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New residential property: more pain looms
RealEstateWeb.co.za - South Africa
Builders, interior decorators, other suppliers can expect tougher times as dramatically fewer building plans pass through government doors. Latest stats.

Builders, interior decorators and other suppliers of goods and services in the new residential property arena can expect the tough times to continue. The number of building plans passed by local government officials is down dramatically on recent years, latest statistics show.

In a note released by Absa Home Loans, senior property analyst Jacques du Toit said residential building activity is expected to remain depressed for the rest of the year.
Real Estate Web

A look at how future green building legislation could impact on property practitioners
Igqwetha Training Academy - South Africa
The launch of The Green Building Council of South Africa's [the "GBCSA"] new Green Star SA Rating tool geared at the commercial property industry caused quite a stir amongst property developers and large companies who wanted to win the race to becoming the first to have a Green Star SA rated building in South Africa.

Although the requirement to build in an environmentally sustainable way has not yet been written into legislation in South Africa, it is clear that we could be heading in that direction. For example, the draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill 2009 released for comment in the first week of June, contains two tax incentives for business specifically aimed at encouraging businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.
Igqwetha Training Academy

Lawyers' baked-bean protest over government plans for 'Tesco Law'
The Times - UK
The first signs of a fight-back against reforms that will enable supermarkets and other stores to offer customers legal services came yesterday with a "baked beans" protest by solicitors.

The lawyers handed out free cans of beans from shopping trolleys outside the High Court, warning that Government plans for the "Big Bang" in legal services was a recipe for disaster.

The reforms, under the Legal Services Act 2007, have become known as "Tesco law". They will enable big companies such as supermarkets or motoring organisations to own law firms or employ lawyers and offer legal services directly to their customers
Times Online