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samanthas@stbb.co.za
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- Dr Samantha Smith is a creative Attorney holding a BSocSci, LLB, LLM, and PhD (Law) from UCT. She leads content marketing & strategy across STBB's channels, thought leadership, SEO, and legal marketing collateral.
Newsflash | The National Budget 2026/27: Key implications for property and business
Yesterday afternoon, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the 2026/27 National Budget Speech with a firm emphasis on South Africa’s fiscal progress. Highlighting the country’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list and its first credit rating upgrade in
Read MoreLabour law update: New minimum wage set for 1st March 2026
Following a recent amendment to Schedules 1 and 2 of the National Minimum Wage Act, the national minimum wage is set to increase from R28.79 per hour to R30.23 per hour, effective Sunday, 1st March 2026. Designed to safeguard vulnerable
Read MoreAll About Property | February 2026
Marriage & property rights: Does the recent ConCourt ruling impact you? In a seminal judgment, the Constitutional Court recently confirmed a critical legal principle directly impacting married persons’ property rights. Read more SARS enhances transfer duty requirements: Implications for property
Read MoreAll About Property | SARS enhances transfer duty requirements: Implications for property transactions
Effective 8th December 2025, the South African Revenue Service (‘SARS’) has implemented important enhancements to the Transfer Duty Declaration (TDC01) process on eFiling. According to SARS’s release, these changes are aimed at simplifying compliance, reducing inaccurate declarations, and improving the
Read MoreAll About Property | When deadlines matter: Deposit forfeiture and the Conventional Penalties Act
A relatively recent decision of the Johannesburg High Court provides important guidance on the enforcement of deposit forfeiture clauses in sale agreements and the limited role of the Conventional Penalties Act in relieving defaulting purchasers. Crucially, the judgment is a
Read MoreAll About Property | Property rights alert: Does the ConCourt ruling impact your marriage?
In a seminal and highly publicised ruling, the Constitutional Court recently confirmed a critical legal principle directly impacting married couples’ property rights: Once married, you cannot change your matrimonial property regime by private agreement alone. Instead, a court application under
Read MoreAirbnb and commercial property rates: The City of Cape Town proposes new Short-Term Letting By-law
In a bid to improve compliance with existing Rates Policy, the City of Cape Town last week released a media statement indicating its intention to publish a draft Short-Term Letting By-law for public comment. Against the backdrop of debates surrounding
Read MoreConveyancing Correspondent | Understanding the latest amendments to the Deeds Registries Act Regulations
Against the backdrop of South Africa’s shift towards the full-scale implementation of an electronic deeds registration system (‘e-DRS’), new amendments to the Regulations under the Deeds Registries Act were recently published. Although limited in scope, the amended provisions, which take
Read MorePulse | Planning for the future: Is your estate plan fit for 2026?
Estate planning is not a once-off exercise. As personal circumstances, legislation, and financial structures evolve, so should your estate plan. With 2026 in full swing, now is an appropriate time to assess whether your will and broader estate planning arrangements
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