LAND TENURE RIGHTS

• The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development called for public comments on draft regulations under the Upgrading of Land Tenure Rights Act, 1991. Once in force, they will:
  • set out the procedures to be followed when applying for the conversion of a land tenure right into an ownership right
  • require the Minister to issue a notice of application, prescribing the information to be included
  • set out the procedures to be followed when objecting to the conversion of a land tenure right to an ownership right, and
  • require the Minister to notify the registrar of any change in the status of a land tenure right.

 

RENEWABLE ENERGY TAX INCENTIVE

• National Treasury published a document clarifying proposals for temporarily enhancing the renewable energy tax incentive for businesses in clause 16 of the Income Tax Amendment Bill now before Parliament.

 

SCRAP METAL

• The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition issued a media statement drawing attention to a Government Gazette notice calling for public comments on proposals to further extend the following temporary control measures:
  • a ban on ferrous and non-ferrous waste and scrap metal exports
  • the suspension of waste and scrap metal preferential pricing arrangements favouring local mills
  • restrictions on the export of certain types of semi-finished copper products, and
  • a ban on the export of scrap metal rails.

 

NATIONAL PROSECUTING AUTHORITY

• The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development gazetted regulations formalising the organisational structure of the National Prosecuting Authority’s office of ethics and accountability. The new regulations provide for:
  • security vetting and lifestyle audits, and
  • the objects, powers, duties and functions of:
    • an ethics management and advocacy division, and
    • a complaints management and investigation division.

 

AUDITING PROFESSION

• The Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors gazetted new rules arising from international standards on quality management. They focus on:
  • ‘ultimate responsibility and accountability for the system of quality management’
  • transparency reports
  • engagement quality reviewers and their assistants, and
  • audit documentation assembly and retention.
• Although these rules will not come into effect for some time, their early adoption is nevertheless ‘permitted’.

 

Prepared by Pam Saxby