Wills and Estates: Cost of Dying Rises with Master’s Fees Increase

The month of September is celebrated in South Africa as heritage month. This month is set apart to foster social cohesion, nation building and a shared national identity by South Africans. For a...

“From small mistakes come great catastrophes.” (Justin Cronin) We’ve all seen how even the smallest mistake can have huge consequences down the line. A recent High Court spat between siblings over...

“Big Brother is watching you.” (George Orwell) Your smartphone lets you record just about anything, anywhere, and at any time. Your laptop and other devices can automatically record online...

“This sale agreement is no more! It has ceased to be! This is an EX-sale!” (With apologies to Monty Python) A “bond clause” – standard in most property sale agreements – typically provides that...

“Divorce is the one human tragedy that reduces everything to cash.” (Rita Mae Brown) How will the new “Three-Pot Retirement System” (often referred to as a “Two-Pot System”) affect financial...

“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...

“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...

“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...

“[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...

“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...

“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...

“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,...

“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...

“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...

“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...

“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...