Assignment 1
Unique No: 148712
Due 26 August 2025
, PVL3702
Assignment 01
Semester 2
Unique Number: 148712
Due 26 August 2025
Legal Opinion for Shane
Issue
The key question is whether a valid contract of sale was formed between Shane and
Porsche Johannesburg for the purchase of a limited-edition Porsche, despite the seller’s
authorized representative failing to sign the ‘Contract of Sale’ document. This opinion
focuses on whether the prescribed mode of acceptance was complied with and, if not,
whether a contract was still concluded.
Prescribed Mode of Acceptance
The ‘Contract of Sale’ document, signed by Shane, appears to require the seller’s
authorized representative to sign as the mode of acceptance, given the space provided
for this purpose. The representative’s failure to sign—admitted as an oversight—means
the prescribed mode was not followed. In South African law, when an offer specifies a
mode of acceptance, the offeree must generally comply for the acceptance to be
effective (Kerr, 2002). Here, the lack of a signature suggests non-compliance with the
explicit terms of the document.
Acceptance by Conduct
Despite this, acceptance need not always align strictly with the prescribed mode. South
African contract law recognizes that acceptance can be express—such as through a
signature—or implied through conduct (Hutchison & Pretorius, 2017).