A. LEGISLATION, TRENDS AND TENDENCIES
A.1 Proposed Changes to the Arbitration Act
During 2001, in the face of almost universal adoption of the
UNCITRAL Model Law by countries in the process of updating
their arbitration legislation and the ongoing development of
international commercial law, the South African Law Reform
Commission (SALC) submitted a comprehensive report on the
status of South African domestic arbitration.3 This
recommended, inter alia, that a new domestic arbitration statute
be adopted, combining the best features of the UNCITRAL
Model Law and the English Arbitration Act of 1996, while
retaining otherwise effective provisions of the existing
Arbitration Act.4 To date, however, the legislature has taken no
steps to implement the SALC’s recommendations.