News & Articles
Can water rights be transferred? What do our courts say?
Water rights are an essential commodity in the agricultural sector and a commodity with limited availability. Accordingly, the transfer of existing water rights is a critical aspect for many farmers as it affects their ability to expand and further develop their farms. Many farmers also carry the perception that in practise the transfer of water rights is only possible to persons that meet the minimum requirements for black economic empowerment, particularly as regards ownership and management.
Doctors and medication: Are the floodgates open for claims?
Doctors are waiting in anticipation to see how the courts will interpret the application of the Consumer Protection Act (‘the Act’) when dealing with strict liability claims.
Deeltitelskemas: Wat is huisreëls en is dit afdwingbaar?
Wilma en André het onlangs in Sonskyn meenthuiskompleks ingetrek. Saterdagaand vier André sy verjaardag en die partytjie duur voort tot net na twaalf die aand. Maandagoggend ontvang André ‘n skrywe van die bestuursliggaam van die kompleks tot die effek dat hy ‘n R500.00 boete opgelê word aangesien die huisreëls bepaal dat stilte na 23:00 gehandhaaf moet word en dat André hierdie reël verbreek het met sy partytjie. Verstom, wonder André of hierdie boete afdwingbaar is?
Too many contracts… Too little time?
Often the perception is that once you have “signed on the dotted line” the contract can be stored and need only be consulted when trouble arises. This is revealing of how contract management is still not recognised as an important management tool for most businesses. It is seen generally as a discipline belonging only to the largest of companies and of small relevance to other businesses. Accordingly, most businesses have limited capacity to manage the ever-burgeoning volume of contracts being concluded by them
Sub-kontrakteur optrede by wanbetaling
Die munisipaliteit het aan Westside Konstruksie (Edms) Beperk (die “Kontrakteur”) ‘n tender toegestaan vir die oprig van lae-koste behuising. Die omvang van die projek is van so aard dat die Kontrakteur uiteraard sub-kontrakteurs moet gebruik om die werk uit te voer. Een van die sub-kontrakteurs wat benodig word is ‘n loodgieter en Pypies Loodgieters (Edms) Beperk (die “Sub-kontrakteur”) word aangestel om die Kontrakteur by te staan met dit nodige loodgieterswerk vir die projek.
Road accident injuries: Do I have a claim?
Peter was involved in a car accident where a drunk driver jumped a red light and hit him side-on, totalling his car. Fortunately Peter managed to escape largely unscathed with only whiplash and some minor cuts and bruises. Yet Peter had to pay hospital and doctor costs for the check-up and wound treatment and now he wonders whether he can claim these expenses back from the Road Accident Fund (“RAF”)?
Last chance to transfer your property tax free. But act quickly!
Recent amendments to the Income Tax Act have made it possible to transfer residential property from a legal entity (trust, company or close corporation) to an individual, without paying transfer duty, capital gains tax, dividends tax or secondary tax on companies.
Is business rescue the lifebuoy your business needs?
Peter has recently inherited the family business from his father, becoming the fourth generation of Morgans in charge of the established Morgans Handcrafted Furniture company. Peter’s father, having passed away recently, left him in charge of the running of the sizable production warehouse and having learnt the trade under the guidance of his father, Peter has acquired all the skill needed to continue the established tradition of excellence.
Nuwe wet beskerm jou persoonlike inligting
Jou eerste dagtaak op kantoor voordat jy met jou werk kan begin is om die magdom “spam” van jou inkomende eposse uit te vee wat oornag ingekom het. Om nie eers te praat van die onwelkome oproepe en sms’e van tele-bemarkers wat dienste aan jou wil smous van maatskappye wat jy nog nooit eers van gehoor het nie. En ironies genoeg, hierdie teistering begin dikwels kort nadat jy ‘n nuwe verbruikerskontrak gesluit het waarin jy spesifiek versoek dat jy nie gekontak moet word vir bemarking nie!
Driver’s beware. Losing your license is easier than you think!
Alice is on her way to school with the children. The road is surprisingly quiet this morning and she is not paying too much attention to her speedometer. Suddenly a traffic officer jumps out and waves her over. Glancing down she sees that she was driving just over 90km/h. Preparing herself for the speeding fine, Alice is shocked when the traffic officer issues her with a notice and informs her that because she exceeded the speed limit by more than 30 km/h she has to appear in court. How can this be? Surely she wasn’t driving that fast and now she has to go to court? What happened to the usual speeding fine?
An agreement to agree. Worth the paper it’s written on?
Liquor Traders (Pty) Ltd and Property Company (Pty) Ltd have entered into an agreement granting Liquor Traders a concession to develop a liquor depot on property owned by Property Company, subject to the condition that Liquor Traders must obtain a valid liquor trading license. The agreement further provides that if Liquor Traders fails to obtain the required license, Liquor Traders would be able to lease the same site from Property Company on terms and conditions to be determined by a further agreement negotiated between the parties in good faith and that any dispute between the parties as to the terms of such lease agreement would be resolved by arbitration.
What to do with a man of straw?
Business owners are becoming increasingly concerned with the escalating numbers of debtors failing to make payments and requiring legal action to recover debt. However, more and more business owners are also finding out that many debtors are just not able to pay their debt or even a part thereof. The informal term used to describe such a debtor is a ‘man of straw’, which either means a person who is being used as a front for a questionable enterprise or a person with little or no means to pay his debts.
Deel 2: Kan ek my huis verkoop aan ‘n buitelander woonagtig buite Suid-Afrika?
Jou strandhuis is in die mark vir verkoop of verhuring. Die Franse paartjie het die advertensie op die internet gesien, kontak gemaak uit Frankryk en stel belang om jou strandhuis te koop of te huur vir vakansies in Suid-Afrika of selfs later in te woon indien die man se aanstelling as streeksbestuurder van die nuwe Afrika-been van sy Franse maatskappy realiseer. Is dit so maklik? Kan jy sommer net jou huis so oor die telefoon verhuur of verkoop aan hierdie buitelanders? Sal die transaksie geldig wees en is daar spesifieke vereistes vir so ‘n transaksie?
Understanding your attorney’s invoice
Petro is about to realise her dream by buying a business and becoming her own boss. But to finalise the deal Petro must have a sale agreement and a new lease drafted. And then she will have to start collecting on the outstanding debt book as well as put in place new employment agreements for her new staff.
The debtor’s survival guide
Debt is an everyday reality for most South Africans. Whether such debt relates to your home mortgage, your car finance, shopping cards or in general to just survive, debt is there and a constant source of worry for many consumers. But worrying unfortunately won’t take away the debt and management of your debt must remain a key priority to ensure you keep your head above water. The law provides mechanisms for consumers to manage their debt, and if you understand and follow our handy survival tips, you can give yourself a fighting chance to survive in the debt jungle.
Mineral Rights. Do they still have value?
The ownership of mineral rights has received extensive media coverage of late. Claims have been made that the State has in terms of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (“Minerals Act”) effectively taken away mineral rights from its rightful owners and nullified the value of mineral rights. But is this claim correct, and if so what then is the current position regarding mineral rights.
What is the relationship between you and your insurance broker?
We all have insurance and we all have worked with an insurance broker at one point or another. The media is also full of insurance advertisements that create the impression that the right insurance broker will cover you for all eventualities. But is this truly the case? And if not, where does the broker’s responsibility to ensure that you are sufficiently covered end and where does yours, as the insured person’s, start?
Checked your life insurance recently? Find out why you should!
Jeremy is recently divorced and has just started dating again. This has gotten him thinking about his future and the care of his minor daughter, Hannah, who is under the age of 18 years. Jeremy is reminded that his ex-wife is still the beneficiary of his life insurance policy and makes a mental note to contact his insurance broker to revoke his ex-wife and nominate Hannah as his beneficiary in the event of his death to ensure that the proceeds of his policy are paid out to Hannah.
Deel 1: Kan ek my huis verkoop aan ‘n buitelander woonagtig in Suid-Afrika?
Die Franse paartjie is vir ten minste die volgende twee jaar woonagtig in Suid-Afrika weens die man se aanstelling as streeksbestuurder van die nuwe Afrika-been van sy Franse maatskappy. Jou huis is in die mark en hulle wil dit graag huur of moontlik selfs koop, hulle geld is beskikbaar en die maatskappy gaan vir die trek betaal.
Mindshift and trusts: Obtain good advice!
The word trust is often used quite loosely and in a variety of contexts. In this article we deal with the correct approach to considering the inclusion of a trust as part of your family’s estate planning. The type of trust discussed is accordingly a typical discretionary trust. In such a trust the trustees are the owners of the trust assets and manage such on behalf of the beneficiaries, and can, in their discretion, decide whether beneficiaries should receive benefits or not. Most family trusts are such discretionary trusts.
Tydelike werknemers en die boer. Hoe gaan die posisie verander?
Die boerderybedryf kan siklies van aard wees en dus is die gebruik van tydelike werkers om sikliese behoeftes aan te spreek ook ‘n algemene praktyk by baie boere. Voorgestelde wysigings tot ons huidige arbeidswetgewing, reeds in 2010 gepubliseer maar nog nie op die wetboeke nie, mag ‘n wesenlike impak op hierdie praktyke van boere hê en die speelveld rondom die gebruik van tydelike werkers aansienlik verander.
What to know before tying the knot
The big day is looming. There are a hundred and one arrangements to be taken care of, honeymoon travel plans, living arrangements, not even to mention the always controversial table plan at the wedding reception! But what am I forgetting? Why do I have that nagging feeling that I’m missing something?
Getting married? Consider the accrual system
The wedding is round the corner, the dress is finally done, the suit decided on and the flower arrangements settled. Now for the last item on my list – make an appointment with a lawyer and find out about this ‘ANC’ and accrual system everyone keeps telling us about?
Is cohabitation as good as marriage?
Pieter and Marie have been living together for many years. “Why ruin a good thing with marriage? We are as good as married in any case.” But are they? How do the rights of a couple living together differ from those of a couple legally married and how can persons living together protect themselves for the future?
Landbou Sektor SEB Kodes en grondhervorming
Boere moet kennis neem van die konsep Landbou Kodes (“Agri-Kodes”) vir Breedgebaseerde Swart Ekonomiese Bemagtiging (“SEB”) wat onlangs publiseer is. Hierdie kodes is huidiglik nog in konsep fase, maar mag in die nabye toekoms in werking tree. Die Agri-Kodes is van toepassing op alle boere en ook entiteite wat primêr betrokke is in die produksie, storing en verspreiding van landbou produkte.
Van der Merwe du Toit Inc. Promotion of Access to Information Act Manual
This manual has been prepared by Van der Merwe du Toit Inc. in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000.
Can I lease or sell my house to a foreigner?
Can a foreigner lease or purchase immovable property in South Africa? And, if this is possible, what are the requirements for such a transaction to be valid? Also, can I lease or sell my property to any foreigner? The answers to these questions are pertinent to landlords and sellers garnering interest of foreign tenants and purchasers.
Hoe voorkom ek bedrog by die werk?
Suid-Afrika het een van die hoogste werkplek bedrogsyfers in die wêreld. Volgens onlangse statistieke het meer as 80 persent van Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye bedrog binne hul maatskappy aangemeld. Bedrog by die werk kan ‘n besigheid tot op sy knieë dwing deur finansiële verlies en slegte publisiteit.
Can social media get you fired?
Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogger, LinkedIn and many others have become increasingly popular not only for social purposes, but also as tools to assist in job hunting and business networking. Unfortunately, not everyone is aware that, as useful as these social media sites may be, there also lurks hidden dangers for the online ‘socialite’.
The low down on the new Property Sector BEE Code
The new Property Sector Code for Broad-Based BEE (“the Code”) was gazetted and is effective as of 1 June 2012. The Code applies broadly to enterprises engaged in the property sector in property ownership or the provisioning of property services in both residential and commercial markets.