A. 57/2000

Transfer of shares in a private company contrary to the provisions of the Articles of Association. Shares to be re-transferred against payment of the purchase price.

IN THE HIGH COURT OF NAMIBIA

In the matter between:

FIRST APPLICANT SECONDAPPLICANT THIRDAPPLICANT
C.H. KANDJOU
 G. HOVEKA

N. NDAZAPO (previously BUTKUS)

and

SAUNDERSON & ASSOCIATES 
E. RATJAMA
C.	NGUAPIA
CI.	M. KATJIUONGUA 
CII.	A.S. KANGOOTUI
NGEUEMANGA TRADING COMPANY (PTY)

LEVY, AJ:    In this application the applicants are represented by Mr C Mouton and third
respondent is represented by Mr J Schickerling.

2.	An order in terms whereof the Second Respondent is ordered to take all the necessary steps to retransfer the said 1500 shares to the Third Respondent against repayment of the purchase price thereof.
3.	
4.	An order in terms whereof the Third Respondent is ordered to take all the necessary steps to retransfer the said 500 shares to the Fourth Respondent against repayment of the purchase price thereof.
5.	
6.	An order in terms whereof the Third Respondent is ordered to take all the necessary steps to retransfer the said 500 shares to the Fifth Respondent against repayment of the purchase price thereof.
7.	An order in terms whereof the First Respondent, as the auditors of the Sixth Respondent, be directed and authorised to take all the necessary steps to give effect to the transfer of shares in accordance with the above orders of this Honourable Court.
8.	An order in terms whereof the Second Respondent is directed to pay the costs of this application on the attorney and client scale.
9.	An order in terms whereof any other Respondents opposing this application are directed to pay the costs of this application jointly and severally."

Sixth Respondent is a private company with limited liability duly incorporated according to the Company laws of Namibia and with registered offices at the offices of Saunderson and Associates, 34, Pasteur Street, Windhoek West.

follows:

In their founding affidavit applicants say:

"11.    During July 1999 it came to my knowledge that:
10.	the Fifth Respondent had resigned as a director of The Sixth Respondent;
11.	the Third Respondent had been appointed as director of The Sixth Respondent;
12.	the Fourth Respondent had sold to the Third Respondent his 500 shares in The Sixth Respondent and that these shares had been transferred;
13.	
14.	the Third Respondent had sold to the Second Respondent 1,500 shares in The Sixth Respondent which were transferred to the Second Respondent;
15.	the Third Respondent has resigned as director of The Sixth Respondent.
16.	

Save for an inconsequential amendment, Table B of Schedule 1, constitute the registered Articles of Association of Sixth Respondent. Articles 21 and 22 of the Articles of Association provide:

"21. If a member of the company desires to sell all or any of his shares in the company he shall give notice in writing, of his intention to sell, to the directors of the company, and state the price he requires for the shares.

22.	The directors shall within one month of the date of receipt of the notice referred to in art 21 advise every other member of the company of the contents thereof and each such member shall be entitled to acquire the shares so offered within one month after the date of receipt of such advice; provided that if more than one
23.	member makes an offer for all of the shares offered, the shares shall be sold to each such member in equal proportions, and where fractional proportions of shares remain, such members shall become joint holders of such fractional proportions of the shares."

Articles of Association, when registered bind a company and its members to the same extent as if each and every member had signed them.
(See Section 65(2) of the Companies Act 61 of 1973)

They constitute a contract between the company and its members and between the members inter se regulating their conduct in respect of certain matters between themselves and any member can apply to Court to enforce compliance with the Articles should one of the members commit a breach of a particular provision of the articles.

At the time when fourth and fifth respondents intended to sell their shares they were by reason of the aforesaid provisions of Article 21, obliged to give written notice of such intention to the directors. Fifth respondent who was a director has made an affidavit saying that he was not so informed nor did he have any notice concerning the price of the shares.

In terms of Article 22 whoever was a director at the time should have advised every shareholder of the contents of the notice aforesaid so that members who wished so to do could acquire the shares within one month.

Applicants say they did not receive any notice that third, fourth or fifth respondents were selling their shares or were offering their shares for sale. This is not disputed.
Therefore there was no compliance with the provisions of Articles 21 and 22 of sixth respondent.

Furthermore and in any event, Articles 21 and 22 are certainly applicable to members inter se. It could indeed be a great concern and prejudicial to those members who join a private company having an equal shareholding with others to find suddenly that one member has secretly acquired the shares of other members and has a majority shareholding entitling him to outvote all other members.
I point out that in paragraph 11.1 of his affidavit, third respondent himself says;

"It was incumbent upon those shareholders as aforementioned who intended to sell their shares in Sixth Respondent to comply with the provisions of Article 21 of Table B of Schedule 1 of the Companies Act 1973."

It is therefore essential that there be compliance with the Articles of Association by members who wish to sell shares even to other members of the company.

In terms of the Articles the notice had to be given to the directors of sixth respondent. This letter, however is addressed to:

"The Chairman
Omuhuka Holdings Co (Pty) Ltd
P.O. Box 20855
Windhoek".

Applicants, however, only asked for costs against those respondents who opposed.

Second respondent who was not a member of sixth respondent at the time he purchased the shares says he believed that those members who sold him shares had complied with the Articles. Prior to becoming a member, he was entitled to believe that this had been done without checking the internal activities of sixth respondent. This is certainly not a defence and had he not withdrawn his opposition he would have been mulcted in costs to the same extent as third respondent.

The Order of this Court therefore is:

1.       That the sale of 1500 shares by Third Respondent in Sixth Respondent to the Second

17.	That Second Respondent is ordered to take all necessary steps to retransfer the said 1500 shares to Third Respondent who is hereby ordered to repay the purchase price of NS 150,000-00 against transfer of the shares.
18.	
19.	Third Respondent is ordered to take all necessary steps to retransfer the said 500 shares to the Fourth Respondent against repayment of the purchase price thereof and Fourth Respondent is ordered to repay to Third Respondent the purchase price in respect thereof.
20.	
21.	That Third Respondent is ordered to take all necessary steps to retransfer the said 500 shares to Fifth Respondent against repayment of the purchase price and Fifth Respondent is ordered to repay such purchase price to Third Respondent.
22.	That First Respondent is ordered to give effect to the above orders in so far as is necessary to comply with the Articles of Association.

8.
That, in the event of any Respondent failing to transfer shares as ordered, the Deputy

Sheriff is hereby authorised to sign whatever document may be necessary to effect transfer and if necessary to sign such shares and deliver same in terms of this order.

For the Applicants: Instructed by:

Advocate C J Mouton

Messrs P F Koep & CO

For the Third Respondent: 

INSRUCTED BY:
Advocate J Schickerling

Messrs van Vuuren & Partners