Legal news and commentary from the offices of Simon Dippenaar
South Africa is not immune from human trafficking Human trafficking is an all-too-common occurrence in the modern world. Musician Sean “Diddy” Combs currently faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering in New York, and two people in Glasgow have been arrested in connection with human trafficking offences just recently. Here in South Africa, kidnapping and […]
Why confidentiality matters One of the pillars of democracy is a free press. We discussed the importance of access to information recently. In an open society, we take access to information for granted, and journalists tend to be respected. A principle of ethical journalism is confidentiality, and the protection of confidential sources is a widely […]
Know your rights Weeks after the first Olympic Games in history to achieve gender parity and some stellar performances by women athletes in Paris, the world was shocked by the death of Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who was set alight by her boyfriend in Endebess, Kenya. Cheptegei is the fourth female athlete to be […]
What constitutes discrimination? One of the principal tenets of our Constitution is equality under the law. The Bill of Rights is the cornerstone of the Constitution, and Section 9 deals with equality. Discrimination is covered in subsections 3-5, which state: (3) The state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or […]
Privacy and media law The right to privacy is a fundamental part of South African law, protected by the Constitution and other legislation. It allows individuals to control their personal information and keep certain details private, away from the eyes of the state or others. This can include information about home life, health and relationships. […]
White collar crime can do as much damage to society as violent crime Commercial crime, also called “white collar crime”, is often called a victimless crime, because it is not perpetrated against an individual. But it is anything but victimless. And with more and more of our lives conducted online, along with the growth in […]
Is AI a blessing or a curse? According to Reuters, ChatGPT is estimated to have reached 100 million monthly active users in January, two months after launch. This makes it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Analytics firm Similarweb estimates that ChatGPT had an average of 13 million unique visitors per day in January, more […]
Why is due diligence important in business transactions? If you’re considering going into business with a partner, or investing in a company, or possibly merging your company with another, you have almost certainly been advised to carry out due diligence. Due diligence has a specific meaning in the world of finance, but it has entered […]
Four new laws have been approved by Cabinet, to address gaps in South African legislation. This article from BusinessTech explains. Reprinted from BusinessTech – 2022-09-01 Cabinet has recently approved a number of new bills that have subsequently been submitted to parliament, including new legislation which focuses on financial crime, divorce and substances. There are over […]
Different laws apply, even if only one individual is involved Most of the time, the management team of a company and the board of directors succeed in working together for the good of the organisation. They do not always agree, and the role of a board is to govern and ensure accountability. Occasionally, the relationship […]
The Children’s Act allows children to be relocated after divorce – but only with consent The mid-year school break and winter holiday is nearly upon us. For divorced families it can be a stressful time. One or other parent may wish to take the child or children away on holiday, either to another South African […]
South Africans pay far too much for data, and challenger networks Cell C and Telkom are unable to make a dent in the duopoly held by Vodacom and MTN. Given that many South Africans do not own laptops or tablets and rely on cell phones for internet access, a feature of modern life that is […]
