Company liquidations in South Africa

Liquidations in South Africa, read off the Gazette

When a South African company or close corporation is wound up, the Master of the High Court must tell the world, and the place to do it is the Government Gazette. Each Friday, Legal Notices A prints the Master's lists — provisional windings-up on Form J28, first meetings of creditors on Form J29 — followed by liquidators' appointments, accounts and dividends, plus court orders that place companies in liquidation or deal with business rescue.

This register currently holds 3 080 entities taken from 58 issues and 3 644 company notices. Every row carries the CIPC registration number, so two companies with similar names are never confused.

Three routes, one register

Voluntary liquidation: the members pass a special resolution and register it with CIPC. Compulsory liquidation: a creditor obtains a winding-up order from the High Court. Business rescue: Chapter 6 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008 gives a distressed company breathing space under a practitioner. Close corporations follow the same path through section 66 of the Close Corporations Act 69 of 1984.

Reading a Master's reference

The prefix tells you which office holds the file — T for Pretoria, G for Johannesburg, C for Cape Town, D or MD for Durban, N for Pietermaritzburg, B for Bloemfontein, K for Kimberley, M for Mahikeng — followed by a running number and the year.

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