. They are unwritten verbal
accounts of the past. Songs, legends and epic poems, memorized and transmitted from generation
to generation
Oral traditions form the main source of information on a preliterate community’s past
Various reasons why historians chose not to research the unwritten history of Africa: human memory
alone was not regarded as entirely reliable; there was uncertainty about what method could be used
to process oral information in order to reconstruct the history of preliterate communities and it is
possible that historical facts could be distorted when recounted orally
Objections to the study and teaching of preliterate African history were overcome: by making use of
an interdisciplinary approach, by using the source material of other disciplines such as ethnography
and archaeology, and by the critical analysis and comparison of various oral accounts. In this way
information could be substantiated and the most likely version of the historical events related could
be reconstructed, much in the same way as written records.
Ethnography the act of researching the cultural acts of a community by physically becoming part of
that community and often even participating in their daily activities.
Archaeology aims at reconstructing the past by digging up cultural relics that previous generations
left behind
The cape 1652- 1795
Jan Van Riebeeck came in 1652. before that missionaries and traders had already bought western
cultures over
The Dutch East India Company – trading company in the Netherlands- interested in the South
African Interior for its strategic position as it was on the shipping route from India to the far east
The Raad van Justitie- court established in 1685 run by laymen and then inexperienced lawyers
As the colonist started moving out eastwards, they overpower the khoi and the San. By 1795 the khoi
were almost extinct
The pre-colonial era is regarded as having come to an end in 1795 when the British took control of
the Cape
The colonial period
During the colonial period administrators tried to “civilize” the indigenous population. Where
indigenous law was recognized, it was subject to the strict application of a repugnancy clause. The
repugnancy clause determined that indigenous law would only apply as so far as it was not contrary
to the western notion of public policy and natural justice
4
