Monthly Archives: February 2021

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Buying and Selling Property: Nine Important Questions

“Owning a home is a keystone of wealth… both financial affluence and emotional security” (Personal Finance Expert Suze Orman) When you buy or sell your “Home Sweet Home”, particularly for the first time, the process can seem complicated, the terminology confusing, and the risks of making a costly mistake intimidating. You are after all dealing with quite possibly your most important asset!   To help you navigate the process, as either seller or buyer, here are some common questions, with answers. 1. Where can

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Can Employees Resign to Dodge Disciplinary Hearings?

“…an employee who gives short notice in violation of the contract … may be obliged to serve out the notice period” (Quoted in the judgment below) It’s an age-old workplace dodge – threatened with a disciplinary hearing and fearing a guilty verdict, an employee resigns with immediate effect and walks out the door with a defiant “Well that’s it, you just lost your right to discipline me. See you around, loser”.  No longer! Our courts have dealt with this issue often in

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Landlords: Can You Cut Electricity to Collect Arrears or Evict?

“It is a fundamental principle that no man is allowed to take the law into his own hands” (Transvaal Supreme Court, 1906) Landlords can be sorely tempted to force defaulting tenants to settle their arrears (or to vacate the premises altogether) with a bit of instant “self-help” by cutting electricity or water supplies, or perhaps by changing locks or disabling access codes.  From the High Court comes another timely warning that you cannot resort to self-help without risking an immediate and costly

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New National Minimum Wage and Earnings Thresholds From 1 March 2021

(N.B. The increases highlighted below are extracted from the Employment and Labour Minister’s announcement of 9 February 2021, and emphasis has been supplied where helpful in enabling quick identification of your employment sector. Comment is in square brackets) “The National Minimum Wage (NMW) for each ordinary hour worked has been increased from R20,76 to R21,69 per hour [a 4.5% increase] for the year 2021 with effect from 1 March 2021.It is illegal and an unfair labour practice for an employer to unilaterally alter hours of work

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Your Website of the Month: From Scenarios to Strategy – Use Business “Wind Tunneling”

Now more than ever before, scenario planning is essential for the success of your business. But of course the next step in the process is just as critical – you need to create an actual business strategy based on your scenario planning. It’s a process that can be both quick and simple. As the author of “From Scenarios to Strategy: Top 3 Methods” on the Medium website points out, even smaller businesses with limited resources will find the “wind

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