KVV | Note from Directors
With both Women’s Day and the Olympic Games now in our recent rearview mirror, it made me think of something someone said to me recently. In discussing how we are affected by trauma, she said...
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The Garage Door That Had the Complex Up in Arms
“Good fences make good neighbours.” (Robert Frost) When you buy into a community scheme (such as a security estate, complex or apartment block) you automatically become a member of its management...
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It’s Sick Leave Season – Can You Reject a Dodgy Doctor’s Sick Note?
“Many people including workers in South Africa do not have the wherewithal to determine between a qualified doctor, an unqualified doctor and one who is operating illegally. That is why there are...
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Divorce Diaries: Anti-Dissipation Orders in Action
“Love is grand. Divorce is a hundred grand.” (Anon) In the boiler room that is the divorce court, it’s common to hear accusations and counter-accusations of one spouse disposing of or concealing...
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Sour Grapes? Don’t Make Accusations Unless They’re True
“I am disgraced, impeached, and baffled here, Pierced to the soul with slander’s venomed spear.” (William Shakespeare) Here’s another warning from our courts to think twice before publishing...
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KVV | Note from Directors
The legal landscape of our time is asking for a holistic, yet specialized offering. Finding a law firm that not only delivers a wide variety of services but also fosters strong partnerships with...
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Home Buyer loses R5.5m in Phishing Scam – Don’t Make the Same Mistake!
“[The buyer] must in the circumstances take responsibility for her failure to protect herself against a known risk” (extract from judgment below) Cybercriminals absolutely love targeting property...
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Can You Sign an Affidavit Over Zoom?
“These technological developments would have seemed far-fetched and science fiction a brief few years ago.” (Extract from judgment below) It’s an important question – the invalidity of an...
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Brand-New Car Giving You Nightmares? CPA to the Rescue
“The Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) establishes a broad and comprehensive scope for consumer protection. Its purview includes developing and maintaining a consumer market in such a way...
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The New Cannabis Act: Here’s What You Will and Won’t Be Allowed to Do
“It’s high time they legalised cannabis” (Anon) Much excitement has greeted the signing into law of the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act, which will formally regulate the cultivation, possession,...
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A note from our director
Me, myself and I A friend told me a story about her younger years. She went overseas in search of herself. Just to find herself back home. Another story told goes like this, no matter where you...
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Why an Oral Estate Agency Mandate Isn’t Worth the Paper It’s Written On
“A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on” (Samuel Goldwyn) Perhaps you are a seller marketing your property through an estate agency, or a buyer asking an agent to find you one, or...
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Siblings Feuding Over a Business: Can You Get a Domestic Violence Protection Order?
“It is the purpose of this Act to afford the victims of domestic violence the maximum protection from domestic abuse that the law can provide” (Domestic Violence Act) When sibling rivalry...
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Contracting with Trusts – Is a Majority Resolution Valid?
“Externally, trustees cannot disagree. In the external sphere the Trust functions by virtue of its resolutions, which have to be supported by the full complement of the Trust body.” (Extract from...
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In the Land of the Will, Clarity is King
“The golden rule for the interpretation of testaments is to ascertain the wishes of the testator from the language used. And when these wishes are ascertained, the court is bound to give effect to...
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Rising Damp and Failed Waterproofing: How to Sue the Sellers
“[w]here a seller recklessly tells a half-truth or knows the facts but does not reveal them because he or she has not bothered to consider their significance, this may also amount to fraud” … “a...
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The Pothole Plague – Claiming Damages
“If cars are required to be roadworthy, shouldn’t roads be required to be car-worthy?” (Online meme) If you fall victim to a pothole-infested road, don’t hesitate to sue for your losses. A recent...
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Lending to a Friend or Relative – When Must You Register as a Credit Provider?
“In life, we never lose friends, we only learn who the true ones are” (Unknown) Lending money to a friend or family member in need sounds like a natural and informal sort of thing to do. But...
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A note from Ianthe Biggs
As I am writing this I am looking out into a small part of our garden. My study looks out over a small patch of grass and a tree where birds play all summer long. It struck me earlier today how...
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Property: Why Do You Need an Occupancy Certificate Before You Buy?
“…there is no obligation on the [seller] to obtain an occupancy certificate and to furnish it to the [buyers]” (Extract from judgment below) Imagine this – you buy your dream home, pay for it,...
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