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Case Studies

Unpaid Levies vs Property Rights: Can Your Estate Restrict Your Access?

When unpaid levies become a legal dispute, where does an estate’s authority end and a homeowner’s rights begin?  Living in a residential estate comes with certain responsibilities, including contributing towards security, maintenance and shared facilities. However, when homeowners fall behind on levy payments, can an estate use access restrictions to encourage payment?  South African courts have repeatedly addressed this question, highlighting the distinction between enforcing financial obligations… Read More »Unpaid Levies vs Property Rights: Can Your Estate Restrict Your Access?

THE SILENT CRACK IN THE WALL

A Seller’s Legal Duty to Disclose Property Defects in South Africa  It started with a hairline crack, barely visible beneath a fresh coat of paint. But six months after moving into their new home in Pretoria, the Dlamini family watched that crack widen across their living room wall, signalling something far more serious: a structural fault that the seller had known about and deliberately concealed.… Read More »THE SILENT CRACK IN THE WALL

Who Owns Your Employee’s Invention? Lessons from the “Please Call Me” Saga

It’s a case that has been making headlines for years, the “Please Call Me” saga in which Vodacom has been sued by an ex-employee and is now at risk of having to pay over billions of rand to him. With April being “World Intellectual Property Month”, now’s a perfect time to see what lessons this bitter fight holds for all employers and their employees.

Fired For Moonlighting

“Moonlighting” is the practice of employees boosting their monthly income with a “side-job” or “side-business”. It has been a feature of working relationships since the dawn of history, but now the pandemic lockdowns and the shift to the “gig economy”

Werkgewers: Pasop vir die mite van die ‘informele werker’

Werknemers in Suid-Afrika geniet goeie beskerming onder ‘n reeks wette soos die Wet op Basiese Diensvoorwaardes (WBDV), die Wet op Arbeidsverhoudinge (WAV) en die Wet op Gelyke Indiensneming (WGI). {The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and the Employment Equity Act (EEA).} Die gevolge vir werkgewers wat nie die bepalings van hierdie wette nakom nie, eindig gewoonlik by die Kommissie vir Versoening, Bemiddeling en Arbitrasie (KVBA).

Don’t risk consequential “loss of profits” damages: Check your contracts and insurance!

One of the risks you run in any business is being sued for losses you cause to someone else. Although normally your risk of legal liability is linked to the claimant proving some form of negligence on your part (i.e. the onus is on the claimant to prove your negligence), there are exceptions. To take one example (as seen in the case discussed below) a “carrier of goods for reward by land” has “absolute liability” to deliver goods

When company directors and shareholders come to blows

If you should find yourself in such an unfortunate situation, our Companies Act offers you several possible remedies. Professional advice specific to your case is essential here but be aware of a particularly versatile remedy in the form of a court application for relief from “oppressive or prejudicial conduct”. This relief is available where…

Uitsetting geweier – Grondeieneaars, onregmatige huurders en die toets vir “regverdigheid en billikheid”

“Onregmatige okkupeerders” van grond geniet omvangryke beskerming onder ons Grondwet en ander wetgewing. Eienaars en verhuurders moet verstaan hoe belangrik dit is om versigtig te werk te gaan wanneer die kwessie van uitsetting ter sprake kom. Daar moet volledig aan die bepalings van die Wet op Voorkoming van Onregmatige Uitsetting en Onregmatige Okkupasie van Grond, oftewel “PIE” (“Prevention of Illegal Eviction and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act”) voldoen word. Dit is nie onmoontlik nie, maar die vereistes kan nie ligtelik opgeneem word nie. Hou in gedagte dat ‘n hofbevel verkry moet word voordat ‘n uitsetting mag plaasvind, met bykomende beperkings wat gedurende die COVID-19 inperkings geld.

A million rand warning: Act when employees reach retirement age

Many employees reaching “retirement age” (often set at 60 or 65) are not ready to retire. Perhaps they need to carry on earning an income, often they are fit and healthy and want to remain engaged and productive. Increasingly, both factors are at play. Regardless, the concepts of an aging workforce and “65 is the new 50” are here to stay, and employers and employees alike need to tackle the changing realities that come with them.

Suid-Afrikaanse burgers – moenie jou eie burgerskap verloor wanneer jy vir ‘n ander aansoek doen nie!

‘n Onlangse uitspraak van die Hooggeregshof bevestig dat jy jou Suid-Afrikaanse burgerskap sal verloor, indien jy vir burgerskap van ‘n ander land aansoek doen, terwyl jy nog nie Ministeriële toestemming hiervoor ontvang het nie. Dit maak nie saak of jy in Suid-Afrika gebore is of nie. Die rede waarom jy dubbele burgerskap wil verky, is ook irrelevant. Dalk werk/woon jy oorsee, dalk sal ‘n tweede paspoort dit vir jou makliker maak om te reis, of dalk het jy finansiële redes vir jou besluit.

Property Sellers: Why, how and when to choose your own conveyancer

For many of us, our home is our most important asset so when it comes time for us to sell, do everything possible to ensure that your interests are fully protected, that the sale goes through quickly and smoothly, and that you are paid without unnecessary delay. Appointing the right conveyancer is key here. Let’s have a look at the “Why, Who, How and When” of it…

Unmarried Parents: A new ‘Notice of Birth’ ruling for fathers, with 3 Surname Choices

New parents, married or not, are obliged by the Births and Deaths Registration Act (“the Act”) to register their child’s birth with Home Affairs within 30 days. However in regard to the actual process of giving this “notice of birth”, the Act has always distinguished between married and unmarried parents. In particular, unmarried fathers have until now been unable to register the child under their own surname except with the mother’s permission. Given the importance – to the child, to the parents and to their wider families

Vrywaringsklousules in kontrakte – fynskrif kan dit uitkanselleer

Vir verskaffers van goedere of dienste is die invoeging van ‘n duidelike vrywaringsklousule (‘n klousule wat jou aanspreeklikheid teenoor die kliënt uitsluit of beperk) in jou kontrakte ‘n belangrike deel van jul risikobestuur. Neem net kennis van die beperkings wat ons reg hierop plaas. Soos ‘n onlangse uitspraak van die Appèlhof illustreer, kan jou eerste struikelblok met jou beroep op ‘n betwiste vrywaringsklousule wees om ‘n hof te oortuig dat die verbruiker werklik op grond van daardie voorwaarde ‘n kontrak aangegaan het

Community scheme disputes and the ombud’s powers to resolve them

If you have a dispute with anyone in a “Community Scheme” – sectional title, Homeowners Association (HOA) or the like – remember that your first port of call should be the CSOS (Community Schemes Ombud Service). Disputes are inevitable in any community situation, with sources of conflict ranging from noise issues to problem pets, common area usage disagreements, parking space complaints and so on.

Can I lose my job for lying when calling in sick?

An all-too-common complaint in workplaces comes from employers who notice a sudden surge in employees calling in sick on the day of a major sports fixture, or perhaps just on a “good beach day”. So as an employer what can you do about it if your “sick” employee is captured on TV enthusiastically waving a patriotic flag in the stands at a test match, or is recognised by another beachgoer…

Body corporate: Forcing access to units, and Round Robin Resolutions

Owning your own property comes with a raft of benefits, including a general right to privacy and control over who can access your property and who can’t.

But of course, there are exceptions. And apart from the obvious ones, a recent High Court judgment highlights one that is particular to sectional title schemes. It involved a unit owner whose “recalcitrant actions” prevented a body corporate from entering his unit to check for a water leak….

Divorce: Claiming interim maintenance and a contribution to legal costs

Even if your marriage is collapsing around you, you might be afraid to sue for divorce because you have no money to survive on, plus you know that a hotly contested divorce might take years to finalise while your breadwinner spouse fights you tooth and nail every step of the way.

Directors at war: Terminating email access

When company directors are locked in dispute, one of them may be tempted to cut off the other’s access to emails and to the business server – a tactic likely to have immediate and serious consequences for the director thus cut off. Its appeal as a tactic to force the other director to the negotiating table is obvious…

‘n Slagoffer van seksuele teistering moet dit onmiddellik aanmeld

Werkgewers het ‘n plig om ‘n veilige werksplek vir hul werknemers te verseker. Werkgewers moet hul werknemers teen enige vorm van skade of verlies of aanval beskerm – ook teen seksuele teistering. ‘n Werkgewer wat versuim om dit te doen, kan eise vir skadevergoeding verwag.