“Ignorance is Bliss Dangerous” (Internet meme) Our law will generally hold you liable for damages only if someone else can prove that you caused them loss/damage/injury through your “fault” (intent or negligence). That seems fair and logical – if it’s your fault, you pay. If however the loss was caused by your animal/s, you are in a…
“You can be a good neighbour only if you have good neighbours” (Howard Koch, “Invasion from Mars” author) Your neighbours apply to the municipality for approval of building plans. You object strongly – if allowed, you say, the new building/addition/alteration will seriously impact on your property’s appeal and value. It will be unsightly and objectionable.…
“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers” (humourist Dave Barry) AARTO (the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act) has been partially in force for years, but its demerit provisions have been…
The monetary jurisdiction of Small Claims Courts has been increased from R15,000 to R20,000 from 1 April 2019. Not all claims can be pursued in a Small Claims Court – Claims over R20,000 must be pursued in the ordinary courts (you can if you like reduce a larger claim to the R20k to avoid having…
“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” (Albert Einstein) Music, science tells us, really can help us work, and learn, and be creative. Earphones mean you can listen to your favourite…
“The time of maximum pessimism is the best time to buy, and the time of maximum optimism is the best time to sell” (Sir John Templeton, billionaire investor) You are it seems in good company if you view times of depressed property prices and general uncertainty as a great buying opportunity. Just be aware that…
“We must not make a scarecrow of the law” (Shakespeare) A criminal record, even for a minor offence from decades back, comes with very serious and lifetime consequences. It will hang around forever, just waiting to ambush you when you apply for a job, or a travel visa, or a firearm licence. So acquiring a…
“Animosity and difference of opinion are not sufficient to have a trustee removed from office and/or for the majority of trustees to unilaterally force another to vacate his/her office…” (Extract from judgment below) When family infighting impacts a family trust, an early casualty is often the relationship between the appointed trustees and beneficiaries, and/or between…
“It is the duty of an employee when rendering his or her services always to act exclusively in the interest of the employer … an employee is not entitled to use his or her employment relationship with the employer without the employer’s permission to make a profit or earn commission for his or her own…
“People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women” (Anon) How long will you work for the taxman today?Input your salary into the 2019 Tax Clock calculator and find out how many hours you will spend today working for the taxman, and at what time precisely you will finally start working for…