General Principles of Commercial Law is a concise compendium written specifically for non-law students. Written by experienced commercial law lecturers in the Department of Mercantile Law at the University of South Africa, it has been a prescribed text for undergraduate non-law students at various South African tertiary institutions for the past 28 years.

General Principles of Commercial Law provides students with a succinct exposition of the general principles of commercial law. It covers a wide range of topics influenced by the registration requirements of the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors.

The ninth edition has been updated to reflect recent statutory and other developments in commercial law and includes:

• A revised chapter on credit agreements to reflect recent amendments to the National Credit Act 34 of 2005.
• A new chapter 24 that deals with various aspects of banking law, including a discussion of selected aspects of both the Banks Act 94 of 1990 and the Financial Sector Regulation Act 9 of 2017; an introduction to the principles of indigenous banking law; and the important aspect of financial inclusion.
• An expanded chapter on methods of payment, which includes a discussion of selected modern types of digital payment and other developments in the sphere of payments, including cryptocurrencies.

• Table of Cases
• Table of Statutes
• Section A: Introduction
  • The South African Legal System
  • Introduction to the Science of Law
• Section B: General Principles of the Law of Contract
  • Law of Contract: Introduction
  • Consensus
  • Capacity to Perform Juristic Acts
  • The Agreement must be Possible
  • Formalities
  • Terms of the Contract
  • Interpretation of the Contract
  • Breach of Contract
  • Remedies for Breach of Contract
  • Transfer and Termination of Personal Rights
• Section C: Specific Contracts
  • The Contract of Sale
  • The Contract of Lease
  • The Contract of Insurance
  • Credit Agreements
• Section D: Specific Aspects of Commercial Law
  • Labour Law
  • Intellectual Property Law and Franchising
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • The Law of Agency
  • Forms of Business Enterprise
  • The Law of Competition
  • Security
  • Banking Law: Selected Topics
  • Payment: Negotiable Instruments
  • Other Methods of Payment
  • The Law of Trusts
  • The Law of Insolvency
  • The Law of Administration of Estates
  • Consumer Protection
• Index

• Undergraduate non-law university students of commercial law
• Universities of Technology and colleges
• Commercial lawyers
• Banking institutions