Welcome to My Blog
Articles and advice on all things legalSnippet 2019 – 14
Economy Stats SA reports that retail sales registered pedestrian growth of just 0.2% yoy for the first quarter of this year. It is estimated that our GDP may have dropped by about 2% quarter-on-quarter. Mining output had plunged 8.1% in February and had contracted...
Snippet 2019 – 13
Property Updated conveyancing tariff guidelines will come into operation on 1 June. Featherbrooke is a secured residential estate. Burglars gained access and invaded the residence of one of its residents and shot/assaulted the family. The residents sued the estate,...
Snippet 2019 – 12
Economy Business confidence dropped further to 91.8% in March, holds the SA Chamber of Commerce’s BCI. The primary factors contributing to this are the Rand exchange rate, interrupted power supply, electricity tariff increases and slowing manufacturing output. On the...
Snippet 2019 – 11
Property Instant Property Network has started a platform for property transactions using Blockchain: the intent is to create a trusted record which eliminates duplication and middlemen. Whilst firms have been slow in taking up this technology, Barclays and the Royal...
Snippet 2019 – 10
Economy Skills: a note written by Bernstein, head of the Centre for Development and Enterprise, attracted my attention: she wrote on what was necessary to prime the virtuous cycle of growth. Our politicians, in seeking to attract votes, make wild promises which can...
Snippet 2019 – 09
Economy StatsSA reports that our government’s gross loan debt stands at R2.2trl at present and should stabilise at R3.5tln. This equates to a present debt of R40 000 per person in South Africa. For a country where the long-term per capita income is expected to trend...
Snippet 2019 – 08
Economics Is it possible to grow an economy, paying attention to exclusion and inequality: inclusive prosperity? A Harvard professor believes that we could move away from what he describes as a perverted Keynesian model; yawn, take a look: Reference The hemline index:...
Snippet 2019 – 07
Economy The KZN in government has ambitions to bulk-buy for spaza shops: socialist drivel from a bunch who cannot properly distribute condoms. Rationality in retreat: the upcoming elections do not serve as a platform to establish a rational and sustainable economic...
Snippet 2019 – 06
Economy Goldman Sachs has suggested that the global economy may have bottomed out and that green shoots are emerging. The Daily Maverick reported that the cost of state capture over the second term of the Zuma administration cost around R1.5trillian: this is...
Snippet 2019 – 05
Economy I had long known that tax comprises a large part of the cost of vehicle fuel; I had not known that taxes account for some 42% of new car prices. It appears that local vehicle taxes are proportionately much higher than that of larger markets in Europe, the US...
Snippet 2019 – 04
Economics Some years back, local chicken farmers complained that they were not being protected by the state. We have all eaten imported cheap chickens – the cost was the closure of a great many local chicken producers. Sugarcane farmers now call for protection and...
Snippet 2019 – 03
Economy Sales of new passenger cars slumped by some 10% in January compared to that of the January before. Whilst optimism is permeating our economic outlook for the year, this figure is disturbing: it would appear to be a marker of economic sentiment which does not...
Snippet 2019 – 02
Economy Sweden has adopted The as its official coin: Reference Business On 1 February I received a notice from Google+ to the effect that it was closing down its Googleplus accounts owing to low usage: a self-confessed nerd explained that Google had lost the fight...
Snippet 2019 – 01
Economy The Absa PMI rose to marginally positive in December, the best level of last year. The Business Confidence Index deteriorated marginally to 31 in the last quarter. The Consumer Confidence Index settled at a marginally positive rate. Spending: in order to get...
Snippet 2018 – 16
Economic review The Auditor-General reports an irregular first and second tier government spend of R51bn. Add to this a similar non-compliant spend by SOE’s of 24bn; mind boggles when politicians speak of oversight and other challenges. That wonderful racial...
Practice Review 2018 – 21
This week past I was again reminded of a bête noire of mine on the reading an ABSA will: the last clause comprised a standard disclaimer. In a will? To my recollection, the debate on liability leading to this, started in the early 80s when one of the big four banks...
Property Review 2018 – 21
BetterBond says that the affordable sector of our property market is performing well. It quotes statistics from some deeds offices, which shows that bonded transfers of such properties are some 10% (and more) higher than the equivalent six-month period, last year....
Business Review 2018 – 20
WesBank has introduced DebiCheck: a debit order where the customer is asked to electronically approve the first debit order deduction. This should put a brake on those who allegedly abuse the system of payment. Take a look: Reference Spin: Momentum was surprised at...