Business Law Focus

Hosted by TimesLIVE Podcasts

BusinessInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

May 2026

Language

About the show

The Business Law Focus podcast series covers the latest and most important developments in business law and tax. Through exclusive interviews with leading experts in the field and the lawyers actually arguing the most important cases, these interviews cut through the noise to provide legal insights that matter for the C-suite, entrepreneurs and professionals.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

May 29, 202622 min

Is regulatory red tape disincentivising investment in africa?

In a world where each regional competition regulator has distinct merger control triggers and thresholds, assessment frameworks, regulatory powers, policy prerogatives and stakeholders to appease, it may become a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth unless a solution is found. In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Lesetja Morapi from Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer on the pressing need for the various regional competition regulators to co-ordinate and agree a framework that ensures that transactions with regional effects do not need to be filed with multiple regional regulators with overlapping jurisdiction.

May 20, 202618 min

Landmark Constitutional Court judgment clarifies scope of South Africa’s general anti-avoidance rule

The 22 April 2026 judgment of the Constitutional Court in Absa Bank Limited and Another v Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service marks a significant development in South African tax law. For the first time, a higher court has provided authoritative guidance on the interpretation and application of the general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR) in section 80A of the Income Tax Act. In the latest edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth speaks to leading tax expert and AJM founder, Dr Albertus Marais, about the implications of the ruling — including why one of the court’s eminent tax specialists issued a dissenting judgment.

May 14, 202623 min

The jagged frontier of AI and law

The recent withdrawal of South Africa’s Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy by the minister of communications and digital technologies was an extraordinary and embarrassing saga. The very document meant to govern AI in South Africa had been compiled with the assistance of generative AI, and contained, on the minister’s own account, “various fictitious sources in its reference list”.

January 30, 202622 min

Expect an inclusive growth balancing act in budget 2026

In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Charles de Wet, a Tax Executive at ENS. Charles has more than three decades of experience advising local and international clients across multiple industries. Notably, he was part of the team at the South African Revenue Service that implemented VAT in 1991. As such, a key question in the interview is whether VAT could again become a barrier after the significant delays last year. De Wet also explores why a wealth tax should be off the table, how smaller businesses could face less red tape, and why excise duties should, in an ideal world, be tempered.

January 16, 202610 min

AI ethics and the law: A wake-up call for South Africa’s legal profession

In the first edition of Business Law Focus for 2026, host Evan Pickworth interviews Johan Steyn, a human-centred AI advocate, thought leader, and founder of AIforBusiness.net. While there is plenty of bluster and bravado about AI, there is also genuine concern, especially for lawyers who use it as a shortcut rather than a support tool and do not verify outputs. There are also clear use cases that simply cannot be ignored in 2026. While a National AI Policy Framework is being finalised, there is a need for stricter controls and a better understanding of accepted practical benefits today.

November 19, 202511 min

Navigating Tariff Turbulence

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.

November 10, 202514 min

Getting paid to post? Here’s What SARS expects from influencers

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.

October 1, 202518 min

South Africa’s VAT threshold: Why R1 million no longer adds up

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.

May 6, 202516 min

Employment equity targets - should business be worried?

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.

February 18, 202512 min

Restoring trust as global disorder reigns

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.