Legal updates and opinions
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
Making sense of death: A brief overview of inquest proceedings
by Dakalo Singo, Director and Head of Pro Bono By its very nature, death is tragic. The death of a [...]
Is cryptocurrency ‘capital’? Taking the Mangundhla judgment under the loop
by Deon Griessel, Director 1. Introduction Two Gauteng Division judgements have reached diametrically opposite conclusions on the question as to [...]
Agonists and APIs: High Court Injects Clarity into Compounding Debate
by Neil Kirby, Director and Head of Healthcare & Life Sciences and Slade van Rooyen, Associate The practice of compounding [...]
Minority shareholders and disposals of “controlling interests”: The limits of Section 11 of the MPRDA
by Chris Stevens, Director and Head of Mining & Resources, Kyra South, Director and Sandile Shongwe, Senior Associate Given that [...]
Constitutional subsidiarity: An important clarification
by Dakalo Singo, Director and Head of Pro Bono Constitutional subsidiarity is an important principle of South African law. While [...]
Franchisors Beware! The Competition Commission may come knocking soon
by Paul Coetser, Director and Head of Competition and Kwanele Diniso, Associate The franchising industry has long been a bone [...]
