Latest Legal Briefs
Friends And Family May Turn To Foes – Be Careful Who You Appoint As An Executor
There are only two things in life that are inevitable, death and taxes. Taxes are debatable however death will come knocking on each and every one of our doors at some point in our life. This article is about making wise and responsible decisions prior to your death to ensure that you appoint an...
South Africa: Reporting obligations in terms of the Employment Equity Regulations
Part of an employer's affirmative action obligations in accordance with Section 21 of the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (as amended) (EEA) and the newly enacted Employment Equity Regulations, 2025 (General Administrative EE Regulations) is the duty to report on progress made annually to the...
Unchecked AI, unseen dangers: What DeepSeek’s breach means for SA companies and POPIA compliance
DeepSeek, a prominent competitor in the artificial intelligence (AI) marketplace, recently faced a significant security incident when an unsecured ClickHouse database exposed over a million lines of sensitive information, including chat histories, secret keys and backend details. This...
Key considerations and compliance challenges as South Africa nears implementation of groundbreaking "Failure to Prevent Corrupt Activities Offence"
Arguably one of the most far-reaching recommendations of the State Capture Commission, the introduction of a failure to prevent corruption offence, is on the cusp of being introduced in South Africa. The Judicial Matters Amendment Bill (the “Bill”) which is due to be considered by the National...
Residential Tenant, Landlord Rights Under Lockdown
In the economic turmoil caused by Covid-19 lockdown, many people have not been able to pay their residential rent. Under government lockdown regulations – which try to ameliorate this problem – where do tenants and landlords stand legally? Two main scenarios emerge in the regulations passed by...
Eric Bonnet-Maes appointed Chief Executive Officer of LexisNexis (RELX Group) for Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa
Eric Bonnet-Maes joined LexisNexis France in 2007 as Sales and Operational Marketing Director before becoming Chief Operating Officer from 2014. Since 2018, he led LexisNexis' Asia region, steering the development of Greater China, Japan, South Korea, India and Southeast Asia from Hong Kong. "I...
Don’t rely on prescription of backpay orders
I recently warned employers not to rely on technicalities in trying to win labour law cases. At the core of the purpose of labour legislation is the need to ensure that unfairly treated employees receive redress with a minimum of time wasting and technicalities. Unfair dismissal refers to a...
South Africa’s evolving mineral and petroleum industries
South Africa’s mineral and petroleum industries faced significant changes in 2024 in view of the establishment of the Government of National Unity and legislative developments in these industries. In May 2024, South Africa had its seventh general election the results of which paved the way for...
Being abroad won’t save you from Sars’ collection efforts
As the upcoming tax filing season approaches, the South African Revenue Service (Sars) is reportedly ramping up a major initiative aimed at recovering outstanding tax debt including from taxpayers living abroad. Dubbed by insiders as a significant step toward closing the compliance gap, this...
Updates on customs and excise rules and Treasury’s Budget Facility for Infrastructure
What businesses need to know The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has implemented crucial amendments to the Customs and Excise Act Rules, as published in the Government Gazette No. 52255 on 11 March 2025. These changes, which apply retrospectively from 19 February 2025, have significant...
Guardianship vs Custody in South Africa: What Parents Need to Know When Travelling Abroad with a Minor
Whether you're planning a family holiday abroad or your child has been invited to compete internationally, navigating the legal requirements for taking a minor outside of South Africa can be more complex than expected, especially for separated or divorced parents. This article will explore the...
Counterfeit Crackdown: Fake Pots Boiled Over in R1-million Bust
In a significant victory for brand protection and consumer safety, Spoor & Fisher’s anti-counterfeiting department supported a police bust in March 2025, to dismantle a major counterfeit distribution network in Johannesburg, resulting in the seizure of more than R1-million worth of Hart pots....
The MTBPS needs to focus on easing the cost of doing business
The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, has committed himself to the task of pursuing his predecessors’ structural reform agenda and reducing red tape, the progress of which will be keenly noted in the Medium Term Budget Policy (MTBPS) on the 11th of November. Angelika Goliger, EY Africa’s...
Asset forfeiture and unlawful money schemes
South Africa has no shortage of unlawful financial and investment schemes. In recent years, numerous pyramid, Ponzi, multiplication, and other fraudulent and unlawful schemes have appeared in news headlines as the subject of investigations and legal proceedings. In cases such as the collapse of...
Watt You Need to Know on the draft Electricity Transmission Infrastructure Regulations
The draft regulations to facilitate planning for the procurement and establishment of transmission capacity by private parties (“the Regulations”) were recently gazetted on 3 April 2025 by the Department of Energy and Electricity. The Regulations are currently open for public comment, with the...
