https://www.webberwentzel.com//Pages/RSS-Feeds.aspx Webber Wentzel feed en-us Copyright 2020 Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:44:08 +0200 Sample Code http://server/image.jpg https://www.webberwentzel.com//Pages/RSS-Feeds.aspx 5976d8f5-7e02-47ee-90d4-0fff1a3e5dab b1d4e106-cccf-443c-86a0-7cd9e6e05406 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/Corruption-may-just-get-more-expensive-what-the-precca-amendment-bill-means-for-you.aspx South Africa has been fighting corruption with legislation that, frankly, lacked teeth. The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004 (PRECCA) has long been the cornerstone of the country's anti-corruption framework — criminalising bribery, fraud and a broad range of corrupt conduct in both the public and private sectors. The law was there. The convictions, historically, were not. That is rapidly changing. 2026-07-23T22:00:00Z d66d3065-bbba-4666-a852-6db6805fb7d0 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/a-comparative-analysis-of-the-failure-to-prevent-offence.aspx In recent years, South Africa has reportedly suffered economic loss exceeding ZAR 20 billion as a result of fraud. This has been accompanied by an estimated 44.47% increase in reported cases across various categories of fraudulent activity in 2024. 2026-03-05T22:00:00Z 2fab3799-f0f8-4a23-811b-2a6f101c8c20 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/forgotten-influence-in-the-mining-industry-the-procurement-mafia.aspx It is understandably popular public opinion that the construction mafia is associated with the traditional sector of construction and the built environment. However, its influence is a highly negative phenomenon stretching far beyond the construction industry. 2025-02-05T22:00:00Z 45d7780e-7a7a-4886-bf3f-8ecd389ff502 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/the-employee-that-cried-wolf-malicious-whistleblowing-and-its-effects.aspx Whistleblowing is widely regarded as a critical tool for promoting transparency and accountability in organisations. It allows individuals to report unethical behaviour or misconduct without fear of retaliation. 2024-11-20T22:00:00Z 853c7dcd-d1ab-4e43-991f-e9d7c6970e70 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/wolves-in-sheeps-clothing-the-importance-of-investigating-malicious-whistleblowing.aspx As discussed by Webber Wentzel's employment team, whistleblowing can be abused by those seeking to further their own ends or purposefully harm an individual or wider organisation. 2024-11-20T22:00:00Z 694a4ce2-36ed-41ea-86ec-c695ff3ea1a0 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/how-businesses-can-proactively-combat-the-scourge-of-the-construction-mafia-part-2.aspx In part 1 of this article, we provided a background to the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) in the construction industry. While the PPPFA arguably created an unintended foothold for the construction mafia, we, fortunately, have the benefit of other legislation (including foreign frameworks), which (if enforced and/or adopted) can provide a strong foundation for combatting extortion, corruption and organised crimes. 2024-11-19T22:00:00Z b4d82cdd-e2f2-4043-892f-709fde69e731 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/how-businesses-can-proactivity-combat-the-scourge-of-the-construction-mafia-part-1.aspx The issue of extortionist rackets impacting construction projects has escalated to such a degree that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has name-checked the construction mafia several times in public since his appointment in July 2024, making it a priority for the current administration. 2024-11-19T22:00:00Z 899f33f9-5c4c-4dc7-92fe-fb54085b7834 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/forensic-investigations-the-vitality-of-due-process-and-the-promise-of-ai-with-care.aspx Fraud is among the most challenging crimes to combat in a large organisation. To stop fraudulent activity at the source, large organisations rely on a combination of anti-fraud legislation and internal policies and procedures. 2024-11-18T22:00:00Z 5dc1d0b6-414a-4611-9011-c2b08254038e https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/a-year-of-excellence-webber-wentzel-forensic-services-team-marks-a-milestone.aspx A year ago, Webber Wentzel strengthened its commitment to providing top-tier forensic services by establishing a dedicated Forensic Services team. 2024-11-17T22:00:00Z d07f6e1b-34fa-4286-b212-e74693889f7f https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/seizing-the-golden-opportunity-to-build-an-effective-compliance-programme.aspx The recently published Corporate Alternative Dispute Resolution (C-ADR) mechanism aims to expedite justice and corporate accountability for companies accused of corruption and other criminal offences. 2024-06-23T22:00:00Z 9f8bb51f-4f4a-495d-9079-36eeef371516 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/new-corporate-adr-policy-brings-south-africa-in-line-with-international-best-practice.aspx The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) recently published its Corporate Alternative Dispute Resolution (C-ADR) Policy, which allows the use of an alternative mechanism to resolve criminal cases against companies, as opposed to only relying on normal criminal court proceedings. Therefore, companies implicated in corruption may, in certain circumstances, avoid criminal conviction at a cost. The policy does not apply to individuals as directors (former or current), employees or other individuals involved in wrongdoing can still be prosecuted independently. 2024-05-16T22:00:00Z cd3bdd22-67df-411f-95f7-52e9564221ae https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/precca-updates-emphasise-third-party-accountability-and-proactive-anti-corruption.aspx South Africa is continuously suffering from the effects of corruption and drainage of resources, some of which were highlighted in the State Capture saga. Optimistically, significant changes have occurred in the public and private spheres to ensure that the industrial-scale corruption perpetrated does not continue to repeat itself. One such change is the recent signing of the Judicial Matters Amendment Bill into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 3 April 2024. Critically, the Bill expands culpability for corruption under Section 34 A of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA). 2024-05-01T22:00:00Z 6b7304f7-c898-459a-b486-3cc482b2bf4a https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/the-power-of-proactive-fraud-detection-and-the-evolution-of-fraud-in-the-public-sector.aspx Fraudulent activities, prevalent in both the private and public sector, pose significant challenges to organisations and their stakeholders. There has been a noticeable shift in employing different methods and tools (such as cutting-edge AI and data analytics) which are revolutionising fraud detection and prevention. 2023-11-28T22:00:00Z 59dc321b-7783-4fc0-8a6a-b1b916a18fcd https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/podcast-series-the-truth-about-fraud.aspx Fraud is a common law offense, which if not mitigated against, threatens the sustainability of businesses in both the private and public sectors. 2023-11-12T22:00:00Z 1b69136d-3dc4-48e1-a35f-cf9ab9e1ba25 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzels-business-crimes-offering-and-expertise-bolstered-with-a-new-team.aspx Lionel van Tonder and his team of experts, Inge Swanepoel, Danniel Kruger and Aaqilah Zahra Nagdee join Webber Wentzel's Dispute Resolution Practice, to grow its business crimes offering and expertise. 2023-08-31T22:00:00Z 7f3934a5-4536-4a90-b7f1-31584c2526b5 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-embraces-generative-ai-as-part-of-its-ongoing-innovation-journey.aspx Webber Wentzel is taking the lead on responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) investment within the African legal landscape as part of its continued commitment to deliver an exceptional client experience and foster an open, creative, and entrepreneurial culture. 2023-06-22T22:00:00Z 38e0403b-52b8-49e5-9db1-6f6b5dc367e7 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/minister-of-finance-increases-maximum-monetary-fines-for-auditors.aspx South Africa's Minister of Finance increased the maximum fines that the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors can impose on auditors for misconduct. 2023-06-19T22:00:00Z 52a6dfd7-32e1-4876-af60-50a1c247113f https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/supreme-court-of-appeal-strikes-out-the-mandatory-audit-firm-rotation-rule.aspx In a significant judgment for the auditing profession, the Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled that the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors did not have the power to mandate audit firm rotation 2023-05-30T22:00:00Z 5ec52449-db52-4e27-ab27-e455717a4a00 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/south-africa-has-been-grey-listed-what-are-the-implications-for-the-country-going-forward.aspx South Africa’s greylisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has significant implications for its economic growth and global competitiveness, but moves are already being taken to satisfy the FATF 2023-02-23T22:00:00Z c0bc0338-3afa-447b-bab0-447716ffd08c https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-recognised-as-2022-south-africa-law-firm-of-the-year-by-top-ranked-legal.aspx Webber Wentzel has been awarded the 2022 South Africa Law Firm of the Year in the EMEA Awards by Top Ranked Legal. 2022-12-20T22:00:00Z 57358389-44b5-4dc2-a359-2dbab48cc4f3 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/webber-wentzel-won-the-african-legal-awards-for-african-law-firm-of-the-year.aspx Webber Wentzel has been named African Law Firm of the Year (Mid-Large Sized Practice) at the 2022 African Legal Awards. 2022-10-23T22:00:00Z 97ee73d2-743f-4b4a-96ee-b41a7f050c6a https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/whistleblowing-in-africa.aspx The Webber Wentzel Dispute Resolution Team is proud to present this whistleblowing cross-jurisdictional guide. It focuses on 9 key questions across 8 African jurisdictions. 2022-09-07T22:00:00Z 261886f5-a15c-4a4a-91b3-9371d7fb9117 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/update-cabinet-approves-the-general-laws-anti-money-laundering-and-combating-terrorism-financing-amendment-bill.aspx The General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Bill, 2022, which will make the necessary changes to avoid South Africa being “greylisted”, has been tabled. 2022-08-31T22:00:00Z 0997e566-b3f2-4efe-a8c9-a55ad74aa728 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/treasury-proposes-changes-to-its-anti-money-laundering-and-terrorist-financing-regime-to-fight-potential-greylisting.aspx On 18 August, the Minister of Finance published an explanatory note on the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting Terrorism Financing) Amendment Bill (the Bill), which National Treasury plans to table before the National Assembly in the third quarter of 2022. 2022-08-25T22:00:00Z 61c1da99-aaad-424b-ad11-429b9b3aa31f https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/22-legal-developments-for-businesses-to-monitor-in-2022.aspx We have collated a snapshot of key themes to track in 2022 and of 22 legal developments for the year which you will need to keep a tab on. In 2022, various legal developments are expected to have an impact on businesses, particularly in the fields of liability, ESG, digital and economic transformation. 2022-03-22T22:00:00Z 8572bb7e-c724-467d-b21f-f9c49644213f https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/cybercrimes-bill-signed-by-the-president.aspx The Cybercrimes Bill has been signed by the President. This Bill will now be known as the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020. This development is a welcome move in the fight against the ever-increasing rise in online and internet-based crime. 2021-06-01T22:00:00Z 282f661f-a63f-4705-b236-592989c80dd9 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/insider-trading-recent-fines-imposed-by-the-fsca.aspx Recent significant fines imposed by the FSCA on Jooste and others for trading on inside information have highlighted the extensive powers contained in the Financial Markets Act and the dangers of insider trading 2020-11-08T22:00:00Z 7964ecf7-19ae-4ea6-8c14-484c581208c4 https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/data-breaches-and-popi-nowhere-to-hide.aspx The POPI clock is now ticking and everyone should be aware of what is required by these new laws. 2020-07-15T22:00:00Z abd4184e-a2fc-46c4-8e2f-6bc9078b537b https://www.webberwentzel.com//News/Pages/private-prosecution-for-environmental-crimes-becomes-a-reality-in-south-africa.aspx In South Africa's first ever successful private prosecution of environmental crimes, BP Southern Africa has been found guilty of constructing and upgrading fuel stations without obtaining environmental authorisation. 2019-04-07T22:00:00Z