Our team advised Bank of China the issuance, of ZAR 350 million unsecured floating rate notes on the Interest Rate Market of the JSE

So, you think you’re a shareholder?

“ Owning a company ” is a common misnomer in the commercial space. It’s not possible to own a company, but only to own the shares in a company, i.e. to be a shareholder. While terminology may be a worry for the lawyers, the rules around what it takes, in law, to be a shareholder, should be of greater concern to entities and purported shareholders alike. There are specific requirements for issuing shares and recording ownership of shares. This alert outlines the general requirements for shareholder status in a private company and why these requirements are not simply legal overcomplications.

The end of an era: what JIBAR's demise means for South African finance

Does a time-bar challenge negate an adjudicator’s jurisdiction to determine a dispute

Khaya Mantengu, Director, and Zodwa Malinga, Associate in the Dispute Resolution and Construction & Engineering, were recently featured in the Sunday Times Supplement, where they discussed “Does a time-bar challenge negate an adjudicator’s jurisdiction to determine a dispute?”

CDH 2025 Chambers Corporate M&A Global Practice Guide Chapter

The Corporate M&A 2025 guide covers close to 90 jurisdictions.

Implications of the Draft Companies (Annotation and Rectification) Regulations, 2025 for companies

The Draft Companies (Annotation and Rectification) Regulations, 2025 (Draft Regulations) introduce a structured framework for correcting, updating or annotating errors or omissions in company registers and official filings. They aim to operationalise the powers granted to the Registrar (pursuant to section 862 of the Companies Act (Cap 486)) to provide a clear and consistent mechanism for rectification of corporaterecords. 

The delicate balance between commercial confidentiality and right to access public information

Access to information held by organs of state frequently come into tension with claims of commercial confidentiality. This tension is particularly acute where organs of state seek to reject a request for information on the basis of alleged commercial sensitivity. The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Eskom Holdings SOC Limited and Another v AfriForum NPC (1049/2024) ZASCA 34 (23 March 2026) drew a clear line, reaffirming that public bodies may not invoke commercial confidentiality without proper justification as a shield to evade constitutional obligations of transparency and accountability.