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Law of Contract

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It is essential for all parties wishing to enter into written agreements to understand what the meaning of the term contract is and what and what the requirements are for the formation and dissolution of one. A contract is an agreement between at least two parties giving rise to legal obligations within the limits of the law. The rights and obligations arising from a contract entitle parties involved to receive and demand performance and actions are enforceable by law.
Rights and duties are created by the formation of contracts- a right is an advantage entitling the holder to demand that another person should act or refrain from acting. A duty- is a responsibility imposed by law and obliges a person to act or refrain from performing.
There are different types of contracts in our legal system which have certain special elements and legal requirements. One of these elements being the capacity to act by each party; which means that the parties involved in the contract must be legally capable of performing the particular act which gives rise to the formation of the contract. According to South African law every legal subject , irrespective of whether he or she is a natural person or a juristic person legally has the capacity to be the bearer of rights and duties, it’s important to note that not every person who has legal capacity has capacity to act. According to (Havenga ,2007:p71) Capacity to act refers to the capacity to perform juristic acts, to participate in legal dealings and to conclude valid contracts, it then becomes clear that only natural persons are capable of having capacity to act unless a contract is entered into by a natural person on behalf of the juristic person. However the law also states that not all natural persons have capacity to act. In certain circumstances a person can be incapable of performing juristic acts, or the capacity of

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