In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Avishkar Harriparsad, Partner, PKF Durban, about a new era of tariff turbulence, what businesses can expect, and how to navigate the choppy waters.

On 5 September 2025, the South African Revenue Service (“SARS”) released a media statement reminding social media influencers of their obligation “to declare income earned from brand collaboration, sponsored content, and affiliate marketing, whether they have been paid in cash, products, or services.” In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Megan Landers, Senior Manager, at specialist tax firm AJM, to unpack what this means for those getting paid to post.

When introduced in 2009, the R1 million VAT threshold was generous. But inflation has eroded its real value. In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth speaks to tax expert from AJM, Leonard Willemse, about why the threshold should change and what the ideal level could be.

Employment equity targets published by employment & labour minister Nomakhosazana Meth in April are facing a legal showdown in court. In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews labour expert from Baker McKenzie, Johan Botes, on what the changes may mean for business once implemented, key timelines and arguments for and against the changes.

Milton Cheng, the Global Chair of Baker McKenzie, joins host Evan Pickworth to discuss how geopolitical dynamics and resilience influence legal approaches in today’s interconnected world.

In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Ntebaleng Sekabate and Charles de Wet, Executives in ENS's tax practice, to unpack themes and trends to expect ahead of the Budget speech on February 19.

Many South Africans have experienced the frustration of receiving countless spam calls or unsolicited e-mails and text messages urging them to buy products or take up credit offers. To address these unwanted marketing intrusions, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition has published proposed amendments to the regulations under the Consumer Protection Act, 2008 and calls for public comments by 15 January 2025. In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth is joined by Ashlin Perumall, Partner in the Mergers and Acquisitions department at Baker McKenzie South Africa, to discuss how these proposed amendments aim to enhance consumer privacy and provide stronger protection against unsolicited direct marketing practices, especially direct marketing by means of unsolicited electronic communications.

In the latest edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Michael Hewson, founder and director of Graphene Economics. They discuss key trends for big business on the transfer pricing front and unpack the recently introduced Global Minimum Tax Bill.

South Africa was added to the dreaded "grey list" in February 2023 for weaknesses in its anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) measures. While some notable progress has been made, especially in getting the private sector to update its reporting processes and being penalized if they do not, terrorist financing and money laundering remain lingering worries. One area under the microscope is nonprofit organisations, which are seen as vulnerable to terrorist financing abuse and money laundering. SARS has, therefore, undertaken to carefully oversee tax-exempt institutions to prevent their use for illegal activities.

This year’s theme for World Mental Health day is ‘Mental health at work’. In this edition of Business Law Focus host Evan Pickworth labour law expert at ENS, Lauren Salt. They discuss the obligations of employers to promote mental well-being and what needs to happen as the future of work evolves rapidly.

In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Jocelyn Katz, an Executive at ENS and Head in the Competition / Anti-Trust practice. They discuss a significant milestone in SA law – the 25th anniversary of the country’s competition law framework. They look at the highs, lows and what lies next, including the impact of new areas like AI.

Fashion can be a taxing business and in this edition of Business Law Focus host Evan Pickworth interviews Carlyn Frittelli Davies and Mansoor Parker from ENS on the industry’s battle between profit, people and planet.

In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Liézal Mostert from ENS’s Intellectual Property team. They discuss the role of IP in empowering women in business, as well as how to get more women involved in the fast-developing IP practice area. 

In this edition of Business Law Focus, on Mandela Day, host Evan Pickworth interviews Natasha Wagiet, Pro Bono Manager overseeing ENS'CSI portfolio at Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha Township in Cape Town and Alexandra Township in Johannesburg. They delve into the urgent need to protect and deliver access to justice in SA and globally as wars, poverty, and corruption continue to rage. Improving socio-economic rights and the social aspects of ESG is a pressing concern that still needs to be addressed in many areas. Nelson Mandela, on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (21 September 1998), offered this sage advice on how to bring about change: "The challenge posed by the next 50 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by the next century whose character it must help to fashion, consists in whether humanity, and especially those who will occupy positions of leadership, will have the courage to ensure that, at last, we build a human world consistent with the provisions of that historic Declaration and other human rights instruments that have been adopted since 1948."

In this edition of Business Law Focus host, Evan Pickworth, interviews Mihlali Sitefane, founder of Sitef & Co. They discuss the future of junior mining against the backdrop of weak economic growth and regulatory complexity. Sitefane explains that while junior miners in South Africa face challenges such as navigating complex regulatory frameworks, securing investment, and meeting ESG requirements, there are also significant opportunities, particularly with the increasing demand for critical metals and ongoing efforts to create a more conducive environment for exploration.

While the University of Fort Hare buckles under the weight of corruption allegations and ongoing criminal investigations, Business Law Focus host Evan Pickworth looks into the recent arrests of two prominent attorneys working on uncovering fraud and corruption at the university. The arrests came despite their trove of evidence, measuring in the terabytes and dating back to 2018, which they say lifts the lid on extensive layers of corruption at the university.  In this episode, labour lawyer Bradley Conradie and forensic lawyer Sarah Burger explain how they were recently arrested by the police national task team investigating criminality at the university.

With SA’s youth unemployment rate not far off those in war zones, Business Law Focus host Evan Pickworth interviews Natasha Wagiet, a Pro Bono Manager overseeing ENS'CSI portfolio, to find solutions. They discuss the pursuit of access to justice for all, matters involving socio-economic rights issues, as well as the foregrounding of the social aspect of ESG.   The Context  Natasha Wagiet is a Pro Bono Manager overseeing ENS'CSI portfolio at Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha Township in Cape Town and Alexandra Township in Johannesburg. Her experience includes working with vulnerable individuals and groups, impact litigation experience as well as training and advocacy.  On youth day, a key focus must be for corporate SA to do more to arrest an unemployment rate for the youth hovering close to 50%.

In the latest edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Thabang Hleza, the Head of Investments at Masisizane, a non-profit funding entity that provides enterprise development to small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs). Thabang provides valuable insights into the intricate balance between legal compliance and SMMEs' growth objectives.

In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews a multijurisdictional panel of employment law experts from Baker McKenzie offices in five different jurisdictions around the world. The panel of Mirjam de Blécourt (Partner and Head of Employment, Amsterdam), Monica Kurnatowska (Senior Employment Partner, London), Johan Botes (Partner and Head of Employment, Johannesburg), Fermin Guardiola (Partner and Regional head of Employment, Madrid), and Joanna Matthews-Taylor (Partner and Head of Employment, Dubai) discuss how organisations face growing pressure to address complaints about inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.

Many mineral and upstream petroleum law developments have occurred in the past year, with the sector dealing with change on many fronts. In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Ntsiki Adonisi, Executive and Head of ENS' Natural Resources and Environment practice and Otsile Matlou, ENSafrica's Chief Operating Officer, about the sector's future. We also dig into the impact of SA's Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.