Basically when you register a company or a close corporation at the CIPC or formerly known as CIPRO, you are required to pay an annual fee in order for your company to continue to be registered on their profile.
If you have neglected to submit or pay your annual returns, the first people that are most likely to remind you are the banks as well as some government institutions and municipalities, when you are busy trying to do business with them.
Unlike SARS returns, submitting CIPC annual returns is not as complex as it sounds and any practicing accountant should be able to assist you with the submission of your returns including prior years even when your company is facing deregistration or is already deregistered at the CIPC.