David Pinnock

David started his career as a candidate attorney at Cliffe Dekker and Todd (now Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr) in 1997. He was appointed as an associate in 1999, senior associate in 2000 and became a director in 2001.

• Advised Bud Group on a multi-billion-rand series of inter-linked transactions whereby Bud disposes of various businesses to facilitate the exit of certain of its major shareholders and repositions its capital structure.

• Advised Prudential Financial, Inc and LeapFrog Investments on their acquisition of a stake in JSE listed Alexander Forbes through an innovative public partial offer structure coupled with an off-market acquisition.

• Advised the business rescue practitioners of Rebosis on the public sale process whereby various portfolios of retail and commercial assets were sold in several multi-billion rand transactions by the BRPs to various bidders

• Advised Vodacom on its multi-billion rand acquisition of an interest in Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa.

• Advised Bud Group and Assupol Limited on the shareholding of Bud in Assupol and in relation to Assupol's listing on the Cape Town Stock Exchange

• Advised Letter One and Blantyre in their €447 million acquisition of the European businesses of JSE listed Ascendis Health through an acquisition of the senior debt of Ascendis Health and an exchange of assets

• Advised the shareholders of Vumatel on the multi-billion rand disposal of Vumatel to CIVH, a subsidiary of Remgro.

• Advised Sun International on the R2.1 billion acquisition by Tsogo Sun of a 40% stake in Sun International's SunWest (Grandwest Casino) and Worcester operations and the partial exit of Grand Parade Investments Limited.

• Advised Sun International in its staggered disposal of controlling interests in its Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Zambia hotel businesses to Minor International Public Company Limited (listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand).

• Advised IEP Group, formerly the private equity investments business of Investec Bank, on a series of integrated transactions with Khulasande Capital and the shareholders and management of each of the Goscor Group of Companies, Concord Cranes, Prowalco, Uni-Span Holdings and Afrit to create industrial services holding group, InServe.

• Advising IEP Group, Khulasande Capital and the shareholders and management of each of Idwala Industrial Holdings, Ferro Industrial Products. Chlor-Alkali Holdings (CAH) and CJP Chemicals, in a series of integrated transactions to create an industrial chemicals holding group, Synchem.

• Advised IEP Group on a series of integrated transactions with the shareholders of its various portfolio companies to create the Bud Group.

• Advised IEP Group in its multi-billion rand acquisition of Idwala Industrial Holdings, a leading South African miner and producer of industrial minerals and lime, from a private equity consortium. Idwala was vended into Synchem.

• Advised the private equity division of Investec Bank on various acquisitions and disposals, the bulk of the portfolio now forming the Bud Group.

• Advised RMB Corvest, Stockdale Street and Bopa Morua on the acquisition of Autotrader and its disposal to Naspers Limited.

• Advised Keller Group plc on its acquisition of the Esorfranki Geotechnical business of Esorfranki Limited conducted in South Africa and various other African jurisdictions.

• Advised Calulo Investments on a variety of acquisitions and disposals, including in relation to Tosaco (Total SA), Sturrock Grindrod Maritime, Rohlig Grindrod and FFS Refiners.

• Advised Massmart Holdings on various acquisitions of independent FMCG retailers.

• Advised Metorex on the sale by Metorex shareholders to Jinchuan Group (following a failed bid by Vale SA). This major investment by a Chinese entity in the resources sector in South Africa, Zambia and the DRC was the most substantial M&A transaction in the resources field in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2011 and was concluded in the face of several competing bids; transaction value R9.11 billion. The deal was named "Deal of the Year" by DealMakers.

• Advised Anooraq Resources Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, Plateau Resources, on the acquisition from Anglo Platinum and its wholly owned subsidiary, Rustenburg Platinum Mines, of, amongst others, an effective 51% of Lebowa Platinum Mines (transaction value R2,6 billion).

• Advised Blue Horison Investments 41, whose shareholders consists of a consortium of BEE shareholders and communities, on the acquisition of 24% of Richards Bay Minerals, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton (transaction value R4 billion).

• Advised Clear Channel and Independent Newspapers on the acquisition of the outdoor advertising business of Corpcom, which included businesses and subsidiaries throughout Africa.

• Advised Independent Newspapers on the disposal of its African outdoor advertising business to a private equity consortium (transaction value R1,2 billion).

• Advised CCMP Asia on the acquisition of Waco, a company with interests in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Namibia and Zimbabwe, at that time being South Africa's largest ever private equity transaction (value R5,4 billion)

• Chambers Global 2017–2026 ranked David in Band 2 for private equity.
• Chambers Global 2026 ranked David in Band 4 for corporate/M&A. In 2025 he was ranked in Band 5 for corporate/M&A.
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2020–2023 recommended him as a leading individual for commercial, corporate/M&A.
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2016–2019 recommended him for commercial, corporate/M&A.
• IFLR1000 2018–2025 recommended David as a notable practitioner in private equity, and M&A.