Community

< 1 min readComposed of six companies and based in Mauritius, Temple Group’s team provides a full range of services in the legal, compliance, publications and financial services sectors.

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SARS is pulling the plug on 12J

< 1 min readWe’ve always known that the popular Section 12J had an expiry date, but we assumed (hoped) it would be extended. Well, it won’t be. So, if you want to take advantage of it, you had better move very, very fast to get in before the 30 June cut-off. But it’s not all bad news. While 12J is on the way out, Lucky 13sex is still around.

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New Work

< 1 min readMost of us work because we have to, not because we want to. But New Work, as defined by Frithjof Bergmann, is work that we do because we want to – because it enriches our lives, not just our bank balances. Until recently, it’s only been artists, hippies and new-age hunter-gatherers who have managed to step off the conspicuous consumption–conspicuous busyness roller coaster, and just live. But, with new technology and an open mind, this option is open to more of us. Maybe it will, one day soon, become the new normal.

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Umhlanga Arch KwaZulu-Natal and Kansai Plascon

< 1 min readUmhlanga Arch on the KZN North Coast is a triumph for the professional teams that worked tirelessly to create this soon-to-be iconic landmark. For the paint finishes, the developers elected to use Kansai Plascon’s 360 Professional Pledge offering, a premium paint range and application. The Kansai Plascon Preferred Applicator was Smith and Winfield.

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Plastic pipes are polluting drinking water systems after wildfires

< 1 min readWhen wildfires swept through the hills near Santa Cruz, California, in 2020, they released toxic chemicals into the water supplies of at least two communities. One sample found benzene, a carcinogen, at 40 times the state’s drinking water standard.

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Mauritius is on track to achieve herd immunity

< 1 min readSince the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, Mauritius has upheld the sanitary safety of Mauritian nationals and that of visitors as a topmost priority. The island nation has been widely recognised as exercising one of the best responses to the pandemic – a strategy that has resulted in a surprisingly low incidence of the disease.

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Facial recognition

< 1 min readWhether it’s unlocking your phone or accessing your banking app, facial recognition technology is everywhere. It’s a tool that is rapidly gaining popularity with banks, security companies, law enforcement, retailers and – of course – social media platforms. And, like every tool from a claw hammer to a chainsaw or a steamroller, this tool can be used constructively or destructively. Or, if not actually destructively, at least creepily.

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The CSOS is engaging legal counsel for recovery of investments made in “VBS” Bank

< 1 min readIn its audited financial statements for the reporting period 2017/18, the CSOS recognised an impairment loss of R80 million, as a result of unlawful investments into VBS Mutual Bank (“VBS”).

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Ageing infrastructure: a risk to developers

< 1 min readBefore starting projects in areas with ageing municipal infrastructure, developers should beware of the indirect – or, in some cases, direct – costs.

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The Swiss cheese model of risk management

< 1 min readWhatever your field, whether you are project managing a multibillion-rand development, overseeing the security on a small estate, getting the kids to school on time, or running a large hospital, you need to manage risk, minimise accidents, and ensure the smooth flow of a number of related tasks. We all have different ways of ensuring that this happens, but one brilliant model is as simple as a slice of cheese – or, more accurately, a lot of slices of cheese.

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UK introduces additional stamp duty land tax to increase for foreign investors

< 1 min readThe UK government is introducing an additional 2% stamp duty land tax (SDLT) surcharge for foreign investors purchasing property in England and Northern Ireland from 1 April 2021. It will apply to purchases of any freehold or leasehold residential property in which the purchaser, or one of the purchasers, is deemed to be a non-UK resident. The only exceptions to this rule are if one of the purchasers is an employee of the UK state (the Crown), or if the non-UK resident is married or in a civil partnership with a UK resident.

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Choosing a residential estate

< 1 min readThere are so many fabulous residential estates from which to choose that you can be forgiven for feeling a tad overwhelmed. But, don’t be intimidated by the cornucopia of choice. Many of them will suit your needs, but some may be just perfect for you. It’s worth doing your homework.

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Changes to Portugal’s Golden Visa

< 1 min readPortugal’s Golden Visa citizenship by investment programme is one of the most accessible ways of obtaining Euro citizenship. And a nice place on the Atlantic or Mediterranean coast is an added bonus – or at least it was until the Portuguese government amended the legislation to exclude coastal properties and properties in the main cities of Porto and Lisbon.

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The world’s first 3D-printed, zero net energy, residential estate

< 1 min readThe Palari Group, in conjunction with Mighty Buildings, is planning the world’s first zero net energy, 3D-printed residential estate in Rancho Mirage, California, USA. It will be a small, low-density, upmarket estate but, perhaps, the ease, speed, efficiency and sustainability of the construction process may lend itself to rapid deployment of affordable housing. Or not.

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Hibiscus Retirement Villages presents Widenham Retirement Village

< 1 min readWidenham Retirement Village is the latest edition to the Hibiscus Retirement Villages. Located on the south coast of Kwazulu-Natal, the village, when completed will house 600 1- 2- or 3 bedroom cottages, clubhouse and sport facilities, medical facilities and frail care. Widenham is based on a life right purchasing model and cottages in the new phase starts at R1,1 million.

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Park Lane Properties

< 1 min readIn 2004, Philippe and Frederique de Beer became cognizant that the real estate market in Mauritius had a gap in servicing and providing personalized high level customer service. With this opportunity, they founded Park Lane Properties, operating from a single branch in Tamarin and member of the Estate Agents Association of Mauritius (EAA).

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Les Résidences de Mont Choisy

< 1 min readPrivate and exclusive, this property development is in the north of Mauritius. It extends over more than 485 hectares. The luxury real estate is near the crystalline waters of Mont Choisy Beach. It’s also close to the only 18-hole golf course in the area. If you feel like the bustle of village life, Grand Baie is a few minutes away. It’s a hive of activity in this part of the island, a favourite among tourists.

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Your privacy vs your security

< 1 min readThey know everything about you. They know who you are, where you live, who your friends are, what their names and ID numbers are, what car they drive … and they have hours of video footage of you entering and leaving your home. ‘They’ are not some shady government agency. They’re the security company that guards your estate’s front gate, and the information they’re collecting about you – and about your visitors – is increasingly coming under the microscope.

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Mauritius goes into lockdown following 15 cases of COVID-19

< 1 min readOn 10 March 2021, the government of the Republic of Mauritius implemented new COVID-19 public health protocols, and placed the island nation on temporary lockdown until 25 March 2021. This follows the reporting of 15 cases of COVID-19 in the community. All international and domestic passenger flights have been suspended until 25 March 2021, but cargo flights will continue.

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Energy crisis

< 1 min readSlowly, your eyes close, your head droops – and then you jerk awake just before your chin hits your chest – that awful feeling when you just can’t stay awake. We’ve all experienced it – whether it’s trawling through the minutes of the latest board meeting, or trying to look (and be) alert at the entrance gate. How do we deal with those mid-morning slumps? (Or mid-afternoon, or mid-evening, or even midnight.)

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April 2018

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April 2018

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