R v Viljoen[1] is an important case in South African law. It was heard in the Appellate Division on 23 April 1941, with judgment handed down on 6 May. De Wet CJ, Watermeyer JA, Tindall JA, Centlivres JA, and Feetham JA presided.
A statement had been made by the accused to a peace officer without compliance with the formalities prescribed by section 273(1) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act.[2]
That statement, the court found, although it was capable of implying an admission of guilt, was also capable of a rational explanation, which did not include any such admission. The court held, therefore, that the statement was not a confession within the meaning of the section.