THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEAL OF SOUTH AFRICA
JUDGMENT
Reportable
Case No: 204/2017

In the matter between:

G S VAN DER WESTHUIZEN
APPELLANT

W J BURGER
RESPONDENT

Neutral citation:
Van der Westhuizen v Burger (204/2017) [2017] ZASCA 178 (1
December 2017)

Coram:
Ponnan, Majiedt and Swain JJA and Mokgohloa and Mbatha
AJJA

Heard:
17 November 2017

Delivered:
1 December 2017

Summary:  Actio de ferris – defence of provocation – ostrich provoked – owner not
liable.

ORDER

On appeal from: Gauteng Division of the High Court, Pretoria (Olivier AJ sitting as
court of first instance):

1    The appeal is upheld with costs.
2    The order of the court a quo is set aside and replaced with the following order:
„The claim is dismissed with costs.‟

JUDGMENT

Swain JA (Ponnan and Majiedt JJA and Mokgohloa and Mbatha AJJA
concurring):
[1] An ostrich owned by the appellant, Mr Gerhard van der Westhuizen, which
chased the respondent, Mr Willem Burger, gave rise to an action instituted by the
respondent as plaintiff, against the appellant as defendant, in the Gauteng Division
of the high court (Pretoria). The respondent alleged that in an attempt to escape from
the ostrich he tripped over a piece of wood, tore his Achilles tendon and as a result
suffered damages in the amount of R6 750 000.
[2] By agreement between the parties, the court a quo (Olivier AJ), ordered that
the merits of the claim be separated from the quantum of damages, in terms of rule
33(4) of the Uniform Rules of Court. After hearing evidence, the court a quo found
that the appellant was liable to pay to the respondent such damages as he was able
to prove in due course, together with the costs of the action. The appeal is with the
leave of the court a quo.

[3] The cause of action pleaded by the respondent was the actio de ferris in
terms of which the bringing of wild or dangerous animals on or into a public place, or
a place to which members of the public have access, was prohibited. The cause of
action is based upon ownership and strict liability is imposed upon the owner of the
animal, for the consequences of the animal‟s behavior. The victim is accordingly
absolved from alleging and proving negligence on the part of the owner, which is
presumed.
[4] The respondent alleged that the incident occurred on a farm owned by the
appellant and that the appellant had „introduced certain wild ostriches which do not
naturally occur‟ onto the farm, alternatively, the appellant „tamed and domesticated
an ostrich who roamed close to the dwelling on the farm, which in attacking the
plaintiff. . . acted contrary to animals of its class‟.
[5] Save for admitting ownership of the farm and that „undomesticated ostriches
inhabit the farm‟, which amounted to an admission that the ostriches on the farm
were wild, the appellant denied the remaining averments. On the evidence, however,
it was common cause that the appellant had invited the respondent to his farm,
where the respondent was chased by an ostrich owned and introduced onto the
farm, by the appellant.
[6] Only two of the defences raised by the appellant require consideration for
the determination of the appeal. First, the appellant raised the defence of
provocation,
alleging
that
the
respondent
„provoked
and
harassed
the
ostrich/ostriches on numerous occasions prior to the alleged incident‟. Second, the
appellant denied that in an attempt to escape from the ostrich, the respondent ran
towards the dwelling on the farm and in doing so, tripped over a piece of wood and
tore his Achilles tendon. The respondent therefore had to prove that the behaviour of
the ostrich was the cause of his injury.
[7] The court a quo dismissed the defence of provocation on the ground that:

„. . . only if the provocation was the immediate catalyst for the resulting injury, would it qualify
as a defence. In my opinion there was no immediate provocation.‟
It also held that causation had been proved because, the „injury would not have
occurred had it not been for the plaintiff escaping the ostrich‟s attack in the first
place‟.
[8] In order to decide whether the court a quo was correct in dismissing these
defences, the evidence of the manner in which the respondent teased the ostrich on
previous occasions, as well as the conduct of the respondent immediately prior to
being chased by the ostrich, must be examined.
[9] Mr Andre de Lange and Mr Martinus Steyn described how the respondent
had teased a male ostrich on the appellant's farm on several occasions. The
respondent would entice the ostrich to approach him with mielie pips in his hand.
Whilst the ostrich was busy eating out of his hand he would grab it by the neck and
push its head down. The ostrich would then, according to these witnesses, flap its
wings and perform comical „dance steps‟ and when the respondent released its
head, the ostrich would stagger backwards, much to the amusement of those
watching. Mr Pieter Kotze described an incident where the respondent said that he
had worked with ostriches and knew how to catch an ostrich. He took a hat from one
of the bystanders, placed it on the head of the ostrich, grabbed it by the neck and
said this was how it was done.
[10] Mr Hendrik Gerber gave evidence of a conversation with the respondent
concerning the respondent‟s painful foot, which he had injured in the incident. The
respondent described in terms identical to that of the appellant‟s witnesses, how he
had teased the ostrich. He admitted it was his fault that the ostrich chased him. The
appellant, when giving evidence, added that he had asked the respondent on
numerous occasions to leave the ostrich alone, because he made it angry.
[11] The respondent, however, denied ever grabbing the ostrich by its neck or
feeding it from his hand. He maintained he only threw food on the ground for the

ostrich, because he was scared of it. He acknowledged he had owned ostriches, but
emphasised he was very scared of them and gave them away. His evidence that he
was scared of ostriches, is, however, inconsistent with his description of what he
maintained had occurred when he arrived on the farm with the appellant, the night
before the incident. He said he saw a male ostrich near the house flapping its wings
and snapping its beak. Its beak and knees were red and he realised from his
experience with ostriches that it was very angry and dangerous. The ostrich walked
towards them so he quickly grabbed the ostrich by its head and pushed it down.
After the appellant had gone to the door of the house, he quickly released the ostrich
and ran behind a swing to shield himself from the ostrich. He explained this was how
an angry ostrich had to be handled. The appellant, however, denied the incident
saying it was dark when they arrived on the farm and ostriches do not walk around in
the dark.
[12] When it was put to the respondent that witnesses would give evidence that
they had seen him teasing the ostrich, he queried what ostrich they were talking
about. He maintained that the ostrich that injured him was not yet on the appellant's
farm at the time of the incident. In similar vein, the only substantive challenge by
respondent's counsel to the evidence that the respondent had teased the ostrich,
was to put the proposition to the appellant‟s witnesses, that they were unable to
distinguish between the male ostriches on the farm. They were accordingly unable to
say that the ostrich which the respondent had allegedly teased, was the ostrich
which chased him.
[13] This proposition was, however, inconsistent with the respondent‟s pleaded
cause of action. It was alleged that the appellant, „tamed and domesticated an
ostrich who roamed close to the dwelling on the farm, which in attacking the
plaintiff.  . . acted contrary to animals of its class‟. In other words, the male ostrich
which roamed close to the house and was tame, had attacked him. When giving
evidence, he conceded that this ostrich was familiar with people and moved around
the camp. In my view, when due regard is had to the respondent's own evidence as
to how he dealt with the ostrich when it was aggressive, the evidence of the

appellant's witnesses, established on a balance of probabilities that the respondent
had previously teased this ostrich which came near the house on a regular basis,
and that this was the ostrich that chased him.
[14] It is against this background that the evidence of the respondent as to how
the incident occurred, as well as the evidence of Mr Pieter Kotze who witnessed it,
must be examined. The respondent said he was assisting the appellant to load blue
wildebeest into a trailer when he suddenly noticed the ostrich standing on the other
side of the bakkie. At this stage he was standing near the back of the trailer and the
ostrich walked towards the front of the bakkie. The ostrich was watching him whilst it
approached and when asked to describe its demeanour he said that „. . . hy het net
gewoonweg geloop‟. However, in cross-examination he maintained that the ostrich
was snapping its beak, and was in a dangerous mood. It was not flapping its wings,
but was warning him. He then moved to the front of the bakkie to scare it away, but
was unsuccessful and it continued approaching him. He then ran for the door of the
house because the ostrich was close to him. Near to the door of the house was a
slight incline where he slipped and fell. Whilst lying on his stomach he saw the
ostrich nearby watching him and it took two steps. He then jumped up, started
running and accidentally stepped on a small wooden paling situated between the
plants at the door, which caused the injury to his Achilles tendon.
[15] The respondent denied that anybody was present when the ostrich chased
him or that Mr Kotze was in the vicinity. He was emphatic that he was alone and
maintained that Mr Kotze could not have been there. It was put to him that Mr Kotze
would testify that the ostrich was there all the time, eating out of a food trough
between the bakkie and the house, which he denied. It was then put to him that Mr
Kotze would state that the respondent walked from the bakkie towards the house,
which meant that he had to walk past the ostrich. He then saw the respondent bend
down and pick up something which he threw at the ostrich. The respondent then
admitted that he had thrown a small stone towards the ostrich.

[16] Mr Kotze gave evidence that he was in the camp, sitting by the fire, drinking
coffee and waiting for the farm workers to arrive. He saw the respondent walking
from the bakkie towards the house, whilst the ostrich was feeding at the trough.
When the respondent saw the ostrich he threw something at it and the ostrich then
chased him. The respondent ran towards the front door of the house and fell. When
he stood up he looked around, saw the ostrich looking at him and quickly ran into the
house. The ostrich did not peck or kick the respondent and he was not aware that
the respondent had been injured.
[17] There are two important aspects in the evidence of the respondent which
illustrate the improbability of his version of the incident. When giving evidence in
chief he stated that the ostrich was behaving normally, whereas in cross-examination
he described its behaviour as dangerous, adding that it was snapping its beak. More
importantly he failed to disclose he had thrown a stone at the ostrich, and it was only
after he was confronted with the evidence of Mr Kotze, that he admitted this. His
denial that anybody else was present, is also refuted by this evidence.
[18] The inherent improbability of the respondent‟s version of the incident is
revealed when the evidence that he teased the ostrich on numerous occasions, is
considered. Obviously, this evidence cannot be used to infer that the ostrich
harboured a grievance against the respondent. This would constitute the
impermissible attribution of human emotions to the ostrich, whereas its significance
lies in revealing the attitude of the respondent to the ostrich. He was not fearful of the
ostrich and had mercilessly teased it. On his evidence when it had approached the
previous night in a far more aggressive manner, he confidently dealt with it, repulsing
any threatened attack. It is therefore improbable that having initially described the
behaviour of the ostrich as normal, he would be frightened simply because it looked
at and walked towards him. Seen in this context it is probable that the respondent
admitted to Mr Gerber, that it was his fault that the ostrich chased him. The court a
quo accordingly erred in rejecting the evidence of Mr Gerber on the basis that it „.  .  .
was sketchy and lacking in convincing detail‟.

[19] The appellant accordingly discharged the onus of proving on a balance of
probabilities that the respondent‟s conduct in throwing a stone at the ostrich,
provoked its behaviour in chasing him. The court a quo therefore erred in dismissing
the defence of provocation on the basis that there was no immediate provocation of
the ostrich by the respondent. In dealing with this defence, the court a quo, however,
noted that although provocation was not listed as a specific defence to strict liability
arising from the attack of a wild animal in the case law, it was a defence to the actio
de pauperie, and it would therefore be considered for the sake of completeness.
[20] In Bristow v Lycett 1971 (4) SA 223 (RA) at 234, the defences to a claim for
damage caused by a wild animal were said to include where „the plaintiff's
contributory negligence contributed to his injury‟. Provocation of the wild animal by
the plaintiff was not expressly included as a defence. However, there can be no
basis in principle or logic to recognise as a defence the case where the negligent
conduct of the victim contributed to his or her injury, but not where the victim‟s
intentional conduct provoked the attack. The defence was recognised in Klem v
Boshoff 1931 CPD 188 and Hanger v Regal & another [2014] ZAFSHC 236; 2015 (3)
SA 115 (FB) para 5.
[21] This conclusion renders it unnecessary to examine the issue of causation.
This is because the appellant cannot be liable for an injury sustained by the
respondent in attempting to escape from the ostrich, where the respondent provoked
the chase. I will do so, however, for the sake of completeness. The evidence of the
respondent and Mr Kotze was that after the respondent had fallen and was at the
mercy of the ostrich, it did not attack him. They both described how the ostrich stood
looking at him whilst he was lying on the ground and when he stood up to run into
the house. The ostrich therefore did not display any aggressive behaviour towards
the respondent after he had fallen, and his injury was not caused by the pursuit. I
accordingly disagree with the conclusion of the court a quo that „. . . it was one
continuous event; the fall did not interrupt the flight, and the resulting injury would not
have occurred had it not been for the plaintiff escaping the ostrich‟s attack in the first
place‟.

[22] In the result the following order is made:
1    The appeal is upheld with costs.
2    The order of the court a quo is set aside and replaced with the following order:
„The claim is dismissed with costs.‟

K G B Swain

Judge of Appeal
Ponnan JA
[23] I have had the benefit of reading the judgment of Swain JA. I agree with his
conclusion that the appeal must succeed with costs. It has been said that there „can
be few branches of the law which are more complex and confusing than the liability
for damages caused by animals‟. 1 I am thus rather more trepidatious as to the
reasons for my concurrence in the outcome of the appeal.
[24] The complexity centres largely around the liability for pauperies, meaning
damage „done without legal wrong on the part of the doer‟.2 As long ago as 1930, De
Villiers CJ observed in South African Railways & Harbours v Edwards3 „that South
African decisions had not been harmonious, which is not to be wondered at seeing
that hardly two commentators agree on the interpretation to be placed upon the
law‟.4 The Chief Justice, was there referring to the actio de pauperie, which had been

1 Bristow v Lycett 1971 (4) SA 223 (RAD) at 227A.
2 Bristow at 227B.
3 South African Railways & Harbours v Edwards 1930 AD 3 at 9.
4 Ibid.

carefully considered some three years earlier in O’Callaghan NO v Chaplin.5 He
thought it useful to lay down the relevant principles in relation to that remedy, which
he summarised thus:
„(1) The actio de pauperie is in full force in South Africa. But the right to surrender the
offending animal in lieu of paying damages --- noxae deditio --- is obsolete with us. (2) The
action is based upon ownership. The English doctrine of scienter is ‟not a portion of our law.
(3) The action lies against the owner in respect of harm (paeperies) done by domesticated
animals, such for instance as horses, mules, cattle, dogs, acting from inward excitement
(sponte feritate commota) if the animal does damage from inward excitement or, as it is also
called, from vice, it is said to act contra naturam sui generis; its behaviour is not considered
such as is usual with a well-behaved animal of the kind. (4) On the other hand, if the act was
not due to vice on the part of the animal but was provoked-in other words if there has been
concitatio, the action does not lie. (5) Dating back as this form of remedy does to the most
primitive times, the idea underlying the actio de pauperie, an idea which is still at the root of
the action, was to render the owner liable only in cases where so to speak the fault lay with
the animal. In other words for the owner to be liable, there must be something equivalent to
culpa in the conduct of the animal. (6) Hence if the fault lies with the injured person himself
he cannot recover, as he would have only himself to blame. If for instance he has provoked
the animal, or has acted in such a way that the outburst could reasonably have been
foreseen. (7) But stroking or petting a horse is not considered to be provocation (concitatio).
If a horse kicks when petted, its behaviour is due to vice. The fault lies with the horse, not
with the man who petted it, unless he had reason to know that the horse might kick. The
learned Judge in the present case is of opinion that if the attentions of a person who stroked
or petted a mule were met with a kick, such person would only have himself to blame for
doing such a foolish thing. The kick, in the case of a mule, could have been foreseen. (8)
Alfenus gives the following instance. A groom was leading a horse into a stable. The horse
sniffed at a mare which thereupon kicked the groom on the leg. The jurist holds that the
action lies against the owner of the mare. In other words the incitement did not justify the
mare in kicking. This case has been much debated. But whether Alfenus was right or wrong,

5 O’Callaghan NO v Chaplin 1927 AD 310.

in his view the solicitations of the horse were not considered to excuse the behaviour of the
mare. She was said to have acted from innate perverseness. (9) The action does not lie if
the animal was provoked by a third party, if for instance the animal was struck by a goad and
kicks out. (10) Nor does the action lie if the injury was due to pure accident (casus); here
nobody is considered to blame . . .‟6
[25] The actio de pauperie is available against the owner of a domestic animal
that has caused damage. Liability is based purely on ownership of the animal. Some
academic writers have argued against the notion of liability based purely on
ownership and advocated for a shift to the risk principle.7 In terms of the risk principle
a person who keeps or controls an animal in his own interest is liable without fault
because he creates an increased risk of harm.8 In Loriza Brahman v Dippenaar,9 this
court refused to declare the remedy obsolete, holding that the action de pauperie still
served its purpose and that it was neither contra bonos mores, nor unconstitutional.
Since the action is based on the principle that the owner of a domestic animal is
liable for damage only when it caused damage whilst acting contra naturam sui
generis, the remedy is traditionally restricted to domestic animals. The contra
naturam requirement requires some kind of attack or unpredictable action from the
animal, actions that are to be expected as part of the animals‟ natural behaviour do
not qualify.10

6 South African Railways supra fn 3 at 9-10.
7 According to J Neethling et al Law of Delict 5ed (2006) at 330, the risk or danger theory means that
„where a person‟s activities create a considerable increase in the risk or danger of causing damage,
that is, an increased potential for harm, there is sufficient for holding him liable for damage even in the
absence of fault. Whether an increase in risk is “considerable” enough in a specific case, is difficult to
ascertain. For this reason the danger theory has been subject to much criticism‟.
8 Neethling supra fn 7 para 2.1.1.4.
9 Loriza Brahman en 'n ander v Dippenaar 2002 (2) SA 477 (SCA).
10 A J Van der Walt, The Law of Neighbours Dangers and threats posed by neighbours 1st ed (2010),
Chapter 7 at 333.

[26] According to Le Roux and others v Fick11 „[i]n the course of time the action
de pauperie was extended by means of the actio utilis to all animals, and for a long
time it appears to have been the only law applicable to cases of damage from
animals. When a wild animal inflicted damage there appears to have been no other
remedy till the lex Aquilia and the edict [the edictum de feris] were promulgated. .. .
The result . . . seems to have been that an actio de pauperie lay in all cases of
damage caused by animals when the damage was brought about through the fault of
the party using the animal or of some third party. The owner could free himself from
all pecuniary liability by delivering the animal where there had been no fault on his
part, and when the damage done was contrary to the natural disposition of the
animal. If a man allowed his dog or wild animal to be in a public place he was liable
to be sued for a penalty equal to double the amount of damage he might cause, and
also to have an action de pauperi brought against him. If damage was caused by a
wild animal in any other than a public place, the owner could apparently free himself
from liability upon abandoning the animal, and would incur no further liability unless
he had been in fault, as in not having fastened the animal up properly.‟
[27] The edictum de feris has its genesis in Republican Rome, when many
individuals kept wild animals.12 On account of the risk posed by these animals, the
edict was enacted, which prohibited the bringing of wild or dangerous animals on or
into a public place.13 According to Ashton-Cross, to admit of an action under the
edict, „the animal must have been owned at the time it caused the damage; must
itself have been either on a place of public passage or near enough to injure a
person or property in such passage; and the damage must have been done qua

11 Le Roux & others v Fick (1879) 9 Buch 29 at 36.
12 Lawsa 3ed para 424.
13 Neethling supra fn 7 at 334 para 2.1.1.3.

vulgo iter fit, on the public way‟.14 The language of the edict is wide, and includes any
animal of a vicious propensity calculated to do harm.15 The mere breach of the edict
rendered the owner responsible. Negligence was presumed; the rationale being that
the owner of an animal, who allowed it to stray onto a public street contrary to the
principle of the edict, was considered to be guilty of negligence. 16 The actio de
pauperie and that under that edict were concurrent remedies.17 Liability in these
actions resulted from the ownership of the animal, apart from any dolus or culpa on
the part of the owner. Thus both in the Roman Law and that of Holland, the
responsibility for damage done by one‟s animal is founded on ownership and not on
negligence.18
[28] It will entirely depend on the circumstances of each particular instance,
whether an action de pauperie or one under the edict is the suitable remedy.19 The
distinction in principle between these two remedies have not always been kept in
mind. In O’Callahan’s case Kotze JA stated that the „action de pauperie will be
available against the owner of a dog biting an innocent person, that is a person who
was lawfully at the place where he was bitten, is beyond doubt, both in the law of
Holland and of South Africa.‟20 Although Innes CJ said that he would guard against
being taken to imply that the edict is not part of our law, one finds no positive
statement in respect of the actio de feris in the course of the judgment.21 Uncertainty
has accordingly been expressed as to whether the actio de feris is still recognised in

14DIC Ashton-Cross Liability in Roman Law for damage caused by animals (1951-1953) Cambridge
Law Journal II at 396-397.
15 O’Callaghan supra fn 5 at 346.
16 Ibid at 368.
17 Ibid at 340.
18 Ibid supra fn 5 at 344.
19 Ibid supra fn 5 at 366.
20 Ibid at 366-367.
21 At 330.

modern South African law.22 Barry Nicholas describes the provision in the Edict as
„ostensibly a police regulation forbidding the keeping of certain animals in certain
places and imposing liability for the consequences of any breach of the regulation‟.23
In that regard, Wessels JA made the point in O’Callaghan that: „[i]n fact we know
very little indeed about this Edict and we have no idea exactly what the conditions
were in Rome when the Edict was proclaimed nor the mischief which was aimed at.
It seems likely that the Edict was intended as a general provision against bringing
any ferocious animal on to the market place or in places where people were in the
habit of walking and that the words dog, boar, lion were only added by way of
explanation to point out the kind of animals that were not to be brought there.‟24
[29] In Parker v Reed,25 De Villiers CJ said:
„The presumption is that the law relating to pauperies is still in force, but this presumption
cannot prevail in the absence of any recognition, judicial or otherwise, of the existence of
such a law, and in the face of repeated decisions which require proof of some degree of
culpa in order to attach liability to the ownership, custody or use of property.‟
It is true that Parker’s case has been overruled. But, as Beadle CJ observed in
Bristow v Lycett, 26 „this passage from the “Old Chief‟s” judgment seems sound
enough‟.

22 See Visser (2006) 697 THRHR 304 – 306, who cites several South African academics who express
uncertainty with regard to the existence of the edictum de feris in modern South African law. See also
J C Van der Walt & J R Midgley Principles of Delict 4ed (2016) at 49 par 34; Neethling supra fn 7 para
2.1.1.3. See also Hanger v Regal & another [2015] ZAFSHC 63; 2015 (3) SA 115 at 334.
23 Nicholas „Liability for Animals in Roman Law‟ 1958 Acta Juridica at 185.
24 O’Callaghan supra fn 5 at 371.
25 Parker v Reed 21 SC 496.
26 Bristow supra fn 1 at 230A.

[30] The „judicial recognition‟, such as it is, seems to have come from the then
Rhodesian Appellate Division. In Bristow v Lycett, Beadle CJ framed the rule in the
following terms (at 234-5):
„1. In the case of damage by a wild animal kept in captivity negligence on the part of the
owner is presumed, and it is unnecessary for the plaintiff to plead or prove it.
2. The defendant can, however, escape liability by proving either –
(a) the plaintiff was a trespasser or the plaintiff‟s contributory negligence
contributed to his injury; or
(b) the damage was caused by the unlawful act of a third party or the third party‟s
animal; or
(c) The damage was caused by casus fortuitus or vis major.
3.The above principles are not affected by the fact that the wild animal concerned may have
been reduced to a state of semi-domesticity or that it did not act with any ferocious intent.‟
[31] Beadle CJ observed (at 232G-233B):
„I have stressed the history of the disappearance of the actio utilis de pauperie at some
length
because
its
disappearance
helps
to
determine
the
precise
liability
for pauperies committed by a wild animal under the lex Aquilia as we know it today. This
liability is, as I have attempted to show, coincident with that under the old actio utilis de
pauperie. The history of the disappearance of the actio utilis de pauperie is therefore more
than a matter of antiquarian interest because, by understanding the ambit of this old action
and the reasons for its disappearance, it is possible to arrive at a reasonably precise
definition of the liability of an owner for damage done by his wild animal under the modern
law. For how long the actio utilis under the lex Aquilia has existed in its present form, and
precisely when the actio utilis de pauperie became a legal antiquity is, however, now purely
a matter of antiquarian interest. If, however, I am wrong in assuming that the actio utilis de
pauperie has been absorbed by the actio utilis under the lex Aquilia, then the actio utilis de
pauperie must still survive today, as there is no ground for holding that the legal principles

which it enforced have become obsolete. Whether the action under the lex Aquilia now
provides the same remedy as that formerly provided by the actio utilis de pauperie, or
whether the two actions still exist side by side, is really only a matter of academic interest,
because in either event the liability of an owner for pauperies committed by his wild animal
will be the same, and, as I will show later, as a matter of procedure, provided the relevant
facts are pleaded, it is unnecessary to plead whether the case is brought under one action or
the other.‟
[32] The judgment of Beadle CJ has not escaped criticism (see Carey Miller 1972
SALJ 176).27 Miller, who criticises the judgment both for certain historical limitations
and theoretical shortcomings, suggests that the learned Chief Justice erred in the
formulation of the rule. 28 To be fair to Beadle CJ, he did acknowledge that little is
said in the books about pauperies committed by a wild animal. Most modern day
writers, so observed the Chief Justice, have little to say on this subject, confining
themselves to the injured party‟s remedy to the actio utilis under the lex Aquilia. He
observed that he could find no reported case in South Africa in which the actio utilis
de pauperie was invoked when the owner of a wild animal was sued
for pauperies committed by his wild animal. The case nearest in point, so he said,
was the case of Le Roux and Others v Fick. In that case a dog, apparently
acting secundum naturam sui generis, killed an ostrich in a public street. It was held
that there was no culpa on the part of the owner, but that he was liable for
the pauperies committed by his dog under the old Aedilitian action, which made the
owner of a fierce dog or wild animal liable for pauperies committed by that animal in
any public place. Accordingly, so held Beadle CJ, „[t]he old Aedilitian action must
therefore be considered as having been imported into the Cape and . . . it would
seem, therefore, that the Aedilitian action is still part of our law‟. He added: „[i]f an old
Roman action which made the owner of a wild animal liable qua owner for that

27 D L Carey Miller Damage by Wild Animals – Choice of Touchstone (1972) 175 SALJ at 176.
28 See also Nicholas supra fn 23 at 185 and Ashton Cross supra fn 14 at 396-397.

animal‟s pauperies committed in a public place is still part of our law, it can be
argued with some force that logically a similar old action which made him
liable qua owner for pauperies committed by his animal in other places should also
be still in force.‟ Van der Merwe observes that aside from Le Roux v Fick there is no
other decision directly on the point.29
[33] It may be, as Miller notes, that it is probably not a matter of great practical
importance to discover the true basis of the Roman-Dutch law rule. But, he does
rightly opine „conceivably, it could be argued that if the basis is solely Aedilitian then
the remedy, with the edict, has fallen into desuetude‟. Indeed, support for his view is
to be found in the judgment of  Wessels JA in O’Callaghan, who expressed very
grave doubt as to whether „this police regulation of the Romans‟, „can be said to
have force under our present conditions‟.30 He added: „[t]he whole liability is based
on the transgression of a public measure.‟ Those observations are undoubtedly
cogent.
[34] It has been suggested that the edict could be replaced by the Aquilian action
as supplemented by the actio de pauperie in the case of damage by ferocious
dogs.31 But,  this view, so it has been asserted,  „overlooks the fact that the edictum
de feris lies for a breach of the edict and that consequently the defences of
contributory negligence, provocation, negligence of a third party or vis maior will not
apply once the animal has been taken to the public place by the defendant‟.  Here,
as well, there appears to be no consensus by our academics. The defence that the
plaintiff was unlawfully on the premises has however been mentioned by the courts

29 C/f Visser supra fn 22 at 304.
30 O'Callaghan at 377.  Innes CJ did describe the edict as something more than a mere municipal
bye-law.
31 Lawsa 3ed para 308.

and it has been suggested that the other defences to the action de pauperie should
also be regarded as applicable to the edict.‟
[35] In concluding this part of the judgment, I must say that it would probably
require someone with a more profound knowledge of this area of the law to
pronounce on the possible obsolescence of the remedy. Importantly, Innes CJ did
remind us though  (O’Callaghan at 327) that „[i]t is the duty of a Court – especially of
an appellate tribunal – so as to administer a living system of law as to ensure –
without the sacrifice of fundamental principles – that it shall adapt itself to the
changing conditions of the time. And it may be necessary sometimes to modify, or
even discard doctrines which have become outworn‟. On my reading, everything
appears to point to an action based on the edict being unsuited to modern
conditions. Happily though, for present purposes it is unnecessary for me to resolve
this problem. Miller wonders whether the time has not come for a comprehensive
modern statute to replace „the rules which are largely historical in origin and
sometimes difficult to apply‟. There is much to recommend such a course, which he
suggests, has been followed in England.
[36] Against that backdrop, I turn to the present appeal. As was repeatedly
pointed out by Innes CJ in his judgment in the O'Callaghan's case, the owner of an
animal is not liable to another when that other person is himself the cause of his
injury. The learned Chief Justice referred to Storey v Stanner 1 HCG 40, where
Laurence J is reported to have said: „[b]y the ancient and modern civil law, and by
the present law of this Colony, the owner of a dog, or other dangerous animal, is
responsible for injuries or pauperies committed by that animal . . . provided there is
no negligence or improvidence on the part of the person injured, or other impropriety
of conduct on his part which directly caused or mainly contributed to cause the

injury‟.32 The Chief Justice added (at 329): „I also agree with Laurence J, in thinking
that there must have been no ‟substantial negligence or imprudence” on the part of
the person injured --- by which I understand no unreasonable conduct contributing to
the injury. The basis of that limitation of the owner's liability is to be found in
the Digest. If the injury were due to provocation by the injured person no
compensation could be claimed de pauperie. . . . So that there is direct authority for
the application in pauperien actions of the fundamental principle that no man can
recover damages for an injury for which he has himself to thank.‟33
[37] As more fully set out in the judgment of my colleague Swain JA, when the
respondent first saw the ostrich that morning it was ambling along, minding its own
business. In its direct path to him lay the bakkie and trailer. For reasons that remain
unexplained, he moved from the relative safety of that position to the front of the
bakkie. In so doing he also brought himself closer to the ostrich. Nor, was the
respondent able to explain why he did not simply climb onto the trailer or seek refuge
within the confines of the bakkie, thereby removing himself from what he then
subjectively perceived to have been harm‟s way. What is more, he then armed
himself with and threw an object at the ostrich. Until that point, there was nothing in
the conduct of the ostrich that, objectively viewed, constituted a danger to him. Only
then, did the ostrich direct its attention to the respondent. That, it would seem,
prompted him to run toward the house. Even when he lost his footing and fell on the
first occasion, he was still not attacked by the ostrich. Instead, it stopped and looked
at him. The respondent then picked himself up and once again attempted to make
his way into the house. That is when he stepped awkwardly and snapped his
Achilles tendon. Even then, he was still not attacked by the ostrich, which eventually
turned and simply walked away. Thus, even on an acceptance that the actio de feris

32 O'Callaghan supra fn 5 at 326.
33 Harmse v Hoffman 1928 TPD 572 at 574-575.

availed him, the respondent, to borrow from Innes CJ has himself to thank for his
injury. It follows that that the appeal must succeed as his claim ought to have been
dismissed with costs by the trial court.

V M Ponnan

Judge of Appeal

Appearances:
For the Appellant:

T Potgieter SC (with J L Mÿburgh)

Instructed by:

Prinsloo Bekker Inc., Pretoria
Symington & De Kok Attorneys,
Bloemfontein

For the Respondent:

T P Kruger SC

Instructed by:

Marais Basson Attorneys, Pretoria

Albert Attorneys, Bloemfontein
THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEAL OF SOUTH AFRICA

MEDIA SUMMARY OF JUDGMENT DELIVERED IN THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEAL

FROM

The Registrar, Supreme Court of Appeal

DATE

1 December 2017

STATUS

Immediate

Please note that the media summary is for the benefit of the media and does not form
part of the judgment.

G S Van der Westhuizen v W J Burger (204/2017) [2017] ZASCA 178 (1
December 2017)

Media Statement

The SCA today upheld an appeal against an order granted by the Gauteng Division
of the High Court (Pretoria) declaring that the appellant was liable to pay to the
respondent, such damages as the respondent was able to prove, as a result of an
injury the respondent sustained, after being chased by an ostrich owned by the
appellant. It found that the court had erred in concluding that there was no immediate
provocation of the ostrich by the respondent and held that the appellant had
discharged the onus of proving on a balance of probabilities, that the respondent's
conduct in throwing a stone at the ostrich, provoked its behaviour in chasing him. It
was held that provocation of a wild animal by the victim of an attack, was a defence
to the imposition of strict liability on the owner of the wild animal.

--- Ends ---