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...
SA AI Association welcomes pre-eminent African law firm, Bowmans, to Advisory Board
The South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA) today announced that pre-eminent African law firm, Bowmans, has joined its Advisory Board. SAAIA is an industry body focused on promoting the advancement of responsible AI in South Africa by uniting practitioners across Commercial,...
Confidence killer: When criticism silences the traits that make women effective leaders
Criticism. It may seem innocuous and receives less attention than other barriers to female career trajectory, but when poorly framed, it can silence the very characteristics that make women effective. We are often taught that success comes when we operate in our purpose. Like fish created to swim...
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...
Coerced retrenchment agreements jolt the tightrope
Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) requires employers, before making any decision to retrench, to consult with the affected employees on a number of issues, the most important of which is any means of avoiding job losses. The employer’s duty to consult before retrenching lies at the...
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...
Size matters: When a stationery cupboard joke turns costly
If you thought the most dangerous thing in a stationery cupboard was a misplaced staple gun, think again. In a recent Labour Court matter, the court confirmed that a single off-colour joke about a packet of fingerettes being compared to the size of a male employee’s… well, you know… was enough to...
Who the Legal Research Assistant supports
Sabinet’s Legal Research Assistant has been developed to support a range of users working with South African legal information. While research requirements differ across professionals, the need for reliable, accurate, up-to-date and authoritative legal information remains consistent. Built on...
Are written warnings legally required before dismissal
Many people assume that final written warnings work like American baseball: three strikes, and you are out. It is a common misconception in the workplace that an employer must always issue a written warning before dismissing an employee. While written warnings play an important role in...
The hidden trade marks in business GUIs, and how to make them memorable
Digital business is the new frontier of modern entrepreneurship, and apps have become the gateway to almost every service imaginable. In a global economy driven by interconnectivity and advancing technology, start-up companies in all digital industries, particularly in FinTech, are quickly...
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...
Amendment of the Small Merger Guidelines: What dealmakers need to know
The Competition Commission has published draft amendments to its Small Merger Guidelines for public comment, aligning the small merger notification criteria with the revised merger thresholds that took effect on 1 May 2026. On 14 August 2026, the Competition Commission (Commission) gazetted draft...
When can you set your mind at ease? Tax and the prescription issue
SARS is generally prohibited from challenging income tax assessments that are over three years old, unless it can prove that the taxpayer was not correctly assessed as a result of fraud, misrepresentation or the non-disclosure of material facts on the part of the taxpayer. For SARS to assess...
