The applicants (two employees) signed mutual separation agreements with the respondent employer on 10 July 2020. Subsequently, the applicants sought to have these agreements declared null and void, alleging that they were signed under duress and undue influence, without adequate notice, without full explanation of their rights, and with improper quantification of remuneration. They further alleged that the agreements contained conditions less favourable than those provided for in the Labour Act and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), making them illegal and unenforceable. The applicants brought a court application for a declaratur seeking reinstatement with full benefits.
The application was dismissed with costs.
An application for a declaratur is not the appropriate procedural mechanism to challenge mutual separation agreements where: (1) the challenge is based on material disputes of fact such as duress, undue influence, adequacy of notice, and circumstances surrounding the signing of the agreement; (2) the relief sought includes quantification of damages or remuneration due to employees; and (3) the determination of compliance with labour legislation and collective bargaining agreements requires resolution of factual disputes regarding computation of benefits. Such matters involving material disputes of fact cannot be resolved on motion proceedings and require trial proceedings. Furthermore, quantification of employment benefits and remuneration falls within the specialized jurisdiction of the Labour Court and National Employment Council, not within the scope of a High Court declaratur application.
The court observed that when it had upheld the preliminary points but referred the matter for further argument on illegality and unenforceability vis-à-vis compliance with the Labour Act, it had expected the applicants to present legal arguments divorced from the factual issues already dismissed. The court expressed disappointment that the applicants' arguments on illegality and unenforceability still borrowed from the same arguments already dismissed at the preliminary stage. This suggests judicial expectation that parties should clearly separate pure questions of law from mixed questions of fact and law when proceeding with declaratur applications after preliminary rulings.
This case illustrates important procedural limitations in South African labour law (and Zimbabwean law, given the similar legal systems). It demonstrates that: (1) applications for declaratur are inappropriate where material disputes of fact exist that require oral evidence; (2) declaratur applications cannot be used to quantify damages or employment benefits; (3) challenges to employment agreements based on duress, undue influence, and complex factual circumstances regarding signing and computation require trial proceedings rather than motion proceedings; and (4) jurisdiction matters - employment-related quantification issues fall within the specialized jurisdiction of Labour Courts and National Employment Councils, not general High Court declaratur applications. The case reinforces the principle that litigants must choose the correct procedural mechanism and forum for their claims.