LAW LETTER - Venns Attorneys, Notaries and Conveyancers

Association of South Africa. The certificate
must be given to the purchaser before the
property is transferred.
The installation of both electric fences and
gas equipment in homes is becoming more
prevalent in reaction to increased crime
rates, and soaring electricity charges. As
these certificates must be to hand on the sale
of a property, it is important that both
prospective sellers and purchasers are alive
to the fact that they are a legal necessity. This
will enable sellers to proactively request
these certificates from the certified installers
of electric fences or gas applicances when
they are installed in their properties, and to
a tribute to
garnet venn
There are moments in the life of an
organisation when it is time to pause and
reflect on the road that has been travelled to
arrive at the present. In doing so we are
reminded of the enormous debt of gratitude
we owe to those who served our firm before
us – and none more than to our founder,
Garnet Venn.
Garnet's journey in the firm began in 1955,
the same year that he ran the Comrades
Marathon, a distance of some 90 kilometres.
He completed the arduous route within time,
finished 64th and was awarded the Geraldine
Watson Trophy for being the last runner to
complete the course! This was an early sign
of the pioneering spirit and tenacity of the
man who was to lead the firm for 23 years
from 1961 to 1984.
keep them somewhere safe for when they are
required on the sale of the property. It will also
empower purchasers to specifically ask for
these certificates when they view properties
with electric fences or gas installations.
It is also important to include appropriate
clauses in sale agreements dealing with
these requirements. If you are buying or
selling a property with an electric fence or gas
appliance, Venn's property team has the
expertise to ensure that your sale agreement
contains the necessary clauses to ensure
that your property transaction goes through
as smoothly as possible.
We learned about gratitude and humility – that so many people had
a hand in our success.
- Michelle Obama
Garnet served briefly in the South African Air
Force, qualifying as a pilot on a Tiger Moth
and then graduating to a Harvard Aircraft. In
his own words, “I loved flying a Harvard,
doing aerobatics and formation flying,
especially low flying”.
Garnet's sense of adventure is perhaps
epitomised in a journey he undertook with
Oliver Hart in 1960 just after completing his
five year term of Articles of Clerkship. The two
of them hitch hiked from Pietermaritzburg,
through Africa to Cairo, on to Europe and the
United Kingdom. In a period of 6 months they
visited 38 countries, journeying on a shoe
string budget, supplemented by odd jobs and
the friendly hospitality of the folk they met
along the way.
G a r n e t m a r r i e d J o a n
Campbell on 16th December
1 9 6 1 a n d t h e c o u p l e
c e l e b r a t e d t h e i r 5 0 t h
wedding anniversary in 2011.
They are the proud parents of
four daughters and the doting
g r a n d p a r e n t s o f 1 1
grandchildren. Garnet's
strong sense of family was
always extended to his staff
in the firm. While a tough taskmaster when
leading the firm, his empathy
and support for those enduring
personal difficulties will long be
remembered by the folk he
helped along the way.
Garnet's incredible work ethic,
discipline, commitment to
service and vision formed the
cornerstones of his leadership
of the firm for 23 years [the
Oliver Hart, Andor Nemeth & Garnet Venn.
longest serving chairman of the firm] until his
first “retirement” on 30 April 1984. Garnet
spent the next 2 years doing voluntary
Christian work for African Enterprise in
Pietermaritzburg.
In 1986 Garnet returned to lead our Debt
Recoveries Department. He passed on the
baton in 1999, but remained actively involved
in Debt Recoveries until December 2012,
when his health let him down for the first time
in 58 years. He has since recovered well but
sensibly opted to fully retire and
enjoy more time with his beloved
wife and family.
Garnet – we salute you and
express our sincere gratitude on
behalf of everyone in the firm and
on behalf of all the clients you
served with distinction over so
many decades. We wish you
good health and much happiness
in your well-deserved retirement.
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and
creates a vision for tomorrow”.
- Melody Beattie.
281 Pietermaritz Street • PO Box 600, Pietermaritzburg, 3200 • Tel: 033 355 3100 • Fax: 033 394 1947
LAW
LETTER
S u p p l e m e n t
August 2013

services directory
Chairman
Guy Smith
Agency Conveyancing
Annelize Diededricks
Redvers Lee
Banking Law and
Foreclosures
Craig Blackmore
Doc Louw
Liza Bagley
Mohammed Motala
Robert Stuart-Hill
Constitutional
Hiresen Govender
Pat Dewes
Conveyancing and
Sectional Title
George du Toit
Guy Smith
Lindy le Roux
Nosipo Mgojo
Redvers Lee
Corporate Commercial
Andries Geyser
Doc Louw
George du Toit
Keran Henwood
Simon Francis
Tim Brown
Criminal
Chuma Vabaza
Craig Blackmore
Debt Recoveries
Asha Moodley
Chetna Nepal
Craig Blackmore
Dudu Dlamini
Hellen Dolphin
Jeanne Smith
Maureen Krog
Paula Greyling
Ronitha Sarupen
Velile Radebe
Estate Administration
Hannah Szudrawski
Kim Dlamini
Tina Morajane
Environmental Safety
and Health
Vumani Msimang
Health and Safety
Hiresen Govender
Tim Brown
Vumani Msimang
Family Law
Doc Louw
Liza Bagley
Pat Dewes
Farm Sales and
Agricultural
Simon Francis
Insolvency
Andries Geyser
Anthony Grant
Etienne Prinsloo
Michael Swanepoel
Mohammed Motala
Rob Stuart-Hill
Insurance
Doc Louw
Kashi Reddy
Pat Dewes
Labour Law and
Industrial Relations
Chuma Vabaza
Hiresen Govender
Tim Brown
Vumani Msimang
Liquor Law
Vumani Msimang
Litigation and
Alternative Dispute
Resolution
Anthony Grant
Andries Geyser
Chuma Vabaza
Craig Blackmore
Doc Louw
Julianne Norton
Kashi Reddy
Liza Bagley
Mohammed Motala
Pat Dewes
Robert Stuart-Hill
Masters Office Agency
Martina van Wyngaard
Medical
Doc Louw
Kashi Reddy
Pat Dewes
Mortgage Bonds
Nosipo Mgojo
Mortgage Loans &
Investments
John Wallace
Simon Francis
Personal Injuries
Chuma Vabaza
Kashi Reddy
Property Development
and Town Planning
Doc Louw
Guy Smith
Vumani Msimang
Public and Local
Government
Hiresen Govender
Tim Brown
Vumani Msimang
Road Accident Fund
Kashi Reddy
Tax Planning
Hannah Szudrawski
John Wallace
Simon Francis
our history,
our future
A definition of history: An account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are
brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools.
- Ambrose Bierce
Venn Nemeth and Hart Inc and Geyser du
Toit and Kitching Inc have, over the years,
become highly recognisable legal brands in
the Midlands and in KwaZulu-Natal.
We recently identified an opportunity for the
two firms to merge, in order to add to the
depth and range of legal services offered to
our respective clients. Endowed with similar
cultures and led by equally strong and lively
characters, the merger promises to be both
constructive and interesting!
From 1 August 2013, when the merger takes
effect, we will practice under the name Venns
Attorneys (see below for more information on
our new name). The merger excludes GDLK
Pinetown, which will continue practising
under that name.
GDLK
GDLK began life as a partnership in 1980 and
incorporated in 1994. During this period, the
firm grew to four directors and close to fifty
staff.
The firm has strengths in insolvency,
litigation, town planning, commercial and
company work. For our clients, the merger
will mean that three of the city's most
experienced attorneys will be strengthening
our base of expertise: Andries Geyser is a
former president of the Law Society of South
Africa, and a specialist litigation attorney with
a focus on insolvency work. George Du Toit
has headed GDLK's Conveyancing
Department for over 30 years; while Doc
Louw is an experienced litigation and
commercial attorney who is currently deputy
chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal Town
Planning Appeals Board.
Guy Smith and Doc Louw
Venn Nemeth & Hart
Venn Nemeth and Hart has been in business
for more than 60 years, the doors having
been opened by Denis Lowe, as a sole
practitioner, on 1 March 1952. The firm
identified a gap in the market and soon began
offering specialised debt recovery services to
businesses operating in and around
Pietermaritzburg.
Specialist skills were added to this
foundation, including conveyancing and
property development, litigation, public
sector law, insolvencies and special
recoveries. The firm now has 12 directors and
employs more than 120 staff members.
Venns Attorneys
Venns Attorneys carries forward the
strengths that made both Venn Nemeth and
Hart and GDLK into solid law firms in their
own right. These include strong representation
of our clients, high levels of specialisation
and an over-arching concern for
quality. Attorneys at Venns are characterised
by a passion for their work, a desire to be on
top of their areas of law and a genuine
interest in their clients.
a new name for a new firm
When asked whether 'Groucho' was his real name: No, I am just breaking it in for a friend.
- Groucho Marx
After years of spelling out the words “Venn
Nemeth and Hart” over the telephone, we
have decided that the merger was an
appropriate time to shorten our tonguetwister
of a name. We retain the name Venn
Nemeth & Hart as our registered company
name, but will trade as “Venns Attorneys”.
cooking
with gas
Most sellers are aware that pest and
electrical certificates must be provided when
selling property. These certificates confirm
that the buildings on the property are free
from insect infestation and that the electrical
installations have been safely fitted. What
often comes as a surprise is the requirement
for the provision of electric fence and gas
installation compliance certificates.
Recent amendments to the Electrical
Machinery Regulations now require that
every “user” of an electric fence holds an
Electric Fence System Compliance
Certificate. The certificate is not required for
electric fences installed before October 2012,
but a certificate should be obtained for every
new electric fence, whenever an existing
fence is changed, or if there is a change of
ownership of the property on which the fence
was erected. Remember that, unlike the
While we will never forget the Big Three –
Garnet Venn, Andor Nemeth and Oliver Hart
– times do change. Already known
affectionately as “Venns” to friends and
colleagues, the decision was not too difficult.
Short, sweet and hopefully a whole lot easier
to spell over the phone!
electrical compliance
certificate, the obligation
to hold a certificate does Keran Henwood
Property Department
not only arise on transfer
– if your electric fence falls into one of these
three categories, you should hold a certificate
as a “user”. The good news is that the
certificate is transferable, so as long as the
electric fence system remains as it was at the
time of issue of the certificate, there is no
need to obtain a new certificate.
The Pressure Equipment Regulations, which
were promulgated in October 2009, require
that gas appliances installed in properties be
certified as being safely fitted and leak free.
Gas Installation Certificates are required for
installations such as gas fireplaces, gas
stoves and gas hot water systems and must
be issued by an authorized person registered
with the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety