Succession Reviews: Why Your Business Plan Needs a Regular Check-Up
Protecting a family business requires a succession plan that evolves alongside changing tax legislation and family dynamics. However, according to a feature published in March 2026 in Accountancy SA, the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants’ publication, a reported 60% of South African family-owned businesses still have no formal succession plan. Even when succession plans […]
Seven Reasons Why You Need an Antenuptial Contract
Planning a wedding is one of the most exciting times in a person’s life. Between choosing flower arrangements, sampling cakes, and finalising the guest list, it is easy to let financial conversations fall by the wayside. However, discussing how you and your future spouse will manage your money, assets, and liabilities is critical for a […]
Planning Beyond the Founder of the Family Business
When a family business runs without any concern, planning for a change in leadership can seem less urgent than managing the work at hand. The founder is still involved, the next generation is finding its place, and clients continue to receive the service they expect. Yet this apparent stability can leave important questions about ownership, […]
The Prevention of Illegal Eviction Amendment Bill: Striking a New Balance Between Property Rights and Housing Rights
The Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act 19 of 1998 (PIE) has long been regarded as one of South Africa’s most significant pieces of socio-economic legislation. Enacted to give effect to section 26(3) of the Constitution, PIE protects unlawful occupiers from arbitrary eviction while ensuring that property owners may only […]
Beyond Compliance: The Business Case for B-BBEE Success
Compliance is an important foundation for business growth, and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) should form part of that vision. Many South African businesses see B-BBEE as a complex hurdle to cross. But when implemented properly, it can become your greatest competitive advantage. Transformation should do more than improve a scorecard. Businesses that view B-BBEE […]
Can AI Write Your Will? Here’s Why That’s a Gamble
Somewhere out there, someone is asking ChatGPT to “write me a will” the same way they’d ask it to write a birthday speech. It’s a reasonable instinct. AI is fast, free, and confident – three qualities that make it dangerously persuasive when the stakes are your entire estate. Here’s the twist, though: even South Africa’s […]
‘Futureproofing’ Commercial Properties in Times of Uncertainty
The current geopolitical tension is drastically reshaping the global economic outlook, and South Africa is not immune. Both businesses and consumers are feeling the effects of the conflict escalation in the Middle East, with oil prices spiking to above $110 a barrel. The commercial property market faces a more complex operating environment. Rising energy costs […]
Can’t Afford School Fees Anymore? Here’s What to Do
Losing a job, a reduced income, or a sudden change in family circumstances can make school fees feel impossible almost overnight. If you’re a parent or guardian in this position, the good news is that South African law anticipates exactly this situation, but the protections only help if you know they exist and act early. […]
Who Inherits If You Have No Will and No Spouse?
Dying without a valid will doesn’t mean your estate goes to the state. In South Africa, it means the Intestate Succession Act 81 of 1987 takes over and distributes your estate for you, according to a fixed order of priority. That order does not ask what you would have wanted, but it simply works down […]
Arbitration Clauses in Commercial Contracts: Enforceable or a Trap?
When two businesses sign a contract, they rarely think about what happens if things go wrong. Buried in the boilerplate, an arbitration clause can quietly redirect any future dispute away from the courts and into a private process governed by a different set of rules. Sometimes that works in both parties’ favour. Sometimes it does […]