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When must a director disclose a financial interest?

08 February 2022

Being a director in a company does not necessarily stop you from holding shares in other companies. However, should your... company transact with another company in which you have a shareholding stake and from which you could potentially benefit, it becomes important that you disclose such financial interest to your co-directors, even if you can’t influence the transaction.

382

Article

The rights of a dissenting shareholder in a scheme of arrangement

10 November 2020

I’m a minority shareholder in a company that has been approached by a buyer willing to buy out all the... shareholders. Because of Covid-19 the company has suffered financially and I know that the shareholders holding more than 75% of the company will want to accept the offer even though I believe it to be far below the market value of the shares. Is there any remedy at my disposal?

396

Article

Minority shareholder rights in a private company

12 October 2020

I hold 20% shares in a private company that I bought into a few years ago. The majority shareholders heavily... influence the directors who take decisions which in my view is not always in the best interests of the company or my own as a minority shareholder in the company. What remedies are available to me?

331

Article

Validity of lock-in provisions in BEE transactions

11 September 2020

A few years ago, our company entered into a BEE transaction with BEE partners to address our ownership. In the... transaction documents, restrictions were imposed on the BEE partners that they could not sell or encumber their shares for a period of at least ten years. These lock-in provisions were a necessary part of the financing and overall transaction. With the current difficult economic times, our partners want to sell a portion of their shares and are disputing the validity of our lock-in provisions. Are lock-in provisions legally enforceable?

432

Article

The liability of company directors for decreases in a company’s share price

11 November 2019

I’m the only shareholder in my company, a cleaning products business. I have two directors who run the business for... me. I’ve been building up the business over the years with a view to selling it as my retirement plan. However, the auditors have just informed me that the shares, in my mind worth about R10 million are now worth no more than about R3 million because of reckless management by the directors, selling of assets and even falsifying financial information and accounts. The nest egg I’ve been building is now nearly worthless because of their conduct. Can I recover what my company is worth less from them?

372

Article

Are shares excluded from my estate’s accrual?

16 October 2019

I’m married out of community with the accrual system. I specifically excluded my share portfolio from my accrual in the... antenuptial contract when we got married. Recently when reviewing my estate planning the question came up whether new shares that I acquired after we got married was also excluded for purposes of an accrual calculation. What is the position here?

380

Article