At ENSafrica, Ntsiki Adonisi-Kgame leads the firm’s natural resources and environmental practice, and covers all areas of mining law. Pieter Colyn heads the mining and occupational health and safety department; the combined practices assist across a broad range of contentious and non-contentious mining matters. Adonisi-Kgame has established experience in advising on mining M&A, environmental issues and dispute resolution in the mining industry, and Colyn has an excellent track record in handling work concerning high-profile safety incidents in the sector. In addition to his role as firm COO, Otsile Matlou is well known for assisting throughout the life cycle of a mine, from exploration to decommissioning. Celeste Coles, Willem le Roux  and Warren Hendricks are further key practitioners to note.

Jonathan Veeran and department deputy Rita Spalding lead Webber Wentzel’s prominent mining practice, which is well versed in handling instructions across the whole lifecycle of mining matters. Veeran has a solid track record in assisting with mining regulatory issues and structuring related transactions, and Spalding has experience in advising on restructurings and M&A work in the mining industry. Giada Masina has expertise in assisting with high-profile mining transactions. Bruce Dickinson, Kate Collier and consultant Manus Booysen are further key figures in the group.

The mining and natural resources practice at Beech Veltman Inc is well-known for its track record in advising on health and safety issues within the mining industry, and is noted for handling matters involving fatal mining accidents. Department head and firm CEO Warren Beech specialises in mining law, and advises on environmental matters, regulatory issues, and mining transactions. Nicholas Veltman stands out for handling health and safety investigations. Eben van Zyl is a key name for mining disputes, and Bryan White assists with compliance matters, commercial agreements in the industry, and employment disputes.

At Bowmans, the team fields particular expertise in handling mining-related corporate and M&A mandates for large mining companies, financial services entities and technology clients. The practice is also highly regarded for its capabilities in handling employment disputes, financial matters and environmental work, and the group reports an uptick in instructions focusing on regulatory issues. M&A expert Charles Young leads the department, and Wandisile Mandlana is a key name for assisting mining houses and suppliers in the industry with mining titles, disputes concerning mineral rights, and environment impact matters. Claire Tucker handles a wide spectrum of mining law matters, and is noted for her strength in regulatory work.

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr’s mining and minerals practice ‘has a deep talent pool‘ with a ‘qualified, attentive and efficient‘ team. Department head Allan Reid ‘has many years of experience and is well respected in the mining industry.’ Vivien Chaplin has a strong reputation for assisting clients in the manganese and aluminium mining space with supply and offtake agreements - she also advises on regulatory issues. Burton Meyer is a key name for contentious matters. Ian Hayes, Fiona Leppan, and Rachel Kelly are key figures in the department.

Patrick Leyden heads Herbert Smith Freehills LLP’s mining team, which advises on a broad range of transactional and contentious work in the industry. The client base includes government departments, international and local companies and non-profit organisations. Leyden is sought after for his expertise in advising on cross-border M&A in the mining space. Ernst Muller brings experience in assisting multinational mining companies with ESG matters. Peter Leon is now based in the London office, and acts as the firm’s global chair of its Africa group.

Norton Rose Fulbright‘s mining group garners praise for its ‘availability and competency‘. The team’s workload includes project finance matters, corporate finance, acquisitions and regulatory issues. Michael Dale regularly acts for prominent international and local mining houses in mandates, and is equally adept at assisting clients from the construction and upstream petroleum industries with mining-related work. Dale co-leads the practice with M&A expert Christina Pretorius. Andre Vos is a key name for mining litigation, and Andrea Cabanac brings experience in compliance matters in the sector.

At Werksmans Attorneys, the mining practice has been kept busy advising on transactions, disposals, dispute resolution and environmental matters. Department head Chris Stevens has established strength in advising on mining title registrations and transactional work. Kyra South assists local and international mining companies with a broad range of matters. Natalie Scott is also a key practitioner to note.

White & Case LLP’s practice is co-led by Gary Felthun and Lloyd Christie; their team assists a client base of financial institutions and prominent mining houses with all aspects of mining work, including regulatory issues, acquisitions, project developments and dispute resolution. Christie is well known for his expertise in environmental law, and regularly acts for regulators and government agencies in mandates. Felthun has an excellent reputation for advising on large mining transactions, with noted strength in mining M&A.

Fasken’s mining practice has a solid track record in handling a broad range of mining-related instructions. Blaize Vance, the firm’s regional managing partner for Africa, leads the department, and is well-versed in advising on major mining projects. Rakhee Bhoora is a key contact for mining dispute resolution; Paul Fouche has a strong reputation for mining health and safety matters; and Francois Joubert is instructed in work concerning regulatory and compliance issues and transactional matters.

At Hogan Lovells (South Africa), recent instructions for the mining team include advising on restructurings, acquisitions, and health and safety issues, as well as handling dispute resolution. Wessel Badenhorst is a key practitioner for instructions involving the disposal of distressed mining operations, mining health and safety issues and environmental law concerning the industry. Badenhorst heads the practice alongside Chris Green  and Deepa Vallabh, both of whom are very experienced in advising on cross-border M&A transactions.