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When Can You Legally Record Conversations?

“Big Brother is watching you.” (George Orwell) Your smartphone lets you record just about anything, anywhere, and at any time. Your laptop and other devices can automatically record online meetings. Technology enabling voice and/or video recording is all-pervasive, providing us all with a powerful tool for keeping accurate records, resolving disputes and gathering evidence. But it’s crucial to understand when it’s legal to start recording – and when it’s not… Whether you’re talking face-to-face, over the phone, or via digital platforms like

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The New Cannabis Act: Here’s What You Will and Won’t Be Allowed to Do

“It’s high time they legalised cannabis” (Anon) Much excitement has greeted the signing into law of the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act, which will formally regulate the cultivation, possession, and use of cannabis by adults in a private setting and, says the Presidency, lays the groundwork for regulatory reforms “to allow for the industrialisation of the cannabis sector.” But although the new Act has been widely reported in the media as though it is already in force, this is not correct – it

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Can You Sign an Affidavit Over Zoom?

“These technological developments would have seemed far-fetched and science fiction a brief few years ago.” (Extract from judgment below) It’s an important question – the invalidity of an affidavit could sink even the strongest case, so it’s vital to get this right. Of course, it’s always tempting to cut corners where you can on the commissioning side, and perhaps you urgently need to sign an affidavit but are far from a commissioner of oaths or perhaps for some reason you just

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Ponzi Schemes: Can Liquidators Claw Back 600% of Payouts?

“MTl’s business clearly amounted to an unlawful ponzi-scheme, i.e. a fraudulent investing scam promising high rates of return to investors and generating returns for earlier investors with investments taken from later investors.” (Extract from the MTI judgment) Recent media reports of the MTI (Mirror Trading International) liquidators making repayment demands of investors highlight once again the dangers of falling for “too good to be true” investment schemes. The problem is that by their very nature, all pyramid schemes (including “ponzi” schemes) eventually

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Dual Citizens: Good News if You Lost Your South African Citizenship, But…

“Citizenship is the gateway through which a number of rights in the Constitution can be accessed.  It enables a person to enjoy freedom of movement, freedom of trade, and political representation” (Constitutional Court, quoted in judgment below) Note: Many South Africans who should be aware of this new development will be overseas and/or may not have heard of the Supreme Court of Appeal decision we discuss below. If you know of any such person, please consider forwarding this to them as

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Ponzi Schemes: Another MTI Judgment, Risks and Red Flags

“MTl’s business clearly amounted to an unlawful ponzi-scheme, i.e. a fraudulent investing scam promising high rates of return to investors and generating returns for earlier investors with investments taken from later investors.” (Extract from judgment below) In times of economic turmoil, the promise of “easy money” can be incredibly enticing. Unfortunately, this allure often leads people into the clutches of fraudsters who operate ponzi and pyramid schemes. But why are these scams so successful at fooling even the most astute investors? The

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Ombuds – Why and How to Use Them

“Who you gonna call?” (Ghostbusters) An “ombud” (often called ombudsperson, ombudsman or ombudswoman, and sometimes not referred to as an “ombud” at all) is an independent and impartial person or office who will investigate any complaint you may have against a business, government agency, or public or private institution falling under their authority. Ombuds seek to resolve disputes (to the benefit of all parties) fairly, efficiently, and cost-effectively by acting as mediators between complainants and the entity being complained about. Many have

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Living Wills: 6 Myths Busted

Health issues and mortality are facts of life, no matter how remote they may seem at the moment, nor how distressing they are to contemplate. For your family’s sake as well as for your own, make sure that you have a Living Will (or another form of “advance healthcare directive” such as a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare) in place. While you’re at it, check that your loved ones also make Living Wills. 6 Myths Let’s get some pervasive myths about

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Why You Should Sign a Power of Attorney Before You Emigrate or Travel

If you are emigrating, or perhaps just going overseas for an extended holiday or work contract, you may well leave behind some form of “unfinished business”. Perhaps you own a property, other assets or bank accounts needing attention, or have outstanding tax/business/financial affairs, or contracts to be signed, cars to be licenced, or something else unresolved that requires your future agreement or signature. Even if you can’t think of anything specific, consider executing (before you leave of course) an appropriate

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Tax Freedom Day 2022: The Day We Stopped Working for Government

“Taxpayer: One who doesn’t have to pass a civil service exam to work for the government” (Anonymous) “Tax Freedom Day” is the first day of the year on which we South Africans (we’re talking about the “average” taxpayer here) have finally earned enough to pay off SARS and to start working for ourselves. This year the predicted date was 12 May 2022. That’s three days later than last year, and a whole calendar month later than in 1994 when we first started

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