Maggie Zeelie Secretarial Services

27/04/2023

We are very excited and proud to announce that we are expanding!! From 2 May 2023 we will also operate from Stellenbosch! Our Plett office is well-established and we will continue to provide to you, now from both Plett and Stellenbosch, the level of service you have become accustomed to. Thank YOU for your support - we could NOT have done this without YOU. NOTE: I will be in Plett on a regular basis.

Maggie Zeelie Secretarial Services - Business Compliance Administrator adding personal service excellence & assistance with Corporate Governance and other regulatory provisions.

24/04/2023

We have some fantastic news to share with you within the next few days. Watch this space. Let the count down begin!

Maggie Zeelie Secretarial Services - Business Compliance Administrator adding personal service excellence & assistance with Corporate Governance and other regulatory provisions.

06/04/2023

URGENT FOR ALL BUSINESS OWNERS (COMPANIES, CORPORATIONS, COOPERATIONS) - this applies to entities IN BUSINESS, IN AR DEREGISTRATION and DORMANT.

Please be advised that from 01 April 2023, all corporations and companies are required to file their Beneficial Ownership Register. Companies / Corporations have a period of 6 (six) months in which to comply. Contact us for assistance.

From 01 April 2023, how long do we have for all entities to
file BO Information? Six (6) months
What supporting information will be expected to be filed
when filing for BO? Mandate of the filer; Securities Register; Certified ID Copies of the BO’s; Certified Passport Copies of the BO’s (as applicable); any other supporting document the Commission may demand

06/12/2022

Long article, but very important if you have a company.

A MOI and a shareholders agreement are similar documents in that both seek to govern the manner in which a company is run.

10/01/2022

Who needs a PAIA manual?

As from 31 December 2021, every private business, be it a company, close corporation, trust, partnership or sole proprietor, will have to compile and make available a ‘PAIA Manual’. Many new and existing businesses don’t know where or how to go about complying with this requirement, nor do they understand the rationale behind having a manual or how to go about creating one easily, and without breaking the bank.

Here’s what you need to know.

The ins and outs of PAIA

The Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2002 (PAIA) became effective in 2001. In terms of Section 51 of the Act, the head of every private body is required to compile and make available a manual which must contain certain disclosures. These disclosures relate to the types of records kept by the business and various disclosures that relate to the processing of personal information. Since 2001, the deadline for the PAIA manual requirement for private bodies has been extended at regular five-year intervals. In June 2021 the Minister for Justice and Correctional Services announced a final six-month extension for all private bodies - other than private companies with more than 50 employees. The full list of non-exempt companies is accessible via the official government website. The manual must then be displayed on the business website, if one exists, and must also be available in hard-copy format at the place of business.

A step-by-step approach to PAIA compliance

For many small- and medium-sized businesses knowing where to start and how to create a PAIA manual is a source of some concern; which is one reason why many businesses have simply put off completing the process.

We can assist with this process.

We will provide you with the necessary documentation for completion. Once the manual is produced, it will remain available online for you to download at all times. All future changes and updates are free of charge.

How safe is my information?

Given the current surge of focus which these two Acts have brought around the protection and access to information, it is important to note that we use service providers who come with their own guarantees of privacy for all users. In terms of our service providers' terms and conditions and privacy policy, consent is granted for us to hold information and then receive an assurance that the data will never be shared with a third party, unless we are compelled to do so by law.

For any further information, please feel free to contact us.

15/12/2021

One minute it was 2019 and then 2020 hit us with a velocity that I do believe most of us are still trying to recover from. In the blink of an eye 2021 is just about over, done and dusted and 2020 is still in our minds!


From our side we pray that you and yours are all well and that you are managing a form of recovery and/or normal in the strange times we find ourselves in. We wish upon you, yours, your business and, if you have employees, them and their families a blessed and beautiful festive season - may the joy of the Season bring some joy in all our lives. It will be a short and sweet break for many - make the most of it by allowing yourselves "me" time, time with family, time to walk and appreciate nature and to "stop, and smell the roses".

The new year holds many new things to be added to our piles of "compliance" and administration, things such as the compulsory PAIA manuals for all businesses, the new legislation being implemented with regards declaring all "end of the line" owners in companies (shares) and also in fact having to declare shareholders and shareholding to CIPC. Once we have the correct information, we will most certainly communicate this to you and we will continue to be your corporate governance partner and assistants.

As you know SARS is increasing their efforts in geting all that is due to Caesar and they are implementing various strategies to get what they believe are due to them. To avoid any issues, please ensure that you communicate regularly with your tax practitioner, auditor or accountants. It is best to be compliant in all ways and ensure we are a step ahead of any possible problems than to be caught off-guard.

All of this aside - it has been a very short year and we appreciate every single instruction sent our way - while we assisted you with the best possible service, you ensured that we could survive another year to continue to give you our best.

Thank you, from me and my amazing assistant and partner, Zante Zeelie.

We look forward to 2022 and believe that it can only get better day by day and we look forward to walking the 2022 journey with you.

We are for all intents and purposes closing on the 15th but we will continue to submit annual returns as and when due during this period and we will also continue to monitor our emails daily - so please feel free to contact us for any urgent matters - we are here to assist y

31/03/2020

We assist Employers to complete & submit their UIF TERS application so they can pay Employees a % of lost earnings during lock-down.

29/11/2019

Revolutionary Evolution of the Compliance Beast

Revolutionary - involving or causing a complete or dramatic change
Evolution - the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form

There has been a gradual development (evolution) of the CIPC compulsory annual returns from a simple and easy online step to the later additional requirement to either submit audited annual financial statements or the financial accountability supplement for companies not subject to compulsory audit. Not a difficult feat and a lot of companies elected to submit their annual returns in-house to save costs.

However, CIPC continues to evolve and a majority of online changes has affected the annual return submission process the past few years. CIPC introduced to us the inline XBRL programme roll-out and after months of testing and working on this, submission of audited annual financial statements in the XBRL format became compulsory on 1 July 2018. Which companies were affected? All companies currently required to submit AFSs according to the Companies Act in PDF format, will be required to submit via XBRL. This process entails conversion of audited annual financial statements into a new cyber language that is streamlined with international reporting requirements and standards. Service providers had to scramble to get into the new XBRL service mode, purchasing of special software to assist, and software companies had to scramble to implement this into their software programmes. The result? A little more time, effort and costs to get ready and, without a doubt, an increase in costs to submit CIPC compulsory annual returns for audit companies. The rest of the companies continued happily along with submission of the annual return and the Financial Accountability Supplement.

It does not end there. CIPC added another twist to the tale by introducing the Compliance Checklist required to be submitted by ALL companies. This is where the term “REVOLUTIONARY” kicks into play as this is causing a complete and dramatic change to the whole Annual Return scenario for ALL entities. Submission of an annual return and the various linked processes is a serious matter and, unless you are a fundi on the Companies Act 2008 and Regulations 2011, you are going to face various issues which could, if not compliant and if incorrect information is submitted to CIPC, bring with it undesired results such as penalties and major headaches.

Clients who elect to submit their own annual returns may think this to be not such a dramatic change and wonder what the hype and drama is all about. CIPC did not give much thought in creation of the online portal for the compliance checklist which is already up and running.

The procedure with effect from 1 January 2020 will therefore be a 3-step procedure:
 Submit Compliance Checklist
 Submit FAS or Financial Statements in XBRL format
 Submit Annual Return

The Compliance Checklist will result in wasted time trying to figure out what it is that CIPC is asking as the questions are cryptic in format and not very user-friendly for the layman.

COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST QUESTIONS (as taken from the portal):

Did the company comply with section 4 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 15 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 26 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 27 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 28 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 29 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 30 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 32 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 33 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 44 during the previous calendar year?
Did the company comply with section 45 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 50 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 61 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 66 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 69 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 70 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 71 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 86 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 90 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 92 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with section 94 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with regulation 21 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with regulation 43 during the previous calendar year?*
Did the company comply with schedule 1 during the previous calendar year?*

All questions are compulsory and the relevant options to tick are “YES”, “NO”, “Not Applicable”.

In short : CIPC annual returns are no longer a quick or easy process and I recommended that professional assistance is sought in lodging of annual CIPC returns and forms. It may cost your company a little more in a once-off annual fee but it could save you time, money and effort.

Please contact me for more information or assistance.