Our lawyers coordinate complex transactions, deal with regulatory requirements, advise on tax matters, manage due diligence investigations and prepare all required documentation. Our key focus areas are:

• Equity Capital Markets
• Private Equity
• Black Economic Empowerment
• Companies Act
• Corporate Governance
• Mining
• Africa
• M&A and general commercial
• Agriculture

We have years of experience acting for clients across multiple sectors including Telecommunications, Energy, Mining, Healthcare, Hospitality, Tourism, Information Technology, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Real Estate, Manufacturing and many more.

• Advised Grand Parade Investments in its sale of the Burger King South Africa franchise and a related burger-making plant to private equity firm ECP Africa Fund.

• Advised JSE-listed REIT, Equites Property Fund in the formation of its joint venture with Shoprite Holdings Limited to manage and develop a portfolio of logistics properties.

• Advised Arrowhead and Gemgrow, both South Africa-based property funds, on the reverse takeover of Gemgrow by Arrowhead, in terms of which Gemgrow acquired all of the Arrowhead shares by way of a scheme of arrangement.

• Advised ZARX-listed Senwes Group, one of South Africa's largest agribusinesses, and KLK Landbou Limited, a large farming services specialist in the Northern Cape, on Senwes Group's purchase of a majority shareholding in KLK, whilst simultaneously overcoming a competing hostile takeover bid, already launched by one of KLK's existing shareholders.

• Advised Caixa Geral de Depósitos, S.A., the leading Portugal-based state-owned banking corporation, as South African counsel, on its disposal of 100% of its shareholding in Mercantile Bank Holdings to Capitec Bank.

• Advised Séché Environnement S.A., the leading France-based group which provides environmental management solutions globally, in its take-private acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of South African waste management company, Interwaste Holdings, by way of a scheme of arrangement. Following the implementation of the scheme, Interwaste was delisted from the main board of JSE.
  
  
• Advised Metier Capital Growth Fund II Partnership and Metier Capital Growth Fund II Investments, leading South African and Mauritius private equity investment vehicles, in their take-private acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of South African packaging company, Master Plastics, by way of a scheme of arrangement. Following the implementation of the scheme, Master Plastics was delisted from the main board of JSE.

• Advised Vukile Property Fund Limited, one of South Africa's premier REITs, in the indirect acquisition of 4 retail centres in Spain from Unibail Rodamco. This marked a significant step in its offshore expansion.
  
  
• Advised Old Mutual Emerging Markets Proprietary Limited (OMEM), which owns 100% of the issued share capital of Old Mutual (South Africa) Holdings (OMSA), which in turn held 100% of the issued share capital of UK-based, OM Latin America HoldCo UK (OMLAH) and 100% of the issued share capital of Panama-based, AIVA Holdings Group (AIVA). We advised OMSA in the sale of its 100% shareholding in OMLAH and AIVA, thereby also transferring indirect ownership of various companies falling under these entities. The transaction involved numerous countries across 4 continents, their local laws and the sale of shares in a highly-regulated industry.

• Advised Remgro, the top ALSI 40 leading investment holding company listed on the JSE, on the exchange of Remgro's 25.75% shareholding (held via a wholly-owned subsidiary of Remgro) in Unilever South Africa Holdings, for full ownership of the Unilever spreads business in Southern Africa (valued at US$526.5 million) plus US$368.6 million in cash. 

• Advised Tower Property Fund Limited (Tower), a leading South Africa-based property investment fund and structured REIT, in establishing its subsidiary, Tower International, in Mauritius. We advised Tower on transferring its ZAR 1 billion Croatian property portfolio to Tower International; obtaining a new investor, Namibia-based Oryx, to invest ZAR300 million into Tower International; and on restructuring the Euro bank debt linked to the portfolio.
  
  
• Advised Solar Capital Orange RF (Pty) Limited, a leader in renewable energy solutions in South Africa, on the re-arrangement of shareholding, and completion of the financing to allow a much-delayed renewable solar project to close days before extended regulatory approval expired.

• Advised Soihl Hong Kong Holdings Limited, subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), the global oil giant, in its acquisition of 75 per cent of Chevron's downstream oil assets in South Africa and Botswana. We also advised on the establishment of a head office presence in South Africa for Sinopec, to serve as a base for its African business.
  
  
• Advised Sovereign Food Investments Limited, one of the largest poultry producers in South Africa. Following the successful defence of an attempted hostile take-over of Sovereign Foods by Country Bird Holdings (CBH), we advised this client in respect of Capitalworks' friendly offer to acquire all (or a portion) of the shares in Sovereign Foods.
  
  
• Advised Prescient Holdings, the South Africa-based company which provides investment and wealth management, securities, administration, management company, life and foundation services, on the repurchase by Prescient Holdings of circa 25% of its shares from Stellar Capital in three tranches, and the simultaneous subscriptions by a black empowered vehicle (Prescient Empowerment Trust) and a management company for shares in Prescient. This ultimately resulted in Prescient Holdings having a majority black ownership.
  
  
• Advised Tiso Blackstar Group SE, a leading media, broadcast and retail marketing group, in respect of the disposal of its 22.9 per cent shareholding in Kagiso Tiso, a leading black-owned diversified investment holding company.
  
  
• Advised Capitec Bank Holdings Limited, the second largest retail bank in South Africa; and Petratouch Proprietary Limited, an investment holding company, regarding the restructuring of Capitec's original black economic empowerment (BEE) transaction (which was implemented in 2007), resulting in Petratouch acquiring a significant stake in Capitec from existing BEE shareholders and increasing its shareholding in Capitec to 7.27 per cent, making it Capitec’s largest empowerment shareholder.
  
  
• Advised EOH Holdings Limited, a technology company listed on the JSE, in respect of its BEE Transaction, coupled with a ZAR1 billion equity capital raising.
  
  
• Advised Lonmin, the world's third largest platinum producer, with a primary listing on the London stock exchange and a secondary listing on the JSE, in relation to an all-share offer by Sibanye Gold (trading as Sibanye-Stillwater). In terms of this deal, Sibanye offered to acquire the entire issued share capital of Lonmin from Lonmin shareholders. The deal was effected by means of a scheme of arrangement between Lonmin and the Lonmin shareholders under Part 26 of the UK Companies Act.
  
  
• Advised Premier Fishing and Brands Limited, a leading Black-owned and controlled fishing company, on its acquisition of a controlling interest in Talhado Fishing Enterprises, a specialist squid fishing company.

• Advised Stellar Capital Partners Limited, the JSE-listed investment holding company with a combination of strategic and controlling stakes in a portfolio of investee companies in the financial services and industrial sectors, on the sale of its 100% stake in Amalgamated Electronic Corporation.

• Advised Echo Polish Properties N.V., a Polish property fund promoted by Redefine Properties Limited, on its IPO and JSE inward listing.

• Advised Atlatsa Resources Corporation, a mining company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (primary listing) and the JSE (secondary listing), in respect of its disposal of the Kwanda North and Central Block prospecting rights to Anglo American Platinum. We also advised in the corporate debt restructuring of the Atlatsa Group and the placement of Bokoni Platinum Mine on care and maintenance. The transaction saw the migration of Atlatsa from the Toronto Stock Exchange to the JSE.

Dealmakers 2019

 

• M&A Legal DealMakers of the Decade 2010 – 2019 (Deal Flow)
• Dealmakers 2019 - 1st by BEE M&A Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2019 - 1st by General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2019 - 2nd by M&A Deal Value
• Dealmakers 2019 - 2nd by M&A Deal Flow

 

Dealmakers 2018

 

• Dealmakers 2018 - 1st by M&A Deal Flow for the 10th year in a row
• Dealmakers 2018 - 1st by M&A Deal Value.
• Dealmakers 2018 - 2nd by General Corporate Finance Deal Flow.
• Dealmakers 2018 - 1st by BEE M&A Deal Value.
• Dealmakers 2018 - 2nd by BEE M&A Deal Flow.
• Dealmakers 2018 - Lead legal advisers on the Private Equity Deal of the Year.

 

Dealmakers 2017

 

• Dealmakers 2017 - 1^st by M&A Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2017 - 2^nd by M&A Deal Value
• Dealmakers 2017 - 1^st by General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2017 - 1^st by General Corporate Finance Value
• Dealmakers 2017 - 2nd by M&A Deal Flow and Deal Value (Africa, excluding South Africa)
• Dealmakers 2017 - 2nd by BEE Deal Flow and Deal Value

 

Dealmakers 2016 - 2011

 

• Dealmakers 2016 – 1^st for M&A Deal Flow 8 years in a row
• Dealmakers 2016 – 1^st in General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2015 – 1^st for Deal Flow 7 years in a row
• Dealmakers 2015 – 1^st in General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2014 – 1^st Deal Flow 6 years in a row
• Dealmakers 2014 – 1^st in M&A Deal Value
• Dealmakers 2014 – 1^st in General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2013 – 1^st for M&A Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2013 – 1^st in M&A Deal Value
• Dealmakers 2013 – 1^st in Unlisted Deals - Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2012 – 1^st in M&A Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2012 – 1^st in General Corporate, Finance Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2012 – 1^st in General Corporate Finance, Deal Value
• Dealmakers 2012 – 1^st in Unlisted Deals - Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2011 – 1^st in M&A Deal Flow
• Dealmakers 2011 – 1^st in General Corporate Finance Deal Flow, Legal Advisor - Deal of the Year