the relevance of the doctrine of res publicae in modern law
DESCRIPTION
THE RELEVANCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF RES PUBLICAE IN MODERN LAW. AN ANALYSIS OF RES PUBLICAE IN LIGHT OF THE CONSTITUTION, APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND THE PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE. OVERVIEW. Purpose of this paper Tensions between academic camps Scope. PART 1 History - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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THE RELEVANCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF RES PUBLICAE IN MODERN LAW.
AN ANALYSIS OF RES PUBLICAE IN LIGHT OF THE CONSTITUTION, APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND THE PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE
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OVERVIEW
Purpose of this paperTensions between academic campsScope
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FRAMEWORK
PART 1
History
Roman and Roman-Dutch conceptions of things, ownership and property
Public Trust Doctrine
Historical overviewAmerican jurisprudence
PART 2
Water lawHistorical overviewModern water lawHas PBT been imported?Relevance of res publicae?
Mineral lawHistorical overviewModern mineral lawHas PBT been imported?Can notion of res publicae include minerals
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ROMAN AND ROMAN-DUTCH LAW
a Patrimonium bona b
KASER
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ROMAN LAW
Res in nostro patrimonio
Res nullius Res universitas Res communes Res publicae
Res extra nostrum patrimonio
JUSTINIAN
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ROMAN-DUTCH LAW
Res intra commercium
Res publicae Res communes omnium Res singolorum Res nullius
Res extra commercium
GROTIUS / HUBER
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PUBLIC PROPERTY
- Capable of use by all- No private ownership- Within the borders of State-State regulated / controlled
- Capable of use by all- No private ownership- Global understanding: for humans in general- State regulation possible
RES PUBLICAE PUBLIC PROPERTY RES COMMUNES OMNIUM
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PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Middle Ages - Principle of SovereigntyEvidence of foundations in res publicae
US JURISPRUDENCE
Illinois RailwaysJoseph Sax:
Beneficial useState trusteeAgainst public trust use
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PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE
ADVANTAGES
Right of recallCL judicial control - in line with SoPProactive and reactive
DISADVANTAGES
Uncertainty as to its applicationPublic purpose?Counter-majoritarian debate
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PTD in SA LAW?
National Environmental Management Act
State is appointed as trustee of protected areas in the Republic
National Water Act‘As the public trustee of the nation’s water resources’
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act
State is custodian of mineral and petroleum resources, which is the common heritage of all people and must be administered for the benefit of all South Africans
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ROMAN WATER LAW
Banks and alveus = res publicae
Perennial streamsPublic
Seasonal streamsPrivate
Free-flowing = res communesIncapable of ownership
WATER
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ANALYSIS OF WATER LAW
HistoryRoman Law and Roman-Dutch law
Res publicaeRes communes omnium
Pre-2002Absolute dominis fluminus + res publicaeDepublicization of water rightsPartial return to original system
National Water ActConstitutional objectives
S24 - right to environmentS27(1)(b) - right of access to water
S3 of the Act
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S3 OF THE NATIONAL WATER ACT
As the public trustee of the nation’s water resources the National Government, acting through the Minister, must ensure that water is protected, used, developed, conserved, managed, and controlled in a sustainable and equitable manner, for the benefit of all persons and in accordance with its constitutional mandate.
Without limiting subsection (1), the Minister is ultimately responsible to ensure that water is allocated equitably and used beneficially in the public interest, while promoting environmental values.
The National Government, acting through the Minister, has the power to regulate the use, flow and control of all water in the Republic.
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PTD AND WATER LAW
Intention of the LegislatureWhite paper and objectives of ActWording of S3 of the Act
Obligations in terms of PTDEstablish the state’s obligations with regard to the
management of water. Ensure that this is done in a manner that benefits all
persons such that it ‘takes into account the public nature of water resources, while ensuring fair access to and beneficial use of those resources’
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RES PUBLICAE AND WATER LAW
Distinction between private and public water rights abolished = all water is public
All water can thus be classified as res publicae
Owned and regulated by the stateSubject to use by everyone
Thus original position restored
Res publicaeDominus fluminus
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ANALYSIS OF MINERAL LAW
History
maxim cuius est solum eius est usque ad caelum et usque ad inferos = owner of everything above and below the land
No known mineral right in Roman or RD lawUsufruct / fruit?Limited real right sui generis / personal servitude?S5(1) MPRDA: mineral right =limited real right sui
generisNo evidence of res publicae, res communes omnium or public
trust doctrine in mineral law
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act
S3: State custodianship
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PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINEDoctrine capable of evolution?
‘The possibility of growth in the application of the public trust doctrine to new frontiers achieved (in the evocative words of Professor Sax) by ‘liberating the public trust doctrine from its historical shackles’, reinforces the notion that this doctrine embraces an idea of fundamental importance for our law on rights in property’
Importance of regulating minerals:Non-renewable nature of resourceFoundation of wealth - economic benefitsInter-generational argument
Advantages of doctrineProactive and reactiveExpropriationJudicial regulation
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RES PUBLICAE AND MINERAL LAW
No historical basisMay fit definition as collective entity: Analysis of
the reasoning in De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd v Ataqua Mining (Pty) Ltd - states that minerals are not res publicae.Van den Berg argues that the court in this instance was
referring to minerals as a single entity in their own right, and did not take account of the argument that minerals, petroleum and water rights can be viewed as a collective entity of the whole nation. (Patrimonium bona)
Strained argument
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CONCLUSION
WATER LAWPublic trust doctrine has been introduced by way of National Water ActRes publicae now applies to all water
MINERAL LAWPublic trust doctrine has been introduced by way of MPRDAUnsure as to whether res publicae is necessaryAs a collective entity can be categorised as patrimonium bona (contrast this with De Beers v Ataqua judgment)