About this Publication:

The law of evidence is vital to each legal practitioner and forms part of the curriculum of every South African law qualification. It is compulsory even for some degrees not strictly confined to legal practice, such as certain police and related qualifications. However, law of evidence is not considered an easy subject, especially not for persons who have never been inside a court of law.

In this work, academics with practical experience of the criminal justice system have selected a number of decided cases as well as statutes relevant to the law of evidence. Illuminating commentary is provided, which should assist any student of the discipline to get to the core of these texts. Due attention has also been paid to the constitutional aspects of the law of evidence.

Die bewysreg is onmisbaar vir elke regspraktisyn en maak deel uit van die leerplan van elke Suid-Afrikaanse regskwalifikasie. Dit is selfs verpligtend vir sommige grade wat nié tot die regspraktyk beperk is nie, soos sekere polisie en verbandhoudende kwalifikasies. Tog word bewysreg as ’n moeilike vak beskou, veral vir diegene wat nog nooit in ’n geregshof was nie.

In hierdie boek het akademici met praktiese ervaring van die strafregstelsel ’n aantal besliste hofsake sowel as wetgewing van toepassing op die bewysreg uitgesoek. Die insiggewende kommentaar wat voorsien word, behoort enige student van bewysreg tot die kern van die tekste te help deurdring. Behoorlike aandag word ook geskenk aan die grondwetlike aspekte van die bewysreg.

Contents Include:

• Part 1: Admissibility of evidence / Deel 1: Toelaatbaarheid van Getuienis
  • Relevance, Admissibility and Weight of Evidence / Relevantheid, Toelaatbaarheid en Gewig van Getuienis
  • Previous Consistent Statements / Vorige Ooreenstemmende Verklarings
  • Hearsay Evidence / Hoorsêgetuienis
  • Admissions and Confessions / Erkennings en Bekentenisse
  • Privilege / Privilegie
  • The Exclusion of Unconstitutionally Obtained Evidence / Die Uitsluiting van Ongrondwetlik Verkreë Getuienis
• Part 2: The Presentation of Evidence / Deel 2: Die Aanbieding van Getuienis
  • Stages in the Trial Procedure and the Presentation of Oral Evidence / Stappe in die Verhoorproses en Aanbieding van Mondelinge Getuienis
  • Real Evidence / Reële Getuienis
  • Evidence of Uncertain Classification / Getuienis wat Moeilik Klassifiseerbaar is
  • Presumptions / Vermoedens
• Part 3: The Assessment of Evidence / Deel 3: Die Beoordeling van Getuienis
  • The Onus of Proof / Die Bewyslas