Answer grounded in published legislation
Your question
does signing an official document under the influence of alcohol and under duress count as legal or right?
The supplied sources do not establish a general rule that a signature made while intoxicated or under duress is legally valid or invalid. For a bill, an unauthorised or forged signature is wholly inoperative, subject to the stated exceptions, but the source does not say whether alcohol or duress makes a signature unauthorised. 1
Verified sources
Where this answer comes from
Bills of Exchange Act 22 of 2003
(1) Subject to this Act, if a signature on a bill is forged or placed on the bill without the authority of the person whose signature it purports to be - (a) the forged or unauthorised signature is wholly inoperative; and (b) no right to retain or to discharge the bill or to enforce payment of the bill against any party to the bill can be acquired through or under that signature, unless the party against whom it is sought to retain or enforce payment of the bill is precluded from setting up the forgery or lack of authority. (2) Nothing in this section affects the ratification of an unauthorised signature not amounting to forgery.
Legal Practitioners Act 15 of 1995-Regulations 1993-136
legal actions or proceedings by or against the board, and all drafts, cheques or orders drawn on banks or building societies against any account of the board in any bank or building society, shall be signed by any two members of the board or by any member of the board and countersigned by the secretary or treasurer of the board and all cheques, drafts or orders made payable to the board may be endorsed by the secretary or treasurer of the board for credit of a banking account of the board.
Road Traffic and Transport Act 22 of 1999
effect, or with excessive amount of alcohol in blood or breath
Deeds Registries Act 47 of 1937-Regulations 1996-180
application, or consent required for the performance of an act of registration in the deeds registry and any agreement of partition referred to in section 26 of the Act executed and tendered for registration or filing of record in the deeds registry, shall be prepared by a practising legal practitioner, notary public or conveyancer, who shall make and sign a certificate in the undermentioned form in the upper right hand corner of the first page of the applicable document: Prepared by me .......................................... LEGAL PRACTITIONER/NOTARY PUBLIC/CONVEYANCER* (*Delete whichever is not applicable) .................................................................. (State surname...
Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977
(a) which pur ports to bear the signature of any person holding a public office; and (b) which bears a seal or stamp purporting to be a seal or stamp of the department, office or institution to which such person is attached, shall, upon the mere production thereof at criminal proceedings, be prima facie proof that such person signed such document
Marriage Act 14 of 2024
10. Dispensing with consent or overruling refusal to consent