Mergers & Acquisitions
Our practitioners form part of one of South Africa's largest corporate and commercial practices and offer the full suite of services required to deliver strategic legal support on transactional work. Since 2008, CDH has consistently been the most active South African legal adviser and, according to leading analyst rankings, has handled more M&A transactions than any other law firm.
Mergers & Acquisitions Services
We close deals effectively by providing exceptional legal advice, managing risk, ensuring you meet regulatory compliance and working at every aspect of the transaction to ensure that it works from a legal and commercial perspective.
At Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, we have one of South Africa's largest Corporate and Commercial practices and offer the full suite of services required to deliver strategic legal support on transactional work. We handle hundreds of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions each year.
Since 2008, we have consistently been the most active South African legal adviser and have handled more M&A transactions than any other law firm, according to the leading analyst rankings. Our Corporate team has more than 50 qualified lawyers whose primary responsibility and expertise is transactional work.
Our services include:
- Strategic legal support: We offer commercial and practical advice specific to your goals and objectives and actively manage the M&A process to help bring transactions to an efficient conclusion.
- Practical and effective project management: We offer effective project management, which is crucial to ensuring an efficient and satisfactory conclusion to any M&A transaction.
- Cross-border project management: We have experience in project managing complex multi-jurisdictional corporate activity. When you venture into new markets we are able to help you understand the risks involved, offer advice on the best structure for any given transaction and provide workable solutions.
- Global expertise: We offer experience and insights drawn from countries around the world, so you benefit from a vast amount of international M&A experience.
- Extensive expertise: We offer experience spans a wide range of industries and our clients include local and international listed and unlisted companies as well as emerging businesses, government departments and state-owned enterprises. Our senior deal team has strong experience in pre- and post-deal structuring and integration.
Mergers & Acquisitions Brochures
Services
Mergers & Acquisitions Services
We close deals effectively by providing exceptional legal advice, managing risk, ensuring you meet regulatory compliance and working at every aspect of the transaction to ensure that it works from a legal and commercial perspective.
At Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, we have one of South Africa's largest Corporate and Commercial practices and offer the full suite of services required to deliver strategic legal support on transactional work. We handle hundreds of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions each year.
Since 2008, we have consistently been the most active South African legal adviser and have handled more M&A transactions than any other law firm, according to the leading analyst rankings. Our Corporate team has more than 50 qualified lawyers whose primary responsibility and expertise is transactional work.
Our services include:
- Strategic legal support: We offer commercial and practical advice specific to your goals and objectives and actively manage the M&A process to help bring transactions to an efficient conclusion.
- Practical and effective project management: We offer effective project management, which is crucial to ensuring an efficient and satisfactory conclusion to any M&A transaction.
- Cross-border project management: We have experience in project managing complex multi-jurisdictional corporate activity. When you venture into new markets we are able to help you understand the risks involved, offer advice on the best structure for any given transaction and provide workable solutions.
- Global expertise: We offer experience and insights drawn from countries around the world, so you benefit from a vast amount of international M&A experience.
- Extensive expertise: We offer experience spans a wide range of industries and our clients include local and international listed and unlisted companies as well as emerging businesses, government departments and state-owned enterprises. Our senior deal team has strong experience in pre- and post-deal structuring and integration.
Brochures
Mergers & Acquisitions Brochures
Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyers
CDH’s lawyers balance legal knowledge with commercial understanding to support our clients’ best interests.
Our Mergers & Acquisitions LawyersOur Work
Featured

Mediclinic shortlisted for the DealMakers Brunswick Deal of the Year 2022
CDH is acting as the South African legal advisor to Mediclinic International Plc, the third biggest hospital operator in South Africa, in the acquisition of Mediclinic from its minority shareholders by Manta Bidco Limited.

PSG - shortlisted for the DealMakers Brunswick Deal of the Year 2022
CDH is working with the PSG Group on a complex deal, valued at over R20 billion, that incorporates M&A, capital markets and restructuring.

CDH advised Mediclinic on its expansion to become third largest non-US private hospital group globally
CDH advised Mediclinic, a large private hospital group with operations in Southern Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the UAE, in this R125 billion ground-breaking transaction.

CDH advised on merger to create largest listed real estate player in Central and Eastern Europe – NEPI Rockcastle Plc
CDH advised New Europe Property Investments Plc (NEPI), the then largest listed real estate fund focused on Eastern Europe, on its merger with Rockcastle Global Real Estate Limited, a real estate fund that owned, developed and managed retail assets in Eastern Europe and invested in global real estate listed securities.

CDH advised on the restructuring of Distell's multi-tiered ownership structure
CDH advised Distell, the South Africa-based leading global brewing and beverage company, which had a multi-tiered listed pyramid ownership structure involving, among others, JSE-listed Remgro, one of the pre-eminent investment companies in South Africa, and JSE-listed Capevin. Our team advised both Distell and Capevin in connection with the restructuring of the multi-tiered, pyramid-type ownership structure.

CDH advised Vodacom and YeboYethu on the biggest BEE deal in the ICT sector to date, empowering more than 82 000 South Africans
CDH advised Vodacom Group Limited (VGL), the leading South Africa-based mobile communications company; and YeboYethu (YY), VGL's main broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) shareholder in a R16,41 billion BEE deal. This deal was shortlisted for DealMakers' Deal of the Year 2018.
Our Work

Mediclinic shortlisted for the DealMakers Brunswick Deal of the Year 2022
CDH is acting as the South African legal advisor to Mediclinic International Plc, the third biggest hospital operator in South Africa, in the acquisition of Mediclinic from its minority shareholders by Manta Bidco Limited.

PSG - shortlisted for the DealMakers Brunswick Deal of the Year 2022
CDH is working with the PSG Group on a complex deal, valued at over R20 billion, that incorporates M&A, capital markets and restructuring.

CDH advised Mediclinic on its expansion to become third largest non-US private hospital group globally
CDH advised Mediclinic, a large private hospital group with operations in Southern Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the UAE, in this R125 billion ground-breaking transaction.

CDH advised on merger to create largest listed real estate player in Central and Eastern Europe – NEPI Rockcastle Plc
CDH advised New Europe Property Investments Plc (NEPI), the then largest listed real estate fund focused on Eastern Europe, on its merger with Rockcastle Global Real Estate Limited, a real estate fund that owned, developed and managed retail assets in Eastern Europe and invested in global real estate listed securities.

CDH advised on the restructuring of Distell's multi-tiered ownership structure
CDH advised Distell, the South Africa-based leading global brewing and beverage company, which had a multi-tiered listed pyramid ownership structure involving, among others, JSE-listed Remgro, one of the pre-eminent investment companies in South Africa, and JSE-listed Capevin. Our team advised both Distell and Capevin in connection with the restructuring of the multi-tiered, pyramid-type ownership structure.

CDH advised Vodacom and YeboYethu on the biggest BEE deal in the ICT sector to date, empowering more than 82 000 South Africans
CDH advised Vodacom Group Limited (VGL), the leading South Africa-based mobile communications company; and YeboYethu (YY), VGL's main broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) shareholder in a R16,41 billion BEE deal. This deal was shortlisted for DealMakers' Deal of the Year 2018.
Mergers & Acquisitions News
More newsCDH is consistently successful in advising on the most M&A deals in South Africa
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) continues to dominate as one of South Africa’s top M&A legal advisers, according to the Ansarada DealMakers Annual Awards, held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 21 February 2023.
CDH insights on recent trends in merger control and prohibited practice
This alert addresses some of the recent competition law developments in merger control and prohibited practice before the South African competitionauthorities.
Njeri talks to Shanif Dewany, Charles Omanga and Nyokabi Manguyu
On this month’s podcast Njeri talks to Shanif Dewany, Charles Omanga and Nyokabi Manguyu of Horizon Capital and the Asiri Group. Njeri, Shanif, Charles and Nyokabi tackle corporate law and its role in developing economies. Shanif, Charles and Nyokabi give a masterclass on understanding M&A, Corporate Finance, wealth management and succession planning in this important and informative discussion.
Recognition
2015-2023
Chambers Global
Chambers Global 2015-2023 rank our Corporate/M&A practice in Band 1.
2018-2023
The Legal 500 EMEA
The Legal 500 EMEA 2018-2023 recognises us as Tier 1 in commercial, corporate/M&A.
2016-2021
IFLR1000
IFLR1000 2017-2021 ranks the firm in M&A - Tier 1. IFLR1000 2016 ranks the firm in M&A - Tier 2.
2022
Dealmakers
- 2022 1st by M&A Listed Deal Flow
- 2022 3rd by M&A Listed Deal Value
- 2022 3rd by M&A Unlisted Deal Value
- 2022 3rd by M&A Unlisted Deal Flow
- 2022 3rd by General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
2021
Dealmakers
- 2021 1st by M&A Deal Flow
- 2021 2nd by General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
- 2021 2nd by BEE Deal Value
- 2021 3rd by General Corporate Finance Deal Value
- 2021 3rd by BEE Deal Flow
- 2021 4th by M&A Deal Value
2020
Dealmakers
- 2020 1st by M&A Deal Flow
- 2020 1st by BEE Deal Flow
- 2020 1st by BEE Deal Value
- 2020 2nd by General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
- 2020 2nd by General Corporate Finance Deal Value
- 2020 3rd by M&A Deal Value
- 2020 Catalyst Private Equity Deal of the Year

Chambers Global
Chambers Global 2015-2023 rank our Corporate/M&A practice in Band 1.
The Legal 500 EMEA
The Legal 500 EMEA 2018-2023 recognises us as Tier 1 in commercial, corporate/M&A.
IFLR1000
IFLR1000 2017-2021 ranks the firm in M&A - Tier 1. IFLR1000 2016 ranks the firm in M&A - Tier 2.
Dealmakers
- 2022 1st by M&A Listed Deal Flow
- 2022 3rd by M&A Listed Deal Value
- 2022 3rd by M&A Unlisted Deal Value
- 2022 3rd by M&A Unlisted Deal Flow
- 2022 3rd by General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
Dealmakers
- 2021 1st by M&A Deal Flow
- 2021 2nd by General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
- 2021 2nd by BEE Deal Value
- 2021 3rd by General Corporate Finance Deal Value
- 2021 3rd by BEE Deal Flow
- 2021 4th by M&A Deal Value
Dealmakers
- 2020 1st by M&A Deal Flow
- 2020 1st by BEE Deal Flow
- 2020 1st by BEE Deal Value
- 2020 2nd by General Corporate Finance Deal Flow
- 2020 2nd by General Corporate Finance Deal Value
- 2020 3rd by M&A Deal Value
- 2020 Catalyst Private Equity Deal of the Year
Happy Clients
Clients described the team at CDH as "top-tier in terms of quality of attorneys and service."
Chambers Global 2022
Sources note the group's "grasp of commercial issues" and "anticipation of legal issues and risks."
Chambers Global 2022
"They are very practical and provide astute legal advice."
Chambers Global 2022
We have found the team to be highly commercial yet practical in implementing the transactions envisaged/desired by the counter-parties. Project management has been very good. We know exactly where we are in the bigger process – there no surprises.
Legal 500 EMEA 2020
The team provides well-balanced, practical, and business orientated service offering.
Legal 500 EMEA 2020
“The firm gives excellent advice and insight into commercial matters and has deep knowledge of the law. It also has the ability to deal with shareholders from other geographies.”
IFLR1000 2020
“The firm has incredible attention to detail and is very comprehensive in all aspects of its work.”
IFLR1000 2020
“The firm is competent. They are leaders in their field of expertise and deliver on time.”
IFLR1000 2020