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Willem Jacobs

Practice Head, Director

Willem Jacobs is a Director and Head of our Corporate & Commercial practice, leading a team of nearly 100-strong commercial lawyers. Willem also serves on the firm's Executive, Fincom and Africom Committees. As evidenced through market recognition, Willem is regarded as one of South Africa's foremost M&A specialists. Willem’s areas of expertise are corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, private equity, black economic empowerment transactions, and structuring and restructuring of businesses.

+27 (0)11 562 1555
willem.jacobs@cdhlegal.comJohannesburg
Willem Jacobs

Credentials

Credentials

Education

  • BCom Law, LLB, Dip (Insolvency), HDip (Tax), University of Johannesburg
  • Year of admission as an attorney: 1997
  • Registered with the Legal Practice Council

Credentials

Education

  • BCom Law, LLB, Dip (Insolvency), HDip (Tax), University of Johannesburg
  • Year of admission as an attorney: 1997
  • Registered with the Legal Practice Council

Experience

Retailability

Advised Retailability, a group with over 400 retail stores in Southern Africa, in respect of its acquisition from Edcon (in business rescue) of approximately 130 Edgars retail stores in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, eSwatini and Lesotho, including extensive due diligence (2020/2021).

Actis and Harborough

Advised Actis and Harborough on the disposal by Harborough of Ghana Home Loans Bank – circa GH¢161,202,078 (2020).

Tiso Blackstar

Advised Tiso Blackstar on the disposal of Gallo Music Investments and Indigenous Film Distribution to Arena (Lebashe Investments) - circa ZAR 75 million (2020).

Lereko Metier Capital Growth Fund II,

Advised Lereko Metier Capital Growth Fund II, LMCGF II Parallel Trust, Metier Capital Growth Fund II Partnership, MCGF II Investments and RMB Ventures in a complex set of transactions in terms of which certain existing shareholders in Vox Telecoms exited and certain new shareholders were introduced through a combination of share repurchases, new subscriptions and the conversion of preference shares into ordinary shares - circa ZAR 2.5 billion (2019).

Metier Capital Growth Fund II

Advised Metier Capital Growth Fund II and Rand Merchant Bank in the recapitalisation and restructuring of the shareholding structure of Vox Holdings in partnership with management (2019)

Lereko Metier Sustainable Capital Fund Trust

Advised Lereko Metier Sustainable Capital Fund Trust on its acquisition of an interest in Tecroveer Holdings and Becon Watertech (2019)

Tiso Blackstar Group

Advised Tiso Blackstar Group in respect of Lebashe's acquisition of Tiso Blackstar's media, broadcasting and content businesses in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya – circa US$71 million (2019)

Séché Environnement

Advised Séché Environnement in its take private acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of South African waste management company, Interwaste Holdings - circa US$40 million (2019)

Metier Capital Growth Fund II

Advised Metier Capital Growth Fund II and MCGF II Investments, in their take private acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of South African packaging company, Master Plastics - circa US$18.9 million (2018).

YeboYethu

Advised YeboYethu, the main broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) shareholder of Vodacom, in a BEE deal, in terms of which the current shareholders in Vodacom's 2008 BEE deal reinvested their equity for a further 10 years and geared that equity to acquire greater exposure to Vodacom - circa US$1.2 billion (2018)

Investec Bank

Advised Investec Bank on the disposal of its private equity portfolio (some 16 investments) to a special purpose vehicle, Investec Equity Partners, which is owned by Investec Bank, management and several strategic investors - circa ZAR7.6 billion (2017)

Liquid Telecoms

Advised Liquid Telecoms on its acquisition of Neotel - circa ZAR6.55 billion (2016)

Industrial Partnership Investments

Advised Industrial Partnership Investments on its disposal to TSB Sugar Holdings of a 76% stake in RCL Foods, and the subsequent acquisition by RCL Foods from TSB Sugar Holdings of 100% of the issued ordinary shares in TSB Sugar RSA and TSB Sugar International (2014)

Tiso Group

Advised Tiso Group on its merger with Kagiso Trust Investments to form Kagiso Tiso Holdings, a major black economic empowerment investment holding company with a net asset value of approximately ZAR8 billion (2009).

News

“Business as usual” at the CIPC amidst ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

“Business as usual” at the CIPC amidst ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

In its latest notice, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) announced that, as of 1 December 2020, there will be a re-commencement of companies and close corporations’...
Can companies trade recklessly during COVID-19?
Corporate & Commercial Law

Can companies trade recklessly during COVID-19?

In response to the declaration by President Cyril Ramaphosa of a national state of disaster on 15 March 2020, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) issued Practice...
Are you compliant? CIPC Compliance Checklist now mandatory

Are you compliant? CIPC Compliance Checklist now mandatory

During the latter part of 2019, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) issued Notice 52, announcing a CIPC Compliance Checklist (Checklist) requiring companies to...
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr says that there are opportunities for investors who take a longer-term view

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr says that there are opportunities for investors who take a longer-term view

While the deal pipeline has slowed in the past year, business law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) says that, notwithstanding the current volatility, there are opportunities for investors...
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr says that there are opportunities for investors who take a longer-term view

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr says that there are opportunities for investors who take a longer-term view

Recognition

2016-2023

Legal 500 EMEA

  • The Legal 500 EMEA 2016-2023 listed Willem as a 'leading individual' for commercial, corporate and M&A and he was also recommended in 2012–2016 for mining, commercial, corporate and M&A.

2014–2023

Chambers Global

  • Chambers Global 2014–2023 ranked Willem in Band 2 for Corporate/M&A: Private Equity

2022-2023

Chambers Global

  • Chambers Global 2022-2023 ranked Willem in Band 3 for Corporate/M&A.

2011-2022

IFLR1000

  • IFLR1000 2011–2015, 2017 to 2020 and 2022 recommended Willem as a leading lawyer for M&A and private equity.

2019

Who’s Who Legal

  • Who’s Who Legal 2019 ranked Willem as a leading lawyer in M&A and Governance.

2017-2018

Who’s Who Legal

  • Who’s Who Legal 2017 and 2018 ranked Willem as a leading lawyer in M&A.

Legal 500 EMEA

  • The Legal 500 EMEA 2016-2023 listed Willem as a 'leading individual' for commercial, corporate and M&A and he was also recommended in 2012–2016 for mining, commercial, corporate and M&A.

Chambers Global

  • Chambers Global 2014–2023 ranked Willem in Band 2 for Corporate/M&A: Private Equity

Chambers Global

  • Chambers Global 2022-2023 ranked Willem in Band 3 for Corporate/M&A.

IFLR1000

  • IFLR1000 2011–2015, 2017 to 2020 and 2022 recommended Willem as a leading lawyer for M&A and private equity.

Who’s Who Legal

  • Who’s Who Legal 2019 ranked Willem as a leading lawyer in M&A and Governance.

Who’s Who Legal

  • Who’s Who Legal 2017 and 2018 ranked Willem as a leading lawyer in M&A.

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