Primary briefing · Gazette
high impact 54339 · General Notices 3827 and 3828 of 2026 · 2026-03-18
ITAC confirms definitive anti-dumping duties on hot-rolled and structural steel from China, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand
Effective from
18 Mar 2026
ITAC has published two notices concluding anti-dumping investigations. Notice 3827 imposes definitive anti-dumping duties on certain hot-rolled flat-rolled steel products (tariff sub-headings 7208 and 7225) originating in or imported from China, Japan, and Taiwan. Notice 3828 imposes definitive anti-dumping duties on structural steel U-sections, I-sections, H-sections, and equal angles originating in or imported from China and Thailand. The Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition approved both recommendations. The duties are listed on the rebate item column in Schedule No. 2 to the Customs and Excise Act, meaning subject products may not be imported under rebate of customs duty without payment of anti-dumping duties and without an ITAC recommendation. The duties remain in place for five years from the date of the imposing notice unless a sunset review is initiated.
Who is affected
Steel importers sourcing from China, Japan, Taiwan, or ThailandConstruction companies procuring structural steel sectionsDownstream manufacturers using hot-rolled steel productsCustoms brokers and clearing agents handling steel importsInternational trade and customs law practitioners What this means for practitioners
Steel importers must immediately factor definitive anti-dumping duties into landed cost calculations for affected products from the specified countries.
Review supply chain and sourcing arrangements — customs rebates cannot be used to avoid anti-dumping duties without an ITAC recommendation.
Update customs declarations and duty payment processes to ensure compliance with the new Schedule No. 2 listings.
Diarise the five-year expiry date from the publication of the imposing notice and monitor for any sunset review initiation.
Primary briefing · Judgment
high impact Supreme Court of Appeal · 2026-03-18
Hi-Q Automotive (Pty) Ltd v Erga Investments (Pty) Ltd and Another
Hi-Q Automotive sought to execute a judgment while Erga's application for reconsideration by the President of the SCA under the proviso to s 17(2)(f) of the Superior Courts Act 10 of 2013 was pending. Two High Court divisions had reached conflicting conclusions on whether such a reconsideration application triggers the automatic suspension of execution under s 18(1) of the Act: Business Connexion held that it did; Nquthu Municipality held that it did not. Although the appeal became moot, the SCA exercised its discretion to decide the merits in the interests of justice to settle the conflict.
The court held: The SCA held that a s 17(2)(f) reconsideration application is an integral part of the appeal process and, on a contextual and purposive interpretation of s 18(1) read with the proviso to s 17(2)(f), is encompassed by s 18(1) despite not being explicitly mentioned. The Court endorsed Business Connexion and expressly overruled Nquthu Municipality. The appeal was dismissed with no order as to costs.
Legal impact: This judgment authoritatively settles the law: lodging a s 17(2)(f) reconsideration application now triggers automatic suspension of execution under s 18(1). Judgment creditors can no longer execute while reconsideration is pending without first obtaining a court order under s 18(3) by proving irreparable harm on a balance of probabilities. This materially changes the enforcement and appeal strategy calculus for all litigants in contested matters.
Who is affected
All litigation practitioners advising on enforcement or appeal strategyJudgment creditors seeking to execute pending reconsiderationJudgment debtors resisting executionCommercial landlords and tenants in eviction or lease disputesAny party subject to execution of court orders What this means for practitioners
Advise judgment creditor clients that execution is automatically suspended once a s 17(2)(f) reconsideration application is lodged — a s 18(3) application is now required to proceed with execution.
Advise judgment debtor clients that lodging a s 17(2)(f) reconsideration application provides automatic protection against execution without needing a separate stay application.
Review any pending enforcement matters where reconsideration applications have been or may be lodged, and adjust strategy accordingly.
Update internal litigation precedent notes: Nquthu Municipality is overruled; Business Connexion is the correct authority.