At Bowmans, the practice’s ‘ability to provide a one-stop-shop for all things competition-related in Africa is invaluable when it comes to navigating complex multi-jurisdictional matters’. Derek Lötter is ‘extremely knowledgeable in competition law’, and jointly heads the department with Tamara Dini, who possesses ‘a supreme grasp of the technical nature of competition law’. The team is highly regarded for advising a client base of blue-chip companies on a broad spectrum of complex competition matters, with noted capabilities in handling abuse of dominance allegations, prohibited practices investigations, and merger control mandates. Heather Irvine regularly acts on cross-border mergers, and Rudolph Labuschagne has solid expertise in advising on competition litigation and cartel and abuse of dominance investigations. Other key practitioners include Xolani Nyali, Sivuyise Lutshiti, and Kayla Abrahams. Disebo Leokaoke joined the practice in late 2022.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Heather Irvine is our trusted SA antitrust counsel. She leads a very strong team. A true leader, smart, organised, technically strong, commercial, patient.'
‘Heather Irvine is outstanding.'
‘They are willing to listen and make sure they fully understand, which culminates in the assistance being 100% spot on.'
'The competition lawyers at Bowmans (and especially Xolani Nyali) are very competent and extremely responsive. They provide pragmatic and timely advice.'
‘Derek is always willing to assist and his insights and advice is very helpful.'
'Xolani Nyali is a fantastic lawyer - very competent, pragmatic and accommodating.'
‘Tamara Dini is extremely thorough and attentive, with a supreme grasp of the technical nature of competition law. She really works to get under the skin of the business she is advising in relation to.’
'Tamara Dini and Xolani Nyali are both fantastic; they are responsive, experts in their fields and extremely user friendly. The advice they provide is always commercial, takes into account the broader strategy and commercial imperatives, and of a high quality no matter how tight the timelines are.'
Key clients
- Anheuser-Busch InBev SA NV
- The South African Breweries
- Amazon
- Sasol
- Meta Platforms, Inc
- NCR Corporation
- Royal Bafokeng Platinum Limited
- Ardagh Glass Packaging
- Apple Inc.
- Coca-Cola Beverages Africa
- Vitol (and its subsidiary, Vita Gas (Pty) Ltd)
- Engen Petroleum
- Beam Suntory
- Emirates Airlines
- Total Energies
- Macquarie Bank
- BNP Paribas
- Old Mutual Limited
- Abbott Laboratories
- Booking.com
- Mediterranean Shipping Company
- Nestlé
- Pfizer
- beIN Media Group
- Eskom Holdings SOC Limited
- Petredec South Africa
- MTN Group and MTN SA
- Royal Bafokeng Platinum
- British Airways
- Pick n Pay
- African Oxygen
- The Continental Group
Work highlights
- Representing Facebook Inc, Facebook South Africa (Facebook) and WhatsApp Inc (WhatsApp) (as part of the Meta Group) before the Competition Tribunal in relation to allegations of abuse of dominance brought by the Competition Commission.
- Advising a number of prominent international firms on the ongoing Online Intermediation and Platforms and Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiries.
- Acting for Sasol Limited in relation to the South African Competition Commission’s investigation into excessive pricing of piped gas, following a complaint lodged by the Industrial Gas Users Association (IGUA).
Lawyers
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Derek Lötter, Tamara Dini