Covid-19 Advisories
Academic Exclusion and Urgent Court Relief
By Adela Petersen | Director and Jessica Jaftha | Associate Guidance for universities and other academic institutions When a student urgently asks a court to let them continue attending classes while challenging an academic exclusion, the legal question is not simply...
When a Debtor Dies, can you Still Recover the Debt?
By Wessel Robertson | Director The real question is whether there is anything worth pursuing The death of an entrepreneur can turn an already difficult recovery matter into something far more complicated. On paper, a lender or development fund may still have clear...
Business Rescue vs Liquidation
By Dhahini Naidu | Director Does a rescue filing stop a provisional winding-up order? What happens where a business rescue application is filed after a liquidation application has already been argued, but before judgment in the liquidation matter is delivered? A...
When a Property Sale Collapses, can the Estate Agent Still Claim Commission from the Deposit?
By Tania Abbotts | Director When a property transaction falls apart because the purchaser breaches the agreement, many people assume the agent simply loses out on commission. That is not always correct. In practice, one of the first questions that arises after...
Long Service is not an Absolute Shield against Gross Negligence
By David Short | Director and Amanda Kubheka | Candidate Attorney Labour Court ruling in Algoa Bus Company (Pty) Ltd v South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council and Others. The Labour Court in Gqeberha recently delivered an important judgment in the case of...
Demarcation Disputes cannot be used to interpret Collective Agreements
By David Short | Director CCMA ruling clarifies the limits of the demarcation process A recent ruling issued in favour of a client of Fairbridges provides helpful clarity on the purpose and limits of demarcation disputes in South African labour law. In the matter...
Analysis: The Employment Laws Amendment Bill, 2025
(Government Gazette No. 54220 - 26 February 2026) By David Short |Director, Ali Sonday |Associate Director, Paula Phukuje | Senior Associate, Amanda Kubheka | Candidate Attorney A Clause-By-Clause Operational Analysis The Minister of Employment and Labour,...
A Bridge too Far: When disciplinary shortcuts become a breach of contract
By Ali Sonday | Senior Associate, Paula Phukuje | Associate and Amanda Kubheka | Candidate Attorney The Labour Court in Durban recently addressed the boundaries of an employer's power to expedite disciplinary proceedings at the expense of contractual obligations. The...
When “Served” isn’t Served
By Shu’Aib Datay | Director and Ammaara Soofie | Candidate Attorney Why defective service can derail your default judgment Getting a summons issued is only half the battle in a debt recovery or enforcement matter. The other half is making sure the defendant is...
From Eskom Blues to Infrastructure Gold: Positioning South Africa’s Independent Transmission Projects as a new Investable Asset Class
By Nadia Nassiep | Associate On 12 February 2026, during his State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed government’s commitment to establishing a fully independent, state-owned transmission entity with ownership and operational control over...
Job Changes and Critical Skills Work Visas
By Aabeed Abdullatief | Director Steps employers and employees can take when employment ends South Africa is seeing an increase in queries from employers and foreign employees where a work visa (often a Critical Skills Work Visa) appears to remain valid on its face,...
Ads, Arts and Events: Performers may soon be Treated as Employees
By Aabeed Abdullatief | Director Government moves to extend labour protections to SA’s creative performers A recent Government Gazette notice suggests a potentially major shift for South Africa’s creative economy. The Minister of Employment and Labour has signalled an...
News Flash: Amendments to the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993
By David Short | Director and Paula Phukuje | Associate On the 21st January the State President signed certain Sections of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment Act of 2022 into effect. Whilst the Amendment Act of 2022 envisaged extensive...
Sick Notes in South African Workplaces: Clear Rules, Fair Processes
By Paula Phukuje | Associate South African law treats sick leave and medical certificates as part of a balanced system. The Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (BCEA) gives employees paid time to recover, but it also equips employers with clear thresholds for...
What Black Coffee’s Divorce teaches about Customary Marriages
By Sihle Mayedwa | Senior Associate A recent High Court decision arising from the high-profile Black Coffee divorce has clarified core principles that matter far beyond celebrity headlines. It confirms when a customary marriage exists, what property system applies by...
Buying property in South Africa while living abroad: How Exchange Control shapes your Mortgage
By Sarah Nordien | Associate Director If you are living outside South Africa and buying a home here, your bond (mortgage / home loan) will almost always include exchange control conditions. The bank is not being difficult; it’s the Reserve Bank’s way of ensuring that...
Parental Leave Rewritten by the Constitutional Court: What Employers Must Do Now
By Ali Sonday | Senior Associate and Paula Phukuje | Associate The Constitutional Court has confirmed that South Africa’s parental-leave regime in the BCEA unfairly discriminated between different kinds of parents and has ordered a temporary “reading-in” that changes...
When the SIU Comes Calling | State Capture Investigations
By Zaeem Soofie | Director
WhatsApp in Court: When your Chats become your Best (or Worst) Evidence
By David Short | Director A recent Western Cape High Court judgment (Gerritsen Trading CC t/a Gerritsen Drilling SA v Blydskap Holdings (Pty) Ltd (2024/146798) [2025] ZAWCHC 400 (27 August 2025) in a provisional liquidation...
A Legal Perspective on Player-Club Disputes: Lucas Ribeiro vs Mamelodi Sundowns FC
By Lesedi Mphahlele | Director and Sello Ramanyana | Candidate Attorney A high profile tug-of-war between Lucas Ribeiro and Mamelodi Sundowns FC has pushed a perennial question back to centre stage: how do South African club contracts interact with FIFA’s...
Sexual Harassment: Why Employers Should Follow Chief Justice Maya’s Lead and Create Robust Policies
By Paula Phukuje | Assocate In a landmark move this Women’s Month, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya introduced a comprehensive Sexual Harassment Policy for the Judiciary, a powerful reminder that institutions must exemplify confidence, dignity, and justice from within....
What South African Landlords Should Know About “Unit-Hopping” Tenants and Withheld Rent
By Celani Mchunu | Associate When the Lease goes Sideways In a textbook example of how quickly a straightforward lease can unravel – a client’s tenant has taken it upon herself to occupy a different unit, without consent - while the client (the landlord), in...
Costs Involved in the Conveyancing Process
By Sarah Nordien | Associate Director Buying or selling a property in South Africa is not just about signing a contract, it is a legal and financial journey that involves a range of professionals, financial institutions, government institutions, paperwork, and often...
Guide: How to Register a South African Company and Your Initial Obligations
By Marcus Schaefer | Associate Director Whether you are a local entrepreneur or a foreign investor, establishing a business in South Africa requires strategic planning and legal compliance from the outset to ensure a strong foundation on which to grow. This guide...
How Anton Piller Orders Rescue Your Data Before It Disappears
By Jodi Poswelletski | Director Imagine discovering that an ex-employee has copied your client database and is already trading on it. In minutes they can encrypt, delete or dump that data offshore. Under POPIA your company now faces fines of up to R10 million,...
Fifty Cents, Zero Trust: How a Trivial Shortfall Cost a Teller her Job
By David Short | Director & Zethembe Manukuza | Candidate Attorney Khumalo v CCMA & Others (Labour Court, JR 2680/22, 25 June 2025) When Standard Bank teller Nomfundo Khumalo returned from sick leave, a surprise cash check exposed a mystery bag of R20 in R1...
Words have Power: When Unfounded Allegations Sink Reinstatement
By David Short | Director A 360° View for Employers The Labour Appeal Court’s judgment in Golden Arrow Bus Services (Pty) Ltd v Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration & Others (19 June 2025) is a reminder that winning the “unfair dismissal” label...
Not so Fast: When Retrenchment Goes Off the Wall
By David Short | Director & Zethembe Manukuza | Candidate Attorney The Labour Court’s decision in Watson Kelemogile Lekalake v EOH Mthombo (Pty) Ltd is a textbook warning: a Section 189 process will collapse if the business case is unclear or inconsistently...
Client Alert: How One Missed Step Sank a Whistle-Blower Dispute
By Ali Sonday | Senior Associate Lessons from Truworths Ltd v Peter (Labour Appeal Court, 05 June 2025) The Labour Appeal Court (LAC) has overturned a Labour Court (LC) decision because the employee skipped the mandatory conciliation step under section 191 of the LRA....
No Quick Fix: When Strikes Become Violent
By David Short | Director & Zethembe Manukuza | Candidate Attorney SA Container Depots (Pty) Ltd t/a Bidvest SACD v Sheriff Durban Coastal – why violent strikes still enjoy protection. Earlier this year the Labour Court heard an urgent application brought by SA...