Customs and Excise Highlights

ERA Bill finally tabled in Parliament: What comes next?

After much delay, the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill (ERA Bill or Bill) was finally tabled in Parliament on 23 August 2023. The ERA Bill is perhaps the most critical regulatory piece of the puzzle in transitioning South Africa away from its centralised, vertically integrated electricity market, towards a more competitive model.

CIPC hack: What we know and how to mitigate the risk

The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission of South Africa (CIPC), which falls under the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and is responsible for maintaining the country’s business and intellectual property registrations, released a statement regarding a data breach which compromised its systems on 29 February2024. 

CDH launches innovative Technology & Communications service offering with Tayyibah Suliman at the helm

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH), one of South Africa and Kenya’s leading corporate and commercial law firms, continues to evolve with a refreshed Technology & Communications service offering. This offering is led by the accomplished Sector Head Tayyibah Suliman, a Director at CDH’s Corporate & Commercialpractice.  

Virtual wheeling agreements: A new frontier in renewable energy supply solutions

It is trite that the amendment of the Electricity Regulation Act 4 of 2006 (ERA) in August 2021 was the first fundamental step to “ unlocking ” the private electricity generation and procurement market in South Africa. In addition to dispensing with the need for a license for projects with a generation capacity below 100MW (this threshold has since been deleted in its entirety), Schedule II of the ERA was amended to allow for the wheeling of electricity to multiple customers.

Fragmentation of agricultural land: Subdivisions, consolidations and notarial ties

South Africa’s agricultural sector is one of the cornerstones of its economy that has been intricately woven into the legal fabric of the country. Despite its relatively small share of the total gross domestic product (GDP), agriculture remains a significant provider of employment in rural areas and is one of the major earners of foreign exchange in South Africa. South African agriculture is, however, limited by the relative scarcity of arable land and water resources, thus resulting in the evolution of the legislative framework governing agricultural land, which encompasses the country’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and environmentalconservation. 

The impact of AI and the power of streaming platforms in the South African context