Did You Know?
True, sourced facts about South Africa and Southern Africa — history, wildlife, business and the projects shaping the region.
South Africa introduced mandatory registration for spaza shops in 2024
Following public concern over food safety at informal shops, the South African government introduced a requirement for spaza shops and food-handling outlets to register with their local municipality.
Find Out More →WildlifeThe "Big Five" were named for how hard they were to hunt, not their size
The term "Big Five" — lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo — was originally coined by big-game hunters to describe the five animals most dangerous and difficult to hunt on foot, not the five largest.
Find Out More →Understanding MoneyElon Musk Became the World's First Trillionaire — Without $1 Trillion in the Bank
In June 2026, Elon Musk became the first person in recorded history with an estimated net worth of $1 trillion, driven largely by his roughly 48.4% ownership stake in SpaceX after it went public — but that figure represents share value, not cash he holds.
Find Out More →Understanding BusinessA Company Can Own Property in Its Own Name
Because a company is a separate legal entity, it can own assets in its own name — equipment, intellectual property, vehicles and property — belonging to the company rather than automatically to the shareholders personally.
Find Out More →Science & InnovationA South African-Born Physicist Helped Invent the CAT Scan
Allan Cormack, born in Johannesburg, did the foundational mathematical work on reconstructing images from X-ray measurements that became central to computed tomography, sharing the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with British engineer Godfrey Hounsfield.
Find Out More →Tax & SARSHaving Two Jobs Can Result in Too Little PAYE Being Deducted
SARS provides specific guidance for people receiving income from two sources, such as two salaries or a salary and pension, because each payer may calculate PAYE based only on the income they pay, while final tax liability is based on combined taxable income.
Find Out More →Understanding BusinessGiving a Customer a Discount Doesn't Always Mean You're Losing the Same Percentage of Profit
A discount is measured against the selling price, while its real impact on profit depends on the business's underlying costs — a 10% reduction in selling price can represent a much bigger reduction in gross profit if the original margin was already thin.
Find Out More →Understanding BusinessA Company and Its Owners Are Legally Separate
When you register a private company in South Africa, it becomes a separate legal entity from its owners — able to own property, enter contracts and owe money in its own name, distinct from operating as an individual.
Find Out More →Tax & SARSSARS Can Fine You 20% for Guessing Wrong on Provisional Tax — Even Without Trying to Cheat
If your actual taxable income is R1 million or less, a 20% penalty applies if your second provisional estimate was both under 90% of actual income and under your prior year's assessed "basic amount"; above R1 million, the estimate simply needs to reach 80% of actual income — and the penalty applies regardless of intent.
Find Out More →Understanding BusinessA Profitable Business Can Still Run Out of Money
Profit and cash flow are not the same thing — a business can show a healthy profit for the year while unpaid customer invoices, slow-moving stock or long payment terms mean it genuinely can't pay a supplier's invoice due next week.
Find Out More →ScienceThe largest single optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere is in the Northern Cape
The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), based in Sutherland in the Northern Cape, is the largest single optical telescope in the entire Southern Hemisphere.
Find Out More →Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence Is Now Big Enough to Influence the Global Economic Outlook
In its July 2026 monetary-policy statement, the SARB identified the global AI boom — including huge data-centre investment and elevated valuations for AI-related companies — as an offset to some of the negative effects facing the world economy.
Find Out More →Business & EconomyFuel is often the single largest controllable cost for a small business vehicle fleet
For businesses that rely on delivery or transport vehicles, fuel typically makes up one of the largest ongoing operating expenses — and one of the few costs that can be actively reduced through better route planning and driver behaviour.
Find Out More →Business & EconomyThe SARB Has Private Shareholders — But They Don't Control Interest Rates
The South African Reserve Bank has private shareholders — as of 31 March 2026, the SARB had 855 shareholders — but owning shares does not give them control over South Africa's monetary policy.
Find Out More →Business & EconomyMissing one provisional tax deadline can trigger a penalty before your main return is even due
Provisional taxpayers in South Africa must estimate and pay tax twice a year in advance — missing either of these interim deadlines can result in penalties long before the annual filing season even opens.
Find Out More →Understanding BusinessA Business Can Lose Money on a Sale Even When the Customer Pays
Getting paid doesn't automatically mean a sale was profitable — if the total cost of supplying a product or service, including transport, labour, packaging, payment fees, taxes and overheads, is higher than what was charged, the business loses money on that transaction.
Find Out More →Tax & SARSA Tax Clearance Certificate and a Tax Compliance Status Are Not Quite the Same Concept
SARS moved away from the traditional paper-based Tax Clearance Certificate toward the Tax Compliance Status system, where taxpayers obtain a TCS result or PIN that lets authorised third parties verify compliance electronically.
Find Out More →Government & ProcurementRegistering on the Central Supplier Database Doesn't Guarantee Government Work
The Central Supplier Database is where businesses register to be eligible to supply government departments, but registration only verifies compliance details — it doesn't guarantee any tender or work will follow.
Find Out More →Understanding Business"Payment Terms: 30 Days" Does Not Mean You Get Paid When You Send the Invoice
When a contract says payment is due within a set number of days, the actual payment clock may only start once invoicing requirements, acceptance of the goods or services, and other conditions have been met — not the moment the invoice is sent.
Find Out More →Understanding MoneyYour Retirement Lump Sum Is Taxed Differently From Your Salary
SARS uses separate tax tables for retirement-fund lump-sum benefits — for the 2027 tax year, the first R550,000 of a qualifying retirement lump sum is taxed at 0%, with higher portions subject to the dedicated retirement lump-sum tax table.
Find Out More →Tax & SARSSmall Businesses No Longer Have to Register for VAT at R1 Million
The compulsory VAT registration threshold has been raised from R1 million to R2.3 million in annual turnover, though businesses can still register voluntarily once turnover passes R120,000 a year.
Find Out More →Property & Home LoansA Refundable Rental Deposit Is Not Automatically Rental Income
SARS states that when a landlord receives a rental deposit they're obligated to refund, it generally doesn't have to be included in gross income when first received — it can become gross income later if the landlord eventually applies it, depending on the circumstances.
Find Out More →LawAn Idea Can't Be Patented — Only a Specific Invention Can
South African patent law protects a specific, new and inventive solution to a technical problem, not a general idea or business method — an invention must be novel, involve an inventive step, and be capable of industrial application.
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