Starting a business in South Africa
Legal Forms of Companies
- Private Limited Liability Company
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Number of partners: Minimum: 1, no upper limit.
Capital (max/min): No legal limit.
Shareholders and liability: Liability limited to amount of capital contributed.
- Public Limited Liability Company
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Number of partners: Directors: minimum of 3, no upper limit.
Shareholders: minimum of 1, no upper limit.
Capital (max/min): No legal limit.
Shareholders and liability: A member's liability is limited to the par value of the shares he/she owns.
- Private Company
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Number of partners: 1 partner.
Capital (max/min): No minimum capital.
Shareholders and liability: The active partner's liability is unlimited.
- Partnership
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Number of partners: Minimum 2, Maximum 20 partners.
Capital (max/min): No minimum capital.
Shareholders and liability: The active partner's liability is unlimited. Associates' liability is limited to the amount of capital they contributed.
Setting Up a Company |
South Africa |
Sub-Saharan Africa |
Procedures (number) |
7.0 |
7.5 |
Time (days) |
40.0 |
21.3 |
Source: Doing Business, 2016
- Business Setup Procedures
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Doing Business, to learn more about how to start a business in South Africa.
Companies and International Property Commission (CIPC)
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Latest Update: July 2022