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Understanding the Consumer Protection Act: What Every South African Should Know

Picture this. John buys a new washing machine from a store in Johannesburg. Three months later, the drum stops spinning and the machine floods his kitchen. He phones the store, expecting a runaround, maybe an offer to fix it for a fee, or a flat refusal because he did not buy an extended warranty. Instead, the store tells him he is covered. They collect the machine, repair… Read More »Understanding the Consumer Protection Act: What Every South African Should Know

Tax Season Is Upon Us: What Are the Legalities With Tax and SARS?

Every year, South African taxpayers find themselves facing the same familiar deadline pressure as tax season opens. Whether you are a salaried employee, a small business owner, or newly self-employed, understanding your legal obligations to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is essential, not only to avoid penalties, but to stay on the right side of the law.  Who Needs to File a Tax Return? … Read More »Tax Season Is Upon Us: What Are the Legalities With Tax and SARS?

South Africa’s New Parental Leave Law: A Game-Changer for Families

A landmark ruling has reshaped how South African parents spend time with their newborns, but it’s not without its complications.  On 3 October 2025, South Africa’s Constitutional Court delivered one of its most consequential labour law rulings in years. In Van Wyk and Others v Minister of Employment and Labour, the Court declared the existing provisions of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) unconstitutional, finding that granting… Read More »South Africa’s New Parental Leave Law: A Game-Changer for Families

When One Parent Wants to Move: What Happens When the Other Says No?

Few family law disputes are as emotionally charged as parental relocation. Whether it’s a job opportunity in another city, a new relationship, or the desire to be closer to family, the reasons for wanting to relocate are often genuine and compelling. But when a child is involved and the other parent objects, the situation quickly becomes a legal battleground.  So what does South African law actually say about this?    The Best… Read More »When One Parent Wants to Move: What Happens When the Other Says No?

Don’t Panic, But Don’t Wait Either

What to do when a letter of demand or summons lands on your desk  It arrives without warning: a formal letter bearing the logo of an attorney’s firm, or worse, an official summons from a court. Your stomach drops. Whether it relates to a debt, a dispute with a contractor, an employment matter, or a car accident, receiving legal correspondence can feel like the ground… Read More »Don’t Panic, But Don’t Wait Either

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.