Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr incorporating Kieti Law LLP

Aadil Patel

Aadil Patel is the Head of our Employment Law practice. A thought leader in his field, he is recognised for his in-depth expertise in employment law and has acted extensively for various employers in both the public and private sector. Aadil has worked across multiple jurisdictions in Africa and globally. He has presented on a wide array of legal topics to different audiences and is featured regularly in published articles. Recognised by both his peers and his clients for his proficiency in employment law, Aadil's track record includes having successfully advised and represented a number of state-owned enterprises as well as companies listed on the JSE and other employers. · Employment

Adnaan Kariem

Dr. Adnaan Kariem is a Director in our Banking, Finance & Projects practice. He specialises in corporate finance (debt and equity finance), project finance, corporate law, investment management related matters, financial services law and education sector transactions. Adnaan structures and negotiates the transactions in his field, drafts the necessary agreements and attends to regulatory matters. · Banking & Finance

Akhona Mgwaba

Akhona Mgwaba is an Associate in our Corporate & Commercial practice. She has experience in mergers and acquisitions, conducting legal due diligence investigations, evaluating compliance with corporate governance principles, company secretarial work and drafting, reviewing and advising on commercial agreements. · Corporate / M&A

Albert Aukema

Albert Aukema is a Director in our Competition Law practice. He specialises in all aspects of competition law. Albert has extensive experience in merger and prohibited practice proceedings before the competition authorities and appeal courts in South Africa. He also regularly advises on multi-jurisdictional mergers and has significant experience in obtaining merger approval across a wide range of jurisdictions and community bodies. Albert sector experience includes significant transactions and investigations for clients in the non-alcoholic beverages, security services, pharmaceutical, mining and telecommunications sectors. His also advises clients on consumer protection and consumer credit law and compliance. · Competition / Antitrust

Allan Reid

Allan Reid is a Executive Consultant in our Corporate & Commercial practice. He previously served as Joint Head of the Mining & Minerals sector. Allan has extensive experience in mining and minerals law, intellectual property law, mergers and acquisitions, aviation law and private equity deals. · Corporate / M&A

Amelia Heeger

Amelia Heeger is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial, and Banking, Finance & Projects practice areas. She has over 25 years' experience in banking and finance, including leveraged, acquisition finance and project finance with a particular focus on preference share funding. · Corporate / Commercial

Amore Carstens

Amore Carstens is a Senior Associate in our Corporate & Commercial practice. Amore assists clients with, ­inter alia, contract law advice, general corporate and commercial advice, corporate governance, including advice on commercial issues, company law and regulatory considerations, negotiating terms of agreement, drafting and reviewing commercial agreements. Amore works closely with local and international oil companies, national oil companies (NOC’s), oilfield service providers and government regulatory authorities within the upstream petroleum sector. · Corporate / M&A

Andre de Lange

Andre is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial practice and Head of the Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fishing sector. Andre specialises in corporate law, corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions. He also provides general commercial law-related services and advice. For a number of years André served on the executive committee of the Johannesburg Attorneys Association, (holding the office of Vice Chairman and Treasurer) and served as a Councillor of the Cape Law Society. André currently serves on the Audit and Risk Committee of the Law Society of South Africa. He and his family relocated from Johannesburg to Cape Town at the end of 2006. · Corporate / M&A

Andrew Giliam

Andrew Giliam is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial practice. · Corporate / M&A

Andrew van Niekerk

Andrew van Niekerk is a Director in our Banking, Finance & Projects practice, and Head of our Projects & Energy sector. Andrew provides specialist EPC / PPP / IPP related legal services in the infrastructure, energy, mining and resources, transport and real estate domains. Andrew has advised clients on projects in multiple jurisdictions including Botswana, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Kuala Lumpur, Lebanon, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Zambia and Zimbabwe. · Banking & Finance

Andries le Grange

Andries le Grange is a Director in our Competition practice. In addition to his competition law expertise, Andries has experience in the general commercial field, including the banking and finance arena. · Competition

Anita Moolman

Anita is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial practice and has experience in consumer protection matters, public sector procurement, project finance and public private partnerships, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate and commercial law advisory services. Anita has been extensively involved in due diligence work in respect of a range of investments and other transactions, for both domestic and international clients. She was a member of the legal team that undertook a large scale due diligence investigation of a local parastatal. Anita has been involved in all aspects of the legal due diligence process, from setting up of data rooms and the supervision of the due diligence process until the final closing of the transactions. More recently, she has also conducted due diligence investigations in the aviation, tourism and leisure sectors. · Corporate / M&A

Anja Hofmeyr

Anja Hofmeyr is a Director of our Dispute Resolution practice. · Dispute Resolution

Anli Bezuidenhout

Anli Bezuidenhout is a Director in our Employment Law practice. Anli has advised both local and international clients on all aspects of South African employment law. Anli specialises in individual labour law and has vast experience in assisting clients with employment related due diligences for the purpose of potential mergers and acquisitions. · Employment

Annemari Krugel

Annemari Krugel is a Director in our Dispute Resolution practice and the Corporate & White-Collar Investigations sector. Her leadership in investigations extends to national and provincial treasury departments, including noteworthy assignments from 2018 to the present involving National Treasury, Gauteng Provincial Treasury, and Limpopo Provincial Treasury. · Dispute Resolution

Belinda Scriba

Belinda Scriba is a Director in our Dispute Resolution practice. She is a member of our Business Rescue, Restructuring & Insolvency sector. Her extensive experience includes litigation and arbitration (international and local) in the areas of insolvency and business rescue, corporate and commercial contractual disputes, Companies Act disputes, maritime, and international trade. She has more recently trained and qualified as a mediator. · Dispute Resolution

Biron Madisa

Biron Madisa is an Associate in our Employment Law practice. Biron has right of appearance in the Superior Courts and has experience in various aspects of litigation concerning Employment and Labour Law in forums such as the CCMA, MEIBC, Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court. Biron's sector specialities include employment litigation, individual labour law, collective bargaining, and Occupational Health and Safety in Mining and Minerals. · Employment & Labour

Brent Williams

Brent Williams has been the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Partner of Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr since April 2011. He has been responsible for leading Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr’s strategic direction, rebranding, repositioning in the corporate legal services market and the firm’s day to day management since he took office. At the time of his appointment he was the first black legal professional to be appointed the Managing Partner of a major national corporate law firm in the history of the legal profession in South Africa. Law Firm Management Experience Managing Partner: Y Ebrahim & Co Inc: 1997 to 2003 Management Committee Member: Cliffe Dekker: 2004 to 2008 Executive Committee Member: Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc: 2008 to present CEO/Managing Partner:Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc: 2011 to present · Corporate / M&A

Brian Muchiri

Brian Muchiri is a Partner in our Banking, Finance & Projects practice. Brian has worked and gained experience in the fields of finance and banking, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, telecommunications and has extensive experience in due diligence and corporate compliance evaluation. · Banking & Finance

Bronwyn Brown

Bronwyn Brown is a Director in our Real Estate practice. · Real Estate

Burton Meyer

Burton is a Director of our Dispute Resolution practice specialising in commercial litigation, with a specific focus on property law, mining law and corporate recoveries. Burton is experienced in Superior Court litigation, arbitrations and mediation and has assisted large multinational corporations in corporate litigation and corporate recoveries. · Dispute Resolution

Charl Williams

Charl is a Director of our Corporate & Commercial practice. He advises on all aspects of South African corporate and commercial law including listings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, establishment of new businesses, property-related transactions, and broad-based black economic empowerment transactions. · Corporate / M&A

Chris Charter

Chris is a Director and Head of our Competition Law practice. Chris’ practice covers all aspects of the discipline from merger control to prohibited practices. On the prohibited practices side, bringing and defending complaints, writing opinions, corporate leniency and compliance work are all covered. Chris has advised in mergers involving major South African listed companies and has advised a number of global companies in obtaining South African and African regulatory clearance in respect of multinational transactions. He and his team have extensive experience in a number of African jurisdictions including COMESA. · Competition / Antitrust

Christine Mugenyu

Christine Mugenyu is a Senior Associate in our Dispute Resolution and Employment Law practice areas. · Dispute Resolution

Claudette Dutilleux

Claudette Dutilleux is a Director in our Dispute Resolution practice with a primary focus on commercial litigation. Claudette is experienced in Superior Court litigation as well as commercial arbitrations and mediation. · Dispute Resolution

Claudia Moser

Claudia Moser is an Associate in our Dispute Resolution practice. She has experience in construction, administrative and public Law, mining law, evictions, business rescue and insolvency, commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution infrastructure. · Dispute Resolution

Clem Daniel

Clem Daniel is a Director of our Corporate & Commercial practice, has an unusually broad range of experience as a lawyer and has extensive experience in negotiating and drafting a wide range of commercial transactions and arrangements. His experience includes litigation and major commercial transaction experience, the latter primarily in mergers, acquisitions, funding transactions, corporate affairs, private equity and outsourcing. He has been recognised internationally by Chambers as a leading lawyer with the ability to "pull together…knowledge and the ability to draft well with absolute willingness." · Corporate / M&A

Clive Rumsey

Clive Rumsey is a Director in our Dispute Resolution practice. Clive is the Head of the Construction and Engineering sector. · Dispute Resolution

Corne Lewis

Corne is a Director in our Dispute Resolution practice. He has particular experience in the following sector: Gambling Law, Administrative and Public Law; Mining Law, Evictions, Forensic Investigations, Business Rescue and Liquidations. · Dispute Resolution

Dane Kruger

Dane Kruger is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial practice. · Corporate / M&A

Daniel Kiragu

Daniel Kiragu is a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution practice, with extensive experience advising and representing multinational corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, and high-net-worth individuals in complex, high-stakes disputes. Daniel regularly appears before the High Court, Court of Appeal, Employment and Labour Relations Court, arbitral tribunals, and regional judicial bodies. His practice spans commercial litigation, insolvency and restructuring, construction, employment and labour, antitrust, and international arbitration. Daniel regularly advises on corporate governance disputes, shareholder rights and business restructuring and is known for his strong advocacy, practical problem-solving, and ability to manage high-value and precedent-setting matters across multiple sectors and jurisdictions · Dispute Resolution

David Pinnock

David Pinnock is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial practice and Joint Sector Head for our Private Equity sector. David specialises in mergers and acquisitions and has experience in a wide range of transactional work (both public and private equity). David also has broad experience in corporate finance and other corporate and commercial work. · Corporate / M&A

David Thompson

David Thompson is a Director and Deputy Regional Head in our Corporate & Commercial practice. He advises on all aspects of South African corporate and commercial law particularly mergers and acquisitions. · Corporate / M&A

Deon Wilken

Deon Wilken is a Director in our Finance & Banking practice, He is a finance and banking law specialist with several years of banking and finance law experience, Deon has assisted numerous financiers and borrowers in debt raising transactions in the project, export and acquisition finance fields. Deon's other areas of expertise are Financial Markets & Securities Law and Banking Law and Credit Law. · Banking & Finance

Desmond Odhiambo

Desmond Odhiambo is a Partner in our Dispute Resolution, Employment Law, Trusts & Estates practice areas, as well as in our Business Rescue, Restructuring & Insolvency sector. He has extensive litigation experience as lead counsel in all the higher Kenyan courts as well as quasi judicial bodies such as the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board and the Kenya Industrial Property Institute. He is a qualified mediator and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb). · Dispute Resolution

Dries Hoek

Dries Hoek is a Director in our Tax & Exchange Control practice. He is an expert in all aspects of tax law with a particular interest in the tax issues that flow from mergers and acquisitions, with over ten years' experience advising South African and international companies on domestic and cross-border transactions. Dries has extensive experience in conducting due diligence reviews, the appraisal of acquisition and disposal transactions, financial modelling and providing clients with general corporate tax planning and advisory. · Tax

Eben Smit

Eben Smit is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial practice. He is a specialist in insurance and financial-services law, with extensive expertise spanning the Insurance Act, FAIS Act, Policyholder Protection Rules, Long- and Short-term Insurance Acts, FICA and the broader regulatory framework governing South Africa’s financial sector. Eben's practice focuses on regulatory compliance, licensing, product structuring, governance, distribution, and prudential and conduct requirements affecting insurers, reinsurers, underwriting managers / binder holders, intermediaries and other commercial entities with insurance interests or products. He also advises on how these frameworks interact with related corporate and commercial legislation, including the Companies Act and other statutes that shape the structuring and governance of regulated entities. His strength lies in translating complex legislative requirements into practical, business-aligned strategies - supporting clients in achieving both regulatory certainty and commercial agility. · Corporate / M&A

Emil Brincker

Professor Emil Brincker is a Director and Head of our Tax & Exchange Control practice. Emil’s experience includes the areas of corporate finance, corporate reorganisation and restructuring, exchange control, export finance, funding, general banking and commercial including derivative transactions, empowerment transactions, notional vendor funding, rulings, transfer pricing and tax law including income tax, tax controversy, VAT, securities transfer tax, PAYE, capital gains tax (CGT) and other fiscal statutes. · Tax

Emma Kingdon

Emma is a Consultant in our Corporate and Commercial practice. She has specialist expertise in media and technology law as well as extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions (mainly private equity) and general commercial transactions (such as distribution agreements and franchising arrangements). · Corporate / M&A

Eugene Bester

Eugene is a Director in our Dispute Resolution practice with experience in general commercial litigation. Eugene specialises in banking litigation and has extensive experience in High Court litigation, mediation and arbitration with an emphasis on banking, property finance related disputes, tender reviews and general contractual claims. · Dispute Resolution

Fatima Gattoo

Fatima Gattoo is a Director in our Real Estate practice. She specialises in all areas of property law including but not limited to registration of complex securities, township developments and establishments, sectional title developments, and has extensive experience in renewable energy projects. · Real Estate

Fiona Leppan

Fiona Leppan is a Director in our Employment Law practice. She has extensive experience in the field of employee relations both from a litigation perspective and in terms of strategic planning. Training and development in this field has been a focal point. Fiona has actively trained clients on how to deal with internal disputes and to conduct enquiries and arbitrations. Fiona previously served as Joint Head of the Mining & Minerals sector. She has also established entire dispute resolution processes for a number of mining houses where disputes were dealt with by way of private conciliation and arbitration. Fiona works in various industries including mining, metals, engineering, retail, broadcasting, financial services and the commercial distributive trade. She has also been involved in occupational health and safety work. Fiona's sector specialities include Employment litigation, individual labour law, collective bargaining law and strategic planning and Occupational Health & Safety in Mining & Minerals. · Employment

Francis Newham

Francis is an Executive Consultant in our Corporate & Commercial practice and has been involved in corporate and commercial matters for more than 30 years. Francis’ clients comprise large listed and unlisted companies and financial institutions as well as a number of other commercial clients engaged in various sectors of the South African economy. He has advised in a number of stock exchange listings (IPOs) and de-listings. His main focus and areas of expertise are in respect of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and the formation, structuring and restructuring of business entities. · Corporate / M&A

Frieda Kishi

Frieda Kishi is a Director in our Employment Law practice, with over 22 years of experience advising clients across employment, civil, commercial, criminal, and real estate law. Her career reflects a deep commitment to legal excellence and client service, having represented leading corporates, regulators, and government institutions before the High Court, Supreme Court, and various labour forums. She is highly regarded for her expertise in employment and labour relations, particularly in disciplinary proceedings, organisational restructuring, compliance, and dispute resolution. Frieda’s strategic insight and meticulous preparation have earned her a reputation for delivering practical, solutions-driven outcomes in complex and sensitive matters. Beyond employment law, Frieda has developed strong credentials in real estate and conveyancing, advising on property transfers, development projects, and registration of securities. She has also contributed to regulatory and legislative drafting, including municipal by-laws and governance frameworks, further reinforcing her reputation as a trusted and respected advisor within Namibia’s legal and regulatory landscape. · Employment & Labour

Gerhard Badenhorst

Gerhard Badenhorst is a Director in our Tax & Exchange Control practice. He is a chartered accountant and specialises in value-added tax (VAT) matters in various industries, including the financial services, mining and property industries. Gerhard acts for various private, public and multinational corporations and non-profit organisations. He is a guest lecturer on VAT at the University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand and serves as a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants VAT sub-committee, and was an ad hoc member of the VAT sub-committee of the Davis Tax Committee. · Tax

Gretchen Barkhuizen-Barbosa

Gretchen Barkhuizen-Barbosa is Director and Head of our Trusts & Estates practice. She specialises in the field of estate administration and trusts. Gretchen has extensive experience in the administration of South African and foreign deceased estates, drafting and reviewing of wills and the establishment, registration and administration of trusts. · Trusts & Estates

Heinrich Louw

Heinrich is a Director in our Tax & Exchange Control practice. He has experience in various tax and exchange control matters relating to commercial transactions, as well as dispute resolution involving the South African Revenue Service. · Tax

Howmera Parak

Howmera Parak is a Director in our Tax & Exchange Control practice specialising in corporate and international tax, exchange control and tax controversy. · Tax

Ian Hayes

Ian Hayes is a Director and the Head of our Corporate & Commercial practice. As evidenced through market recognition, Ian is regarded as one of South Africa's foremost M&A specialists. Ian' areas of expertise include mergers & acquisitions, private equity, corporate finance, capital markets and structuring and restructuring of businesses. · Corporate / M&A

Imraan Abdullah

Imraan Abdullah is a Director in our Dispute Resolution practice. Imraan is a skilled practitioner specialising in Public Law. Imraan also has experience in commercial litigation and arbitration, and in dealing with matters in the oil and gas sector, with a particular focus on downstream operations in South Africa. · Dispute Resolution

Imraan Mahomed

Imraan Mahomed is a Director in our Employment Law practice. Imraan joined the practice in late 2020 having led a lateral team move. With almost 20 years’ experience, Imraan advises on all aspects of employment law ranging from transactions, litigation, regulatory to compliance matters impacting employment. His input is also sought regularly by the media on current labour law issues. He has acted as a judge of the Labour Court on various occassions. Imraan has vast experience in dealing with issues affecting employers in contentious and non-contentious matters and provides strategies at collective and individual level. He also advises across the continent and has been the lead attorney in various precedent setting cases. · Employment

Inonge Mainga

Inonge Mainga is Counsel in our Real Estate Law & Conveyancing practice. · Real Estate

Jackwell Feris

Jackwell Feris is a Director in our Dispute Resolution practice providing dispute resolution, risk advisory and regulatory services in South Africa and various other African jurisdictions. He has particular experience in the following sectors: Arbitrations (both domestic and international); Regulatory and Public Law matters; Mining, Energy and Natural Resources matters and International Investment Law matters. · Dispute Resolution

Jaco Meyer

Jaco Meyer is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial practice. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial transactions, black economic empowerment transactions, company law and corporate governance. Jaco has experience in advising on the acquisition and divestment of companies and businesses in South Africa and Australia, including due diligence and the corporate and commercial aspects regarding implementation of those transactions · Corporate / M&A

Jacquie Cassette

Jacquie is a Director and Head of our Pro Bono & Human Rights practice. Jacquie is responsible for the management of the firm's pro bono and human rights practice, both with regard to its existing projects and individual matters, as well as the identification of future projects. She practiced as an advocate at the Johannesburg Bar for a number of years before she joined Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. At the bar she practiced mostly in the fields of constitutional and administrative law (public law), pension fund law as well as general commercial law. She also has experience in the advertising industry, having acted as the Chair of the Advertising Industry Tribunal for a few years. · Pro Bono

Jean Ewang

Jean Ewang is Counsel in our Employment Law practice. She focuses on employment law. Jean has advised state entities, multinational companies, and employers on all aspects of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious. · Employment

Jerome Brink

Jerome Brink is a Director in our Tax & Exchange Control practice. He specialises in corporate tax, international tax and tax dispute resolution. He provides tax advice (and fiscal statute interpretation and application) on a wide variety of commercial transactions and business activities, including financing, corporate reorganisations and restructurings, disposals and acquisitions, empowerment transactions, projects and energy, and share incentive schemes. With reference to international tax, Jerome advises various clients on inward/ outward investments, tax residency, controlled foreign company rules, double tax treaties, transfer pricing and other cross-border tax issues. Jerome's specialisation includes tax controversy / tax dispute resolution and he also advises clients on tax incentives, taxation of REITs / property, employees’ tax (PAYE), value-added tax (VAT) and the taxation of trusts. · Tax

Joe Whittle

Joe Whittle is a Director in our Dispute Resolution practice and a member of our Construction sector. Joe specialises in construction dispute resolution including mediation, adjudication, arbitration and litigation, and has experience in FIDIC, NEC 3, JBCC Series 2000, GCC and other forms of construction and engineering contracts, both in representing parties to disputes involving such contracts and in the negotiation of the terms thereof. Joe also has a wide range of experience in general commercial litigation, litigation pertaining to medical aid schemes and insolvencies. · Dispute Resolution

Johan De Lange

Johan de Lange is the Deputy Practice Head of our Banking, Finance & Projects practice. Johan is a banking and finance lawyer with years of experience in the domestic and international debt markets where he practiced as a leading transacting lawyer with preeminent commercial law firms in London and Johannesburg. His field of specialisation includes acquisition and leveraged finance, private equity fund financings, project and infrastructure finance, commercial real estate finance, asset and structured finance, general syndicated debt and capital restructure transactions where he has worked on several of market-leading transactions in these areas. · Banking & Finance

Johan de Lange

Johan de Lange is the Deputy Practice Head of our Finance & Banking practice. He is also Director in Projects & Infrastructure and in the Corporate & Commercial practice. Johan is a banking and finance lawyer with years of experience in the domestic and international debt markets where he practiced as a leading transacting lawyer with preeminent commercial law firms in London and Johannesburg. His field of specialisation includes acquisition and leveraged finance, private equity fund financings, project and infrastructure finance, commercial real estate finance, asset and structured finance, general syndicated debt and capital restructure transactions where he has worked on several of market-leading transactions in these areas. · Banking & Finance