The
South African law of delict engages primarily with "the circumstances in which one person can claim compensation from another for harm that has been suffered." JC Van der Walt and Rob Midgley define a
delict "in general terms [...] as a civil wrong," and more narrowly as "wrongful and blameworthy conduct which causes harm to a person." Importantly, however, the civil wrong must be an actionable one, resulting in liability on the part of the wrongdoer or
tortfeasor.