A servitude is a right that one person holds in the property of another. It is a subtraction from dominium in that it restricts the rights of an owner. The Ex Parte Geldenhuys 1926 OPD 155 Orange Free State case outlined the ambit of the servitude right. Servitudes form part of South African property law, having been part of the Roman-Dutch principles of law since its adoption at the Cape of Good Hope. A Servitude is a iura in re aliena, which means a limited right in the property of another. Praedial servitudes are distinguishable from personal servitudes, the former conferring in rem rights while the latter confer in personam rights. A burden encumbering the servient tenement is imposed in favour of a dominant tenement which hold limited rights over the servient tenement.
