Are email job offers and their affirmative acceptance in South Africa enough to conclude a contract of employment?
The principles of common law should be considered in evaluating whether the return email constitutes a valid acceptance of the job offer.
According to common law, a valid acceptance of an offer must be clear, unequivocal, and unambiguous, it should align with the terms of the original offer, and it should be made in the manner specified by the offeror. Further, the offeree must communicate their acceptance of the offer to the offeror.