On Wednesday, 7 September 2016, the National Assembly approved the nomination of advocate Pansy Tlakula as the Chairperson of the Information Regulator for the Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPI).

Four other appointments that were approved –

  • full-time members Advocate Lebogang Stroom and Johannes Weapond; and
  • part-time members Professor Tana Pistorius and Sizwe Snail.

Because of the anonymity associated with Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies and their role in illicit transactions on the Dark Net (a hidden part of the internet that is not accessible through normal browsers and search engines), public perception is often suspicious or at least cautious. However, the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is

In two recent cases the Supreme Court of Appeal pointed out that it is generally impermissible to use regulations created by a Minister as an aid to interpret an act passed by Parliament, even if the act includes the regulations.

Even a specific provision in a regulation cannot override a general provision in a statute

We have been reminded again that regulations that are unreasonable and irrational can be challenged under the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA). Regulations are made under empowering provisions in the governing law, have a direct external legal effect on the parties they apply to, and adversely affect the rights of persons in the industry

The parliamentary telecommunications and postal services portfolio committee will hold a meeting on “Over-The-Top” (OTT) services on 26 January 2016 with a view to possibly regulating them. Popular OTT services include WhatsApp, Google Hangouts and Skype. Some mobile networks feel it is unfair that these services generate profits by riding on the back of infrastructure

Public bodies performing administration functions such as the SA Pharmacy Council must give rational reasons for their decisions and have a factual basis for making the decision. Even a body with statutory powers to generally “do all such things as the Council deems necessary or expedient to achieve the objects of this Act” does not

What is a derivative?

Although ‘derivative’ is a commonly used term, there is often confusion over what a derivative actually is. A derivative is a type of financial instrument whose price is determined by reference to one or more underlying assets, such as shares, currencies or interest rates. Derivatives may either be traded on an