Legal updates and opinions
Post Author
News / News
Governance Reforms for Listed Companies
by Kevin Trudgeon, Director and Helena Stoop, Senior Knowledge Lawyer
Listed companies in South Africa are facing a rapidly changing governance landscape. Three key instruments namely, the revised JSE Listings Requirements which took effect on 16 February 2026, the King V Code of Corporate Governance launched in October 2025, and amendments to the Companies Act promulgated in 2024 shape the regulatory framework under which boards must operate.
Although these three instruments address similar key aspects of corporate governance, they differ in purpose, scope and enforceability. This note offers an overview of governance obligations arising under the Companies Act, the JSE Listings Requirements, and King V. It highlights both points of alignment and areas of divergence, with particular focus on board composition, director independence, nomination and election processes, the roles of key officers, and the structure and functioning of board committees.
Each topic is discussed in light of recent developments, and the analysis is complemented by a comparative table that consolidates the requirements currently applicable to listed companies in South Africa.
Download the comparative guide here.
Latest News
Parental, adoption and commissioning parental leave
By Jacques van Wyk, Director; Michiel Heyns, Senior Associate and Chelsea Roux, Candidate Attorney The provisions in the Basic Conditions [...]
Dismissal due to the breakdown of the trust relationship
By Jacques van Wyk, Director; Andre van Heerden, Senior Associate and Chelsea Roux, Candidate Attorney Issue Whether an act of [...]
Rising above the flames – answers to directors’ burning questions during times of financial crisis
By Eric Levenstein, Director and Nastascha Harduth, Director Often directors of companies that face financial difficulties have questions which they [...]
The long road to the protection of personal information – No April Fool’s Joke
The Protection of Personal Information Bill was first tabled 12 years ago, in 2009. It was signed into law in [...]
So whose land is it anyway?
By Bulelwa Mabasa, Director and Refilwe Moitse, Associate "We the people of South Africa, declare for all our country and [...]
Questioning the BBBEE commission’s approach to public benefit organisations in BBBEE ownership structures
By Pieter Steyn, Director A Public Benefit Organisation ("PBO") is defined in the Income Tax Act as a non‑profit company [...]
