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IMPORTANT NOTICE! We are very pleased to confirm that, as of the 1st of July 2020, VFS offices in South Africa will be reopening for collections ONLY. To ensure adequate social distancing, collections are to be made strictly by appointment only – no “walk-ins” will be allowed. To book your VFS collection appointment, please followRead more

At long last the main provisions of POPIA (the Protection of Personal Information Act) have been gazetted, and they will commence on 1 July 2020. That means that the one year transitional period will expire on 30 June 2021. Don’t panic just yet, and ignore the many “fake headlines” in the media implying that you areRead more

“O brave new world” (Shakespeare) The COVID-19 pandemic will doubtless lead to many new developments on the legal front.For example, with widespread employee retrenchment now an unfortunate reality in our struggling economy, all employers, employees and trade unions should know of an important new Labour Court decision validating the use of remote conferencing for theRead more

“A stitch in time saves nine” (wise old proverb) The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown have opened up new avenues of profit for some businesses, but they have also subjected many others to the spectre of business failure. Unfortunately we can expect the level of bankruptcies to surge for some time to come, and theRead more

“To sign a document means to authenticate that which stands for or is intended to represent the name of the person who is to authenticate” (quoted in the case below) We all know that verbal agreements, although fully binding for most types of transaction, are a recipe for uncertainty and dispute. It’s not just aRead more

“You can be a good neighbour only if you have good neighbours” (Howard E. Koch) It looks as if we will still be under “restricted movement” orders for a while – even when we finally get down to Alert Level 2 and who knows when that will be. Tensions between neighbours are no doubt at anRead more

“Preamble to the Domestic Violence Act: “To afford the victims of domestic violence the maximum protection from domestic abuse that the law can provide” There is great concern that the COVID-19 crisis, particularly the mandatory “stay at home” lockdown phase, will see both an increase in the levels of domestic violence, and a decrease inRead more

“Better safe than sorry” (wise old proverb) The COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing economic fallout have left many businesses struggling with cash flow and even viability challenges. The result is that an increasing number of companies are either trading in insolvent circumstances, or in grave danger of doing so.Reckless trading and your risk of personal liabilityToRead more

If you are one of the many employees retrenched or put on short pay or unpaid leave as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and lockdown, you will be wondering how to cover the monthly instalments on your mortgage bond and other credit agreements. You have no doubt heard of the “payment holidays” banks areRead more

Many factors can delay your property transfer, and all of them are likely to cost you. A last-minute rush to comply with statutory requirements is one such pitfall to avoid. Beware therefore of the possibility that you will soon need (in some parts of the country you may already need), to lodge before transfer a formalRead more