Civil Law

Changes to BCEA Earnings Threshold and to National Minimum Wage Act from 1 March 2023

The Minister of Labour has determined that from 1 March 2023, the earnings threshold under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 increased from R224 080.48 per annum (approximately R18 673.37 per month) to R241 110.59 per annum (approximately R20 092.55 per month).

The national minimum wage increased from R23.19 per hour to R25.42 for each ordinary hour worked.

“Earnings” is defined in the BCEA as the regular annual remuneration before deductions i.e. income tax, pension, medical aid and similar … Read the rest

Civil Law

Dementia Prevention: Tips From. Current Research to Love Your Brain

People used to fear a diagnosis of cancer above all. That has been replaced by fear of a diagnosis of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. Most people know someone who has it or did in the past. There is good reason to be afraid. It’s a difficult, expensive and sometimes very long journey with this disease. Furthermore, it can create a hellish existence for those taking care of their demented loved ones. Their behavior can be difficult, unpredictable and extremely unmanageable … Read the rest

Supreme Court

Court will confront jurisdictional jumble in the case of a transgender woman seeking relief from deportation

Court will confront jurisdictional jumble in the case of a transgender woman seeking relief from deportation

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The nation’s immigration courts are breaking under the cumulative weight of a byzantine statutory scheme, chronic understaffing, and insurmountable case backlogs. The noncitizens appearing before them face a host of daunting challenges — language barriers, financial strain, lack of legal assistance, and years-long delays — before they can entertain any hope of resolving their immigration status. Against this rather bleak backdrop comes the low-profile case of Santos-Zacaria v. Garland, which the Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday. In … Read the rest

Supreme Court

Court will resume opinion announcements from the bench, but won’t provide live audio

Court will resume opinion announcements from the bench, but won’t provide live audio

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The Supreme Court will resume its pre-pandemic practice of announcing opinions from the bench, the court’s Public Information Office said on Monday afternoon. But although the justices now provide live audio of oral arguments, the opinion announcements will not be livestreamed. Instead, consistent with the court’s pre-pandemic practice, the audio of opinion announcements will not be available until the beginning of the following term.

The resumption of in-person opinion announcements marks another step in the court’s slow return to … Read the rest

Civil Law

Observations from the COP27 Halfway Point

We are half way through COP27, so (disregarding the intersessionals that will take place during 2023), the negotiations will “soon” start to focus on Dubai, the venue for next year’s COP28 summit.  Who knows how much progress will be made before then.  One point to note is that COP27 is more of an “implementation” COP, rather than one with a more grandiose task, such as ramping up climate ambition.

To continue on that point, there do seem to be signs … Read the rest

Civil Law

Are we (virtually) there yet? Waiting for the rise of the metaverse from a brand owner’s perspective

We are now almost one year on from Mark Zuckerberg’s much talked-about October 2021 letter announcing, among other things, the change of the name of his company from Facebook to Meta, reflecting the company’s commitment to revolutionising social connection through virtual reality.

Zuckerberg’s expansive vision of a metaverse currently remains more of a fantasy than a (virtual) reality: we are still not at the stage where participants can enter a single online location and participate in an immersive, multi-faceted virtual … Read the rest

Supreme Court

From constitutional orphan to treasured heirloom: The Second Amendment is no longer a second-class right

From constitutional orphan to treasured heirloom: The Second Amendment is no longer a second-class right

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This article is part of a symposium on the court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.

Theresa Inacker, an attorney, is the New Jersey state director for The DC Project, a coalition of female gun owners dedicated to protecting and preserving Second Amendment rights.

After more than a decade of unsuccessful challenges post-Heller and McDonald, gun owners finally rejoice that the Second Amendment is no longer the “constitutional orphan” of the Supreme … Read the rest