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
Generative Artificial Intelligence, Intellectual Property and Policy
Generative Artificial Intelligence ("GenAI") is machine-learning based and which is trained using data from a wide range of sources, with [...]
No Interest, No Problem: The SCA confirms that the NCA applies to “credit agreements” only
Nombulelo Bashe - Candidate Attorney In the recent decision of Nel & Others v Cilliers, the SCA had to determine [...]
Public Procurement Agreements Should Not Have Confidentiality Clauses: A Case of the Health Justice v the Minister of Health and Another (10009/22) [2023] ZAGPPH 689
The Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 ("PAIA") is an empowering piece of legislation and allows that [...]
Werksmans POPIA e-learning Course
Werksmans POPIA e-learning Course The Werksmans Protection of Personal Information Act (“POPIA”) e-learning course will provide your business and staff [...]
POPIA: A Guide to the Protection of Personal Information Act of South Africa
An Introduction to POPIA POPIA or POPI was promulgated on 26 November 2013. The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) [...]
Large fines show FSCA is focused on enforcement to leave the grey list – a red flag for non-compliant financial services providers as more fines likely
Gone are the days of box-ticking. The FSCA has imposed penalties on financial services providers for non-compliance with FICA The [...]
