A Note from our Directors | August 2019

And so, we enter the festive season and I am almost caught by surprise. The year has been a hard year for many of us. Covid left its mark wherever we look. Some were sick, some lost a dear one and...

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” (Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, Roman philosopher) History has not recorded whether Seneca himself was “lucky” in the property market...

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago” (Warren Buffett) Whilst the first and most important step in your estate planning is always to have in place a...

“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” (Hunter S. Thompson) Since 2005 businesses have been repeatedly told “get your PAIA...

Our cellphones have, for most of us, become integrated into virtually every aspect of our lives. Take a moment now to think of how much damage a cybercriminal, or an industrial spy, perhaps even a...

Our sunny welcoming South African summer is here! Take it in with all your senses! Embrace the smell of sunblock! The sound of the birds and laughter of the kids playing outside! Notice the change...

Our sunny welcoming South African summer is here! Take it in with all your senses! Embrace the smell of sunblock! The sound of the birds and laughter of the kids playing outside! Notice the change...

“[The Ombud} has been given wide inquisitorial powers whereby such disputes can be resolved as informally and cheaply as possible by means of qualified conciliators and adjudicators, without the...

“The seriousness and gravity of offences involving racism and racial hatred cannot be over-emphasised. Employers are under a duty to provide a safe working environment and to protect all employees...

“… he did not think that he was binding himself ‘to all sorts of fine print that I can’t even read’.” (Extract from judgment below, describing evidence given by the customer during the trial) For...

“Whilst the Act no longer uses the term “illegitimate child” this is implied by the reference to so-called children “born out of wedlock” which continues to perpetuate the common law distinction...

“A great deal is at stake in the transfer of fixed property. It is generally the largest single asset that a person owns and the transaction for the purchase or sale of a fixed property is...

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world, an increasing number of businesses find themselves walking a tightrope between their obligations to, on the one hand, both...

Many South Africans who need to be aware of this risk will be overseas and/or may not have heard of the High Court decision we discuss below. If you know of any such person, please consider...

“The future of money is digital currency” (Bill Gates) If you are thinking of buying – or have bought – any “crypto asset” such as a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polkadot, Solana (or any...

Dear Client Writing something inspiring in the beginning of September should be easy. There is so much to take positive inspiration from – we just ended Womens Month in August, it is the start of...

“In common law, everyone is in general permitted to use their property for any purpose they choose, provided that the use of the property should not intrude unreasonably on the use and enjoyment...

“Don’t fear death, plan for it” (Anon) Amazingly, here we are in the middle of a deadly pandemic yet still some 70% – 80% of working South Africans are said to have no will in place. That’s crazy...

“PIE recognises that in appropriate circumstances the right to full exercise of ownership must give way, in the interest of justice and equity, to the right of vulnerable persons to a home.”...