Bad neighbours don’t just impinge on your enjoyment of your property; they can also cause serious harm to its value.  So if you notice illegal building activity next door, move quickly to nip the problem in the bud.

Your hand in this regard has just been strengthened.  An important new decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) confirms that you aren’t limited to trying to compel the municipality to enforce its own building and zoning laws – you can apply for demolition directly.

Government’s determination to crack down on cartel conduct is evidenced in the newly-introduced criminal liabilities imposed on individuals by amendments to the Competition Act.  Offending businesses already face substantial penalties, and now any director or manager of a business guilty of causing or permitting it to engage in a “prohibited practice” is also personally liable to prosecution, risking heavy fines (up to R500,000) and/or imprisonment (up to 10 years).

Every time you surf the Internet, your activities are tracked by a host of commercial operations and governments.  The depth of information they accumulate on you is staggering and will at the very least expose you to marketing and advertising targeted to your online behaviour patterns.

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