Barry Botha Breytenbach

Is your business covered for loss of income?

It’s all well and good being paid out for your assets, but what about the foregone earnings in the meantime? Small business owners who have a short-term commercial insurance policy are often not aware that they may not be covered for the loss of income, under a standard commercial policy. Although a standard short-term insurance […]

Who is held responsible for payments lost due to cybercrime?

This is exactly what happened in Fourie v Van der Spuy and De Jongh Inc. and others. The First Respondent was a law firm and the Second and Third Respondents were practising Attorneys. The Applicant claimed payment of R1 744 599.45 from the Respondents. The First Respondent had a mandate to deal with money paid into Trust […]

Don’t be caught off-guard by the next crisis

While the possibility of a global pandemic was always at the back of our minds, its emergence still managed to catch us off-guard and wreaked havoc on every aspect of our lives, particularly the world of work. Therefore, it’s safe to say that Covid-19 has been a wake-up call for organisations to rethink their priorities […]

Happier clients come through authentic relationship building

Every business in the world sells something. They sell goods or services in order to address a need or desire of a consumer, and to achieve a profit in the process (at the very least only to ensure its sustainability). Before the introduction of many modern technologies (the internet specifically), focussing solely on quality goods or services in order to make profit was the common thing to do. Business owners could often […]

What are fair grounds for dismissal regarding off-duty misconduct?

With looting and violence severely impacting certain parts of South Africa in June 2021, many businesses are facing great challenges on various fronts. In light of the recent civil unrest, many employers have been faced with the question as to whether they are entitled to dismiss their off-duty employees for their participation in the looting and violence. In most […]

Employee error and the value of quick decisive action

Many employers often decide to leave disciplinary matters for a later date and/or overlook matters of concern to avoid conflict. However, when handled well, conflict can have a positive impact on an employee’s performance and behaviour after they have made an error. Did this ever happen to you as a teenager? You’re sitting in the backseat of the car after being picked up […]

The POPI Act is about more than just adding new rules

The right to privacy is enshrined in Section 14 of South Africa’s Constitution and we understand it to be a vital human right. It states: “Everyone has the right to privacy, which includes the right not to have – (a) their person or home searched; (b) their property searched; (c) their possessions seized; (d) the privacy of their communications […]

Prospects for new businesses amid COVID-19 trends

With many businesses becoming casualties of the Coronavirus pandemic in the last few months, there are gaps opening up in the market for goods and services that were found in abundance before the pandemic started. Discovering these sweet spots in the market and capitalising on new business opportunities are not that easy, though. You might be considering starting a new business or investing in commercial property […]

Choose your information officer wisely

When, in the early 1990s, the personal computer was becoming popular in South Africa, people were slowly but surely starting to migrate physical activity to a digital form. Soon, programs like Microsoft Word became a home and office staple. After the shift from physical data processing to digital data processing, came the shift from manual digital processes to automated […]

When can businesses return to ‘business as usual’

2020 was a year that will always be remembered for a variety of reasons. Apart from the obvious invasion of COVID around the world, South Africa has also had somewhat of a rollercoaster ride of a year – from PPE controversies to the Jerusalema dance which acted as a unifying symbol for South Africans across the country. By the end of 2020, a […]