The need for transformation in the legal sector is at the core of the Legal Sector Code (LSC), and it is a lawful exercise of statutory power to achieve this, counsel for Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi told the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria.Advocate Zinzile Matebese SC on Wednesday asked the court to turn down the application by four of the country’s largest law firms, in which they are asking that the LSC be overturned.Firms Deneys (formerly Norton Rose Fulbright), Bowmans, Webber Wentzel, and Werksmans are asking the court to review the sector-specific B-BBEE (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) framework for the South…
Author: Martin Akuma
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The Pretoria High Court is currently seized with a landmark case that goes to the heart of South Africa’s transformation agenda, as black legal organisations and some of the country’s biggest law firms battle over the future of the Legal Sector Code of Good Practice (LSC). The LSC requires, among other things, 50% black ownership and representation, including 25% black female representation at senior levels in law firms, within five years. In addition, legal firms would be required to allocate 60% of procurement spend to black advocates by year five. The four firms – Webber Wentzel, Bowmans, Werksmans Attorneys and…
ICASA set a clear limit on what it can do under the current law. The hopes of securing Elon Musk’s Starlink have been dealt a blow after the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) effectively shut down Communications Minister Solly Malatsi’s December 2025 policy direction on broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) without amending the Electronic Communications Act (ECA). On Wednesday, ICASA said it had communicated its position to the Department of Communication and Digital Technologies and remained committed to advancing transformation in the sectors it regulates. ICASA limit ICASA is enjoined to advance the historically disadvantaged groups as guided…
President Cyril Ramaphosa is banking on a legal challenge to the Section 89 independent panel report to avoid the public humiliation of an impeachment inquiry into his conduct in the Phala Phala saga. Ramaphosa announced on Monday night, 11 May, that, following advice from his legal team, he would take the report of the panel chaired by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo on judicial review. The legal action could delay the President’s day of reckoning. While a review could take up to a year, the process could run in parallel with an impeachment committee sitting. But a review could allow…
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has used his weekly newsletter to call on South Africans to respect and uphold the laws of the country as government tackles the challenge of illegal migration. This as demonstrations, some violent, against undocumented immigrants have spread across several major cities in South Africa. “The recent violent protests and criminal acts directed at foreign nationals in parts of our country do not represent the views of South Africa’s people nor reflect our government’s policy. These are the acts of opportunists who are exploiting the legitimate grievances, particularly those of the poor, under the false guise of ‘community activism’. …
Paul Gerber when GroundUp reported on his predicament in 2018. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks Paul Gerber, a paraplegic with morbid obesity and uncontrolled chronic diseases, has finally found a place at Turfhall Cheshire Home after two and a half years of legal battles with the Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD). The department contacted 57 disability facilities and 116 old age homes without a single successful placement; 104 did not even respond. Gerber’s lawyers said this was “an indictment on the DSD” and that merely sending applications could not absolve the state of its constitutional obligations A high court…
With South Africa being closer to a radical overhaul of its eviction laws as the Department of Human Settlements officially gazettes the Illegal Eviction and Unlawful Occupation of Land (PIE) Amendment Bill, we are moving from a system of “eviction at all costs” to one of “regulated resolution”.This is according to legal expert Ann-Suhet Marx, director and head of litigation at VDM Incorporated.The proposed changes aim to strip away the legal loopholes used by bad-faith occupiers, while introducing harsh penalties for those who orchestrate land invasions, says Marx.Calling the Bill a “seismic shift” for property owners and municipalities currently buckled…
From Pretoria to KwaZulu-Natal, some of South Africa’s most controversial and influential figures are expected to stand before magistrates on Wednesday in a wave of court appearances that has captured national attention. The cases stretch across allegations of organised crime, corruption, extortion, political controversy and alleged abuse of power shining yet another harsh spotlight on the country’s ongoing battle against criminal networks and institutional decay. For many South Africans watching from the sidelines, it feels like another chapter in a growing national story where politics, policing and organised crime continue colliding in uncomfortable ways. Masemola and ‘Cat’ Matlala case under…
The Pretoria Attorneys Association held its annual Candidate Attorneys Function on 19 February 2026 in Pretoria. Guest speakers included the Legal Practice Council’s (LPC) head of professional affairs Maud Ferreira. Ms Ferreira addressed candidate legal practitioners about the notice that was sent out by the LPC in December 2025 with regards to the five exams papers that will be introduced in 2027. She pointed out that the examination as it currently exists as four papers which is referred to as the legacy exam will be phased out completely at the end of 2026. She added that if the candidates who…
