Law of South AfricaModule 7
Business, employment and tax: the Companies Act, foreign investment and regulation, consumer and competition law, employment contracts, dismissal and the CCMA, and taxation
South Africa is the most industrialised economy in Africa and is open to foreign business, which it regulates through a modern and detailed legal framework. A business normally operates through a company formed under the Companies Act of 2008, with no minimum capital and no requirement of a local director. A foreigner must also learn three distinctive features: exchange control, run by the Reserve Bank; broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE), which shapes procurement, licences and ownership structures; and strong labour law, where an employee dismissed without a fair reason and procedure can go to the CCMA within thirty days. Competition law has a public-interest dimension, and tax is residence-based, administered by the South African Revenue Service (SARS). This module gives a working map for a foreign business person or for a lawyer who advises one.
This course explains the law of South Africa, not US law. Rules that look the same elsewhere may be different.
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See what is included in the Courses & AI Lab Pass →General education on the law of South Africa, using invented people and businesses. It states laws and procedures in simplified form and is not legal advice. The law and its practice change, and every case turns on its facts, the province and the authority concerned. It does not offer legal representation or a legal opinion on any case. Consult a South African attorney for any real matter.
This course was written on 5 November 2026. To the best of our knowledge, it describes the law of South Africa as it stood on that date. Laws change, and we may have missed or misunderstood something. If you notice a change, or have other information, please do not hesitate to contact us: we will review it and update the course. We do not claim to be the final source of the law.
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