Legal updates and opinions
Post Author
News / News
King V: South Africa’s Governance Evolution
by Eric Levenstein, Director and Head of Insolvency & Business Rescue and Helena Stoop, Senior Knowledge Lawyer
The official King V was launched on 31 October 2025. The project was spearheaded by the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa NPC (IoDSA) in its capacity as Secretariat for the King Committee and custodian of the King Reports on corporate governance in South Africa. It replaces the previous edition (‘King IV’) and will be effective for financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2026.
The fifth edition of the Code (‘King V’) follows the trend of previous editions and sets out the philosophy, principles, practices and outcomes which serve as the benchmark for corporate governance in South Africa. It was drafted to address both national and global developments, improve accessibility for all types of organisations, and promote the ongoing evolution of governance outcomes. Werksmans provides a bespoke and summarised overview of key components relevant to King V.
Download the King V Overview here.
Latest News
Can crypto assets be exported?
The movement of crypto assets between digital wallets The Financial Surveillance Department of the South African Reserve Bank or "FinSurv" [...]
The COMESA Competition Commission’s increasing emphasis on competition enforcement and conduct cases
The COMESA Competition Commission 1. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) covers 21 countries namely Burundi, the [...]
Burger King merger approved – what role will black ownership play in future mergers?
Burger King merger 1. The Competition Commission's prohibition in June 2020 of the sale of Burger King (South Africa) (RF) [...]
Section 161 of the Companies Act and a shareholder’s claim for reflective loss
Section 161 of the Companies Act In terms of the South African common law, a shareholder does not have the [...]
Notification of data breaches… setting the record straight
Report data breaches "We reminded them of their duty to report any breach in data security to us. The report [...]
The requirements for Rescission Applications, restated
The requirements for Rescission Applications The Constitutional Court recently handed down judgment in what was effectively a refresher course on [...]
