Wille's latest edition published

The Faculty of Law has released the ninth edition of the acclaimed textbook, Wille’s Principles of South African Law, de rigueur for judges, lawyers and students.

The new edition has been rewritten to include the impact of the Bill of Rights, which is enshrined in the Constitution. The book aims to set out the basics of South African private law in a clear language and as comprehensively as possible.

The first edition of the text, penned by George Wille, UCT’s first full-time professor of law, appeared in 1937.

Nine of the 10 authors are from UCT.

They are general editor Professor Francois du Bois, Graham Bradfield, Professor Chuma Himonga, Professor Dale Hutchison, Karin Lehmann, Associate Professor Rochelle le Roux, Mohamed Paleker, Anne Pope and Professor Danie Visser. Professor CG van der Merwe of Stellenbosch University is the only external contributor.

Years in the making, it was no easy task putting the new edition together, says Du Bois.

The ethos of the legal system has changed dramatically since the last edition was published in 1991, he added, and the book must now also engage with the Constitution.

“It also had to be emancipatory in spirit – the Constitution aims to free us from the colonial past and our law can no longer be seen as just an updated version of Roman-Dutch Law.”