PAIA Manuals and the 31 December 2021 Deadline: Crying Wolf Again, or Real This Time?

“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” (Hunter S. Thompson) Since 2005 businesses have been repeatedly told “get your PAIA (Promotion of Access to Information Act) manual sorted now, the deadline is approaching”. And every 5 years since then, those (mostly smaller) businesses temporarily exempted

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Your Website of the Month: How to Find and Remove Spyware from Your Cellphone

Website of the Month / Law DotNews

Our cellphones have, for most of us, become integrated into virtually every aspect of our lives. Take a moment now to think of how much damage a cybercriminal, or an industrial spy, perhaps even a malicious stalker or vengeful ex-employee, could do both to you personally and to your business if they succeed in getting

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Community Scheme Disputes and the Ombud’s Powers to Resolve Them

Property / Law DotNews

“[The Ombud} has been given wide inquisitorial powers whereby such disputes can be resolved as informally and cheaply as possible by means of qualified conciliators and adjudicators, without the need for legal representation, save in certain limited circumstances.” (Extract from first judgment below) If you have a dispute with anyone in a “Community Scheme” –

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Fired for a Racist Facebook Post

Employment and Labour Law / Law DotNews

“The seriousness and gravity of offences involving racism and racial hatred cannot be over-emphasised. Employers are under a duty to provide a safe working environment and to protect all employees from harm, whether physical or emotional, whether they are black or white. An employer can be held liable for failure to take any action against

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human hand holding magnifying glass over invoice

Exemption Clauses in Contracts – Fine Print Can Void Them

Contract / Law DotNews

“… he did not think that he was binding himself to all sorts of fine print that I cant even read.” (Extract from judgment below, describing evidence given by the customer during the trial) For suppliers of goods or services, incorporating a strong, clearly worded exemption clause (a clause excluding or restricting your liability to

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Unmarried Parents: A New ‘Notice of Birth’ Ruling for Fathers, with 3 Surname Choices

Family Law / Law DotNews

“Whilst the Act no longer uses the term “illegitimate child” this is implied by the reference to so-called children “born out of wedlock” which continues to perpetuate the common law distinction between so-called “legitimate” and “illegitimate” children. This reference is a stark reminder that we, as a nation, are still grappling with outmoded legal terminology

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close up two hand holding mobile phone with online payment word

Your Website of the Month: New – How to Renew Your Car Licence Disc Online

Website of the Month / Law DotNews

Here’s some really good news for all of us motorists dreading the annual challenge of queuing to renew our car licences. The Road Traffic Management Corporation has launched an online payment gateway allowing us to register, renew, and pay for our licence discs on the NaTIS online platform. Read “New online car licence disc renewal

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close up of business man pointing and signing agreement for buyi

Property Sellers: Why, How and When to Choose Your Own Conveyancer

Property / Law DotNews

“A great deal is at stake in the transfer of fixed property. It is generally the largest single asset that a person owns and the transaction for the purchase or sale of a fixed property is probably the most important contract undertaken by individuals” (Law Society of South Africa) For many of us, our home

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South Africans – Don’t Lose Your Own Citizenship When You Apply for Another!

General Interest / Law DotNews

“… it cannot be said as the applicant suggests that the loss of citizenship takes place without notice and automatically as the citizen in that position has proper notice through the structure of the section of both the opportunity to seek consent to hold dual citizenship and the consequences of acquiring a second citizenship without

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businessman doing tightrope walking in risk concept

Employers – Walking the “Compulsory Covid-19 Jab” Tightrope

Employment and Labour Law / Law DotNews

“Employers should find a reasonable resolution that accommodates all parties where employees refuse to be vaccinated for medical and constitutional grounds” (Ministry of Employment and Labour) As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world, an increasing number of businesses find themselves walking a tightrope between their obligations to, on the one hand,

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