Immigrants, Visitors And Parents: New Travelling Rules, New Risks

| Forward email | Afrikaans

Wessels + van Zyl Inc

Newsletter | July 2014



				Immigrants, Visitors And Parents: New Travelling Rules, New Risks
				Extensive media coverage of the new Immigration Regulations suggests that they are very likely to be challenged in the courts as unworkable and unconstitutional, but bear in mind that in the interim they remain in force and you are going to have problems if you don’t comply with them. The Regulations are complex and full of grey areas, and might even be changed at short notice, so if you are in South Africa or intend to enter the country on a “visa” or “permit” (most “permits” under the old rules are now called “visas”) take advice on your position now . . .
				read more



	Landlords: Managing Your Tenant’s Liquidation
	In these hard times, you may well be faced with a situation where your tenant is liquidated (“sequestrated” in the case of an individual or trust, “liquidated” or “wound up” in the case of a company). If that happens, what are your rights and how do you manage them? A recent Supreme Court of Appeal decision illustrates the principles involved.
	read more



				The Shopper Who Slipped: Duties And Damages
				You go shopping and as you walk down a supermarket aisle you slip on a wet and slippery patch of floor, injuring yourself. Do you have a claim against the store for your damages? You do indeed, but only if you can show that the store and its employees were negligent. In a case recently decided by the Supreme Court of Appeal, a shopper sued a store for her injuries after she slipped on a section of floor left damp by a cleaner who had mopped the floor in a routine cleaning operation during a busy period in the store. Importantly, although there was a pertinent warning sign, it was beyond the point where she fell.
				read more



	Entrepreneurs: Here’s A Survey To Help You!
	“It's about dialoguing with them [small businesses] to see where the challenges are” (Lindiwe Zulu, newly-appointed Small Business Development Minister) SAICA (the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants) has just commissioned a comprehensive SME research project to try and understand what is required to make SMEs thrive in South Africa. If you haven’t already completed the survey, you can do so by going to this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SAICA_SME_Research. 15 minutes of your time is all it will take. And it will be time well spent - the research will be used to lobby government to take concrete action to address the concerns of SMEs and the timing is perfect with the recent appointment of a Small Business Development Minister who is clearly keen to engage with SMEs. Note that the closing date for the survey is 11 July.



				Estate Agents – 1 Year To Go!
				30 June 2015 – that’s your deadline to be certificated against either the Real Estate NQF Level 4 (for non-principal estate agents) or the NQF Level 5 (for principal estate agents). Heed this warning from the Estate Agency Affairs Board: “It is not envisaged that this time period will again be extended. It is to be underscored, therefore, that those affected estate agents who have still not been certificated by the extended date will not be issued with fidelity fund certificates, entitling them legally to perform the functions and activities of an estate agent, for the 2016 calendar year.”



	The July Website: Getting Good At Googling
	The Internet – a vast repository of information and advice, and these days an essential tool for every business and every individual. But with the Internet growing by some 140,000 new sites every day, making the most efficient use of your search engine is becoming critical. Top tip – if you want Google to search only local sites, type in your search term and then add “site:za”. You can of course do the same for any other country. Then read the Huffington Post’s “14 Google Search Tricks That Make Life A Whole Lot Easier” at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/30/google-search-tricks_n_5338470.html.



				P.S. 100 Years Ago - “The War To End All Wars”
				“I do not know with what weapons the Third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth — sticks and stones” (Albert Einstein) On 28 July 1914 the first shots were fired and war declared in what we now call the First World War. The “Great War” took 17 million lives and changed the world forever – Wikipedia has an insightful history with photos and videos at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I. Hopefully Friedrich Hegel was wrong in his assessment that “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.”

Disclaimer

The information provided herein should not be used or relied on as professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your professional adviser for specific and detailed advice.

A Client Connection Service by DotNews