News & views
Visit this page for regular updates on legal changes, practical advice given in answer to questions (Dear ngoLAW), and articles of interest written by us and by colleagues.

A Passion for Positive Change: Interview with Nicole Copley, NGOLaw
This interview series with our #Nonprofit Service Provider Classifieds advertisers aims to unveil the stories and motivations behind those who specialise in uplifting and guiding the nonprofit community. In this interview, we get to know Nicole Copley, NGOLaw. Read the full article here

Welcome to the first ngoLAW Brief of 2024
This is the first ngoLAW Brief of 2024 and coming to you a bit later than usual, as it has been a busy (and tough) first quarter of the year for ngoLAW, and many others. And it comes to you on an auspicious day, as we await results from our journeys to

Welcome to the last ngoLAW Brief of 2023
First the news that the latest iteration of the “Spy Bill” (which looks like being rushed through committees and Parliament in the dying days of 2023 in the same way that the FIC General Laws Amendment Act was in 2022) has dropped specific references to security vetting of all NGOs, but is

NGOs are under attack by the South African state again – including the knitting clubs
Non-profits must be alert to a new threat to their freedom of association and ability to operate from a draft Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill. (This article was written by Nicole Copley, and appeared in the Daily Maverick on 03 Sep 2023)

Second Quarter 2023 ngoLAW in brief
Welcome to June!- the past couple of months have brought more regulatory changes to the sector, including the final versions of: the NPO Act Regulations (the draft version was dealt with in our previous Brief) and the new Companies Act Regulations (which we will deal with in our next Brief).

Corporate Foundations webinar
https://youtu.be/YmwxQhQceNA This link is to a high-speed panel discussion, featuring Nicole and hosted by Trialogue, on Corporate “Foundations” Trialogue’s primary research shows that 43% of companies surveyed in 2022 managed some or all of their corporate social investment (CSI) through a separate legal entity, 28% through trusts and 15% through

First Quarter 2023 ngoLAW in Brief
This year has begun with a bang, as the contents of this Brief will show- there are three major regulatory changes for the NGO sector to understand and respond to: A major expansion of the FICA Schedule of “accountable institutions’ and who it now applies to; New 18A receipt rules, effective

Understanding the differences between NPO, NGO and NPC and the governance policies
NGO, NPO, NPC, PBO – all these acronyms lead to confusion as to where charitable organisations and other similar entities fit into the equation. This also speaks to the funding models and criteria for each of these organisations, interrogating the issue of governance, transparency, and accountability in the organisational operations.

Last Quarter 2022 ngoLAW in Brief
Our last newsletter of 2022 begins with an update on (and some practical advice coming out of) the major legislative changes that we have been engaged with government over, in an effort to: avoid grey-listing of our country by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF); AND limit unnecessary, not useful

URGENT call for submissions on the anti-grey-listing (compulsory NPO registration) Bill
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-10-08-mandatory-registration-requirement-in-money-laundering-and-terrorist-financing-bill-will-badly-hurt-sa-non-profits/ In an effort to prevent the severe economic consequences arising from the imminent threat of the “grey-listing” of South Africa, a General Laws Amendment Bill has been published that aims to avoid this grey-listing by demonstrating compliance with the recommendations contained in South Africa’s Mutual Evaluation Report of the