¹ The position in South-West Africa and Southern Rhodesia has however been discussed by Kerr in [1958] J.A.L. 82–87.

² Basutoland, 1966, 1.

³ Lesotho, The politics of dependence, 1968, 64.

^{page 128 note 1} No. 2B of 1884. Provision for the continuance of existing laws after independence subject to necessary modifications, adaptations and qualifications was made by s. 4 (1) of the Independence Order in Council (S.I. No. 1172 of 1966).

^{page 128 note 2} Part II of the Disannexation of Basutoland from the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope Order in Council of 2nd February, 1884, provided inter alia that all laws in force in Basutoland at that time should continue in operation until repealed or altered by proclamation of the High Commissioner.

^{page 128 note 3} Section 2.

^{page 128 note 4} Ibid.

^{page 128 note 5} See cap. 104, s. 2 of the Laws of the Gambia (1966).

^{page 129 note 1} By Cape Act 12 of 1871.

^{page 129 note 2} See s. 8 of Cape Proclamation 74 of 1871 and ss. 12 and 24 of Cape Proclamation 41 of 1877.

^{page 130 note 1} My italics.

^{page 130 note 2} See e.g. Stroud's Judicial Dictionary (2nd ed.) 2058–9.

^{page 130 note 3} (1963–66) H.C.T.L.R. 97.

^{page 130 note 4} At p. 99.

^{page 130 note 5} (1963–66) H.C.T.L.R. 188.

^{page 130 note 6} At p. 189. This statement is, with respect, inaccurate in its reference to a “common law of South Africa” before 1884. There was, of course, no such thing. The courts of the Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, Natal and the Transvaal (and later the South African Republic) went their own ways in many particulars. One of the purposes of creating an Appellate Division in 1909 was to bring some uniformity into the interpretation of the law.

^{page 130 note 7} 1962, at p. 183.

^{page 130 note 8} 1960, at pp. 30–1; and see p. 20 and note 1.

^{page 131 note 1} At p. 31.

^{page 131 note 2} [1897] A.C. 81, at p. 86.

^{page 131 note 3} This appears to be the view of Sir Kenneth Roberts-Wray: see his Commonwealth and colonial law, 1966, 564.

^{page 131 note 4} 1909 (9 Edward VII, c. 9).

^{page 132 note 1} See generally Herbstein and Van Winsen, The civil practice of the superior courts in South Africa (2nd ed.) 2–12.

^{page 132 note 2} S.A. Farmers Representatives v. Bonthuys, 1930 C.P.D. 132, at p. 135.

^{page 132 note 3} By Act 32 of 1961.

^{page 132 note 4} By s. 96.

^{page 132 note 5} By the Privy Council Appeals Act (No. 16 of 1950).

^{page 132 note 6} See generally Schreiner, The contribution of English law to South African law and the rule of law in South Africa (Hamlyn Lectures, 1967), Chapter 4.

^{page 132 note 7} 1956 (2) S.A. 696 (S.W.A.).

^{page 133 note 1} At p. 698.

^{page 133 note 2} General Law Proclamation, No. 2B of 1884, s. 2.

^{page 133 note 3} Marriage Proclamation, No. 7 of 1911, s. 7.

^{page 133 note 4} Seedat's Executors v. The Master, 1917 A.D. 302; S.A.N.T.A.M. v. Fondo, 1960 (2) S.A. 467 (A.D.).

^{page 133 note 5} Gardiner and Lansdown, South African criminal law and procedure (6th ed.), Vol. 2, 1181.

^{page 134 note 1} Fitzgerald, Criminal law and punishment, 1962, 77.

^{page 134 note 2} See Glanville Williams, 61 L.Q.R., pp. 76–78 and Fitzgerald, op. cit., pp. 77–8.

^{page 134 note 3} Harlow, [1966] J.A.L. 168.

^{page 134 note 4} See R. v. Moyo, 1946 S.R. 12; R. v. Ncube, 1960 (2) S.A. 179 (S.R.).

^{page 134 note 5} Harlow, op. cit., at p. 172.

^{page 134 note 6} See e.g. the evidence of Chiefs Jobo and Nehemiah Moshesh, and Philemon Moeletsi given to the 1872 Commission on the Laws and Customs of the Basotho: Report and Evidence, pp. 49, 52–3, 54.

^{page 135 note 1} Section 18 is contained in Part II of the Proclamation, whereof s. 7 provides: “This Part [i.e. Part II] shall apply to all marriages solemnised in Basutoland after the date of this Proclamation save and except marriages contracted in accordance with African law or custom …” The section then proceeds: “… nothing herein contained shall be taken as in any manner affecting or casting doubts upon the validity of any such last-mentioned marriages …”

^{page 135 note 2} Section 92 of the Constitution.

^{page 135 note 3} See Laws of Lerotholi, Part I, s. 7 (5).

^{page 135 note 4} Cf. Oyekan v. Adele, [1957] 2 All E.R. 785, at p. 790.

^{page 135 note 5} (1960), H.C.T.L.R. 72.

^{page 135 note 6} Gardiner and Lansdown, op. cit., pp. 1012 et seq.

^{page 136 note 1} At p. 74.

^{page 136 note 2} See Burger v. C.S.A.R., 1903 T.S. 571; Bhikagee v. Southern Aviation {Pty.), Ltd., 1949 (4) S.A. 105(E).

^{page 136 note 3} Atta Kwamin v. Kufuor (1914), Ren. 808, (1874–1928) P.C. 28, followed in Union Trading Co. v. Tetteh (1965), ALR Comm. 100 (Ghana).

^{page 136 note 4} Act 23 of 1879 (Laws of Basutoland, 1960, Vol. II, p. 1044).

^{page 137 note 1} Section 17.

^{page 137 note 2} See McKerron, The law of delict (6th ed.) 162.

^{page 137 note 3} Brill v. Madeley, 1937 T.P.D. 106.

^{page 137 note 4} Pitout v. Rosenstein, 1930 O.P.D. 112; but cf. Maskowitz v. Pienaar, 1957 (4) S.A. 195 (A.D.) at p. 197.

^{page 137 note 5} Other sources include collections of the opinions of advocates such as the Hollandsche Consultatien, collections of decisions of the old Dutch courts, and the Roman law of Justinian as interpreted by the Glossators and Post-Glossators.

^{page 137 note 6} The High Court of Basutoland established by Proclamation 18 of 1954 (which is a predecessor of the present High Court) was created with “all the jurisdiction, power and authority vested in the Supreme Court of South Africa”: see s. 2 (2).

^{page 137 note 7} For a full discussion of the rules see Kahn, 84 (1967), S.A.L.J., pp. 43, 175, 308.

^{page 138 note 1} See e.g. Collett v. Priest, 1931 A.D. 290, at p. 297; Ex p. Sadie, 1940 A.D. 26, at p. 30.

^{page 138 note 2} MacRobert v. Pretoria Municipal Council, 1910 T.P.D. 931, at p. 942; Ex p. Hansmann, 1938 W.L.D. 89, at p. 93.

^{page 138 note 3} Kaplan v. Union Govt., 1924 T.P.D. 532, at p. 543; Ex p. Hansmann; Klaassen v. Benjamin, 1941 T.P.D. 80, at p. 90; R. v. Philips Dairy (Pty.), Ltd., 1955 (4) S.A. 120 (T), at p. 122.

^{page 138 note 4} 1938 A.D. 195.

^{page 138 note 5} At p. 232.

^{page 138 note 6} Cross, Precedent in English law, 1961 3.

^{page 139 note 7} 1958 R. & N. 570.

^{page 139 note 8} See Palley, “Stare decisis and the Federal Supreme Court”, 1962 R.N.L.J. 126.

^{page 139 note 9} See Fellner v. Min. of the Interior, 1954 (4) S.A. 523 (A.D.), at pp. 529–532, per Centlivres, C.J.; and the views of Glanville Williams, 70 L.Q.R. at p. 470, Cross, op. cit., at pp. 104, 247 and 250, and Lord Reid in Scruttons v. Midland Silicones, Ltd., [1962] 1 All E.R. 1, at pp. 11–12.

^{page 139 note 10} 1904 T.S. 404, at pp. 420–1.

^{page 139 note 11} Sections 121 and 122 of the Constitution.

^{page 139 note 12} Section 115 (1).

^{page 140 note 1} Molungoa v. R., (1963–66) H.C.T.L.R. 116, at p. 117.

^{page 140 note 2} Letlaka v. R., (1963–66) H.C.T.L.R. 1, at p. 3.

^{page 140 note 3} Cf. Theron v. Behr, 1918 C.P.D. 443, at p. 459.

^{page 140 note 4} [1968] J.A.L. 3, at p. 13; see also Park, The sources of Nigerian law, 1963, pp. 62–3, and Daniels, The common law in West Africa, 1964, pp. 185–195.

^{page 141 note 1} Ibid., at pp. 13–14.

^{page 141 note 2} Cf. R. v. Goseb, 1956 (2) S.A. 696, at pp. 698 et seq., per Claasen, J.P., for the position in South-West Africa.

^{page 141 note 3} Cf. the statement of Lord Dunedin in Robins v. National Trust Company, [1927] A.C. 515, at p. 519. A similar approach to English decisions in Nigeria is adopted by Park, op. cit., p. 62.

^{page 141 note 4} Cf. Acting Master v. Estate Mehta, 1957 (3) S.A. 727 (S.R.), at pp. 732–3, per Morton, J., for the position in Southern Rhodesia.

^{page 141 note 5} See infra, pp. 143–144.

^{page 142 note 1} Various rules of English law have been incorporated into the law of Lesotho by three statutes, the Evidence in Civil Proceedings Ordinance of 1830, the Mercantile Law Amendment Act of 1879, and the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Proclamation of 1938.

^{page 142 note 2} Cf. Green v. Fitzgerald, 1914 A.D. 88.

^{page 142 note 3} By the Privy Council Appeals Act (No. 16 of 1950).

^{page 142 note 4} Estate Cato v. Estate Cato, 1915 A.D. 290, at p. 303.

^{page 142 note 5} John Bell & Co., Ltd. v. Esselen, 1954 (1) S.A. 147 (A.D.).

^{page 144 note 1} Blower v. Van Noorden, 1909 T.S. 890, at p. 905, per Innes, C.J.

^{page 144 note 2} This article is based upon a section of a book entitled The Legal System of Lesotho by the present writer and Vernon V. Palmer, formerly Lecturer in Law at the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, to be published shortly by the Michie Company, U.S.A.

^{page 144 note 3} I am most grateful to J. E. Beardsley, formerly Head of the Department of Law at the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, and to Dr. A. Milner, Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford, as well as to Vernon V. Palmer, for reading earlier drafts of this article and for providing many helpful comments and criticisms. I need hardly add that while they deserve thanks for improving the article they can in no way be held responsible for its shortcomings or the views expressed.