Santam says it is going to consider the Supreme Court of Appeal SCA judgment against Guardrisk and assess its potential impact on the insurer's own appeal case.
On Thursday, the SCA dismissed Guardrisk's appeal against the Western Cape High Court, which had ordered the insurer to pay Café Chameleon’s business interruption claim in July.
Santam had also been ordered by the court to pay its clients, Ma-Afrika Hotels and Stellenbosch Kitchen's claims. But it announced that it would be taking the same route as Guardrisk and appeal the matter at the SCA.
On Friday, the country's biggest short-term insurer said because matters involving business interruption insurance are complex, there were differences between its and Guardrisk's case to consider and it also wanted to discuss the implications of the Guardrisk judgment with its reinsurers.
Suspended
"While there are similarities between the Café Chameleon and Guardrisk Insurance case and the Santam case before the courts, there are also material differences in the initial judgments that were handed down by the Western Cape High Court," said Santam in a statement.
But for now, the fact that the insurer has applied for leave to appeal its case means that the Western Cape High Court judgment, which said it must pay 18 months' worth of Ma-Afrika and Stellenbosch Kitchen's losses, remains suspended, said the insurer.
Santam said its application for leave to appeal the Ma-Afrika judgment was supposed to be heard by the Western Cape High Court on 8 December, but this did not happen as Ma-Afrika and Stellenbosch Kitchen's legal team was not available.
Compiled by Londiwe Buthelezi
