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Living Together in South Africa: What You Need to Know About Cohabitation Agreements

Why South African law leaves unmarried couples dangerously exposed and what a cohabitation agreement can do about it  South Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, enshrining equality and human dignity as foundational values. Yet when it comes to the legal rights of unmarried couples who live together, our law remains strikingly behind the lived reality of millions of South Africans. Cohabitation, or what is… Read More »Living Together in South Africa: What You Need to Know About Cohabitation Agreements

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

Eiendom: Waarom het jy ‘n okkupasiesertifikaat nodig voordat jy koop?

Stel jou dit voor – jy koop jou droomhuis, betaal daarvoor, neem oordrag op jou naam en trek saam met jou gesin in. Dan onstaan ‘n probleem. Die Munisipaliteit sê vir jou dat geen okkupasiesertifikaat ooit vir die eiendom uitgereik is nie en dat jy gevolglik die huis dadelik moet ontruim.

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.

How to Safeguard Your Digital Presence: A Simple Checklist for Website Compliance

Your website, social media profiles, and other online platforms play a vital role in your business strategy and in staying ahead of your competition at all times. However, it’s not just about marketing effectively. Ensuring compliance with regulations is equally crucial, although often overlooked.

Wanneer moet jy ‘n prokureur kry om jou by te staan?

Mense mag dalk geïntimideer voel deur die regstelsel. Met tydige en toepaslike regsadvies kan jy duur foute vermy en verseker dat jou regte beskerm word. Hier is ‘n kort gids oor wanneer en hoekom jy regshulp moet soek.

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”

Nuwe jaar, nuwe besigheid – hoe om die regte entiteit daarvoor te kies

As jy daarvan droom om in 2024 vir jou eie rekening te begin woeker, vra jouself hierdie vrae voordat jy begin. Is ek ‘n entrepreneur? Jy het ‘n wonderlike idee, jy kan nie wag om jou nuwe besigheid te begin nie, sukses en rykdom wink vir jou! Nou moet jy jouself afvra – is ek geskik vir die uitdagings van entrepreneurskap?

When Your Buyer Can’t Get Finance, Might a Kustingsbrief Save the Sale?

You accept a great offer on your property, the sale agreement is signed and the buyer pays the deposit. You put the champagne on ice. But before you can pop it open, the buyer’s bond applications are rejected by every bank. Your sale is about to die. Is there anything you can do to rescue it?

Etha Smit Attorneys Expands Expertise

At Etha Smit Attorneys in Kempton Park, we are dedicated to providing our clients with exceptional legal services that allow them to focus on what truly matters to them. Today, we are thrilled to introduce the newest members of our team and share the exciting expansion of our areas of expertise.

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.

What SARS says about crypto assets and tax

If you are thinking of buying – or have bought – any “crypto asset” such as a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polkadot, Solana (or any of the many other cryptocurrencies springing up all over the place), be aware of the tax implications. As a start, read the new SARS webpage “Crypto Assets and Tax” here, first published on 27 August 2021 and providing guidance on (at date of writing – expect this webpage to evolve!)

Don’t let delays in the Master’s Office leave your family in financial distress

Whilst the first and most important step in your estate planning is always to have in place a professionally drawn and regularly updated will (“Last Will and Testament”), there is another aspect which demands your urgent attention, particularly now… It is essential that you provide for your family’s ongoing financial needs during the process of winding up your estate, because all your bank accounts will be frozen.

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