At this year's African Critical Minerals Summitsummit, Ziyanda Sibeko joined industry leaders and stakeholders to explore the opportunities and challenges shaping Africa's critical minerals future. A key theme that emerged from the discussions was the importance of policy and regulatory certainty in building investor confidence in South Africa's mining sector. This includes the need for further refinement of aspects of the draft Mineral Resources Development Bill, 2025, particularly in relation to the absence of a statutory mediation, tribunal or arbitration pathway. The discussions also reinforced the importance of meaningful community consultation throughout the prospecting and mining lifecycle. As South Africa looks to strengthen its position in the global critical minerals landscape, a clear and predictable regulatory framework, coupled with meaningful stakeholder engagement, will remain important foundations for attracting investment and supporting sustainable growth. The summit may have come to an end, but the conversation around unlocking the full potential of Africa's critical minerals is far from over. We remain engaged in these important conversations and in the discussions shaping the future of mining, investment and sustainable growth across the continent. #ACMS2026 #CriticalMinerals #Mining #Investment #MiningBeyondBorders

From 4 to 6 September, Andre October, President and Chair of the National Executive Committee of the Maritime Law Association of South Africa (MLASA), will attend the Maritime Law Association of South Africa's AGM & Conference at The President Hotel in Sea Point, Cape Town. He will be joined by Past Presidents Gavin Fitzmaurice and Patrick Holloway, as well as Andre Bowley, Sheena Dias (MLASA Exco and Cape Chapter committee member), Katlego Bulala (MLASA Cape Chapter committee member), Micaela Bebington and Wesley Swartz. This year’s theme, “What’s Really at Stake? Risk, responsibility, and exposure in today’s shipping environment”, will bring together maritime lawyers, judges, advocates, arbitrators, P&I correspondents, marine experts, insurers, regulators and industry participants to discuss the risks and challenges shaping today’s shipping and maritime sectors. The programme will cover key issues across shipping, maritime law, marine insurance, ports and logistics, arbitration, maritime safety, casualty response, regulation and marine risk. It will also provide an opportunity to exchange insights with local and international professionals and strengthen relationships across the maritime industry. The conference will feature local and international speakers, including keynote address by Anton Musgrave on 4 September, offering valuable perspectives on developments shaping South African and international maritime law and commerce. The event is hosted by the Maritime Law Association of South Africa, with conference organisation by Wedgewood DMC Africa. #MaritimeLaw #Shipping #MarineInsurance #Ports #Logistics #SouthAfrica #MLASA

Mozambique's investment story has long been dominated by LNG. But there is another opportunity worth watching. For investors and manufacturers looking at Southern Africa, the opportunity may lie not in Mozambique competing with established industrial hubs, but in the role it can play within an increasingly connected regional manufacturing ecosystem. As regional supply chains evolve, Mozambique's geography could become one of its most important strategic assets. In this article, Yael Shafrir and Sabeeha Loonat, in collaboration with Pedro Couto (Chairman of Couto, Graça & Associates), explore Mozambique's potential as a regional manufacturing and logistics platform, shaped by its Indian Ocean coastline, strategic transport corridors, natural resources and access to regional and global markets. Read more: Mozambique: Southern Africa's emerging industrial platform | Webber Wentzel #Mozambique #Investment #Manufacturing #Logistics #Africa #Trade #Infrastructure

Ziyanda Sibeko will be attending and speaking at the African Critical Minerals Summit 2026, taking place on 25–26 August 2026. The summit, hosted by the African Critical Minerals Summit, brings together leaders and key stakeholders from across the mining and investment sectors to engage on Africa's critical minerals landscape, investment opportunities, and the role of the sector in driving continental growth and development. Ziyanda will join a panel discussion on “Mining Beyond Borders: Unlocking Continental Prosperity.” The event will also provide a valuable platform for knowledge sharing, meaningful discussion and networking among professionals and leaders across the sector. Find out more: acmsummit.com/ #ACMS2026 #CriticalMinerals #MiningAfrica #Leadership #Investment #SACCI #ACMS2026 #MiningBeyondBorders #AfricaRising #YoungLeaders

Nomsa Mbere, Partner at Webber Wentzel, will be joining a panel at the Manufacturing Indaba. She will engage in a discussion titled "From Mine to Manufacturing: Unlocking Africa's Critical Minerals for Industrial Growth," which focuses on enhancing Africa's minerals value chain and promoting sustainable industrial advancement throughout the continent. If you will be attending, feel free to contact Nomsa to connect. #MiningLaw #ManufacturingIndaba2026 #CriticalMinerals #WebberWentzel

When AI enters the room, does your legal bill go up - or down? That's the question Webber Wentzel Fusion's Dr Ruth Gondwe will be putting on the table at The GRM Group’s Silent Lunch Series, hosted at WeWork Sandton on 16 July 2026. It's one of the most contested conversations in law right now and it deserves a frank, informed conversation. If you'll be there, I'd love to connect. #AI #Lawfirm #LegalTech #WebberWentzel #Leadership

Africa's rail renaissance needs the right financing frameworks. Webber Wentzel Partner Scott Edmundson will be speaking at Africa Rail 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, on 7–8 July 2026, on the domestication of the Luxembourg Protocol - and what it means for rolling stock finance across the continent. Attending? We would love to connect. #AfricaRail2026 #RailFinance #LuxembourgProtocol #WebberWentzel

For years, banks have held the stronger hand in fraud disputes. A recent Belgian ruling may start to shift that balance. In a case involving elderly victims of a sophisticated phishing scam, the Antwerp Business Court held that banks must reimburse first and argue later. The burden now sits with the bank to prove gross negligence, not with the customer to disprove it. Maria Philippides, Caroline Theodosiou, Erwyn Durman and Jodi Hardy unpack what this means, and how developments like this could begin to influence how courts approach similar disputes closer to home. Read more: bit.ly/4v37eVl #BankingLaw #Fraud #FinancialServices #Litigation #LegalInsights #WebberWentzel

In a world moving rapidly towards digital payments, cash still has a firm place in South Africa’s economy. The Reserve Bank’s recent “Cash Smart” strategy makes it clear that the conversation is not about replacing cash, but about making it more efficient, accessible and fit for purpose. Lerato Lamola looks at what this shift means in practice, from the idea of a central cash utility to changes in how the system is regulated and who it affects. The message is simple: cash isn’t going anywhere, but it is being reshaped. Read more: bit.ly/4xOvI7r #FinancialRegulation #Payments #SARB #BankingAndFinanceLaw #LegalInsights #WebberWentzel

Nomsa Mbere will be joining the Future of Mining Summit in Botswana taking place this week. If you’re attending, please contact Nomsa to connect while there! #MiningLaw #WebberWentzel

The referral of FlySafair to the National Consumer Tribunal is a wake-up call for any business that relies on standard terms and conditions as a compliance shield. Under the Consumer Protection Act, the question is not whether a term exists, it is whether consumers were dealt with honestly and transparently. Ashleigh Blair and Michelle Morris unpack what unconscionable conduct really means, and what every supplier should be doing about it now. Read more: bit.ly/4wbCnqz #RetailLaw #ConsumerProtection #CPA #LegalInsights #WebberWentzel

A pothole. A motorcycle. An amputation. The Western Cape High Court has now confirmed that a road authority can be held liable not because it knew about the defect, but because it should have. The judgment in Van Staden v Department of Infrastructure is a timely reminder that delictual liability in road maintenance cases extends beyond direct negligence to systemic failures in detection, inspection, and oversight. Constructive notice, the principle that an authority ought reasonably to have known about an obvious defect, significantly broadens the scope of responsibility for public road authorities. Insights by Sandra Sithole, Maano Manavhela and Precious Maphupha, read more: bit.ly/4wasGc8 #Insurance #DisputeResolution #Delict #LegalInsights #WebberWentzel

In a significant judgment handed down on 21 May 2026, the Supreme Court of Appeal examined whether the Road Accident Fund can be held liable for a dependant's loss of support claim where an accident victim subsequently takes his own life. The SCA's answer turns on two distinct enquiries: factual causation and legal causation, and the outcome in this matter hinged firmly on the second. Our Partner Sandra Sithole, Senior Associate Rethabile Shabalala, and Candidate Attorney Mandy Mdluli unpack the key findings. Read more: bit.ly/4vdGj9L #InsuranceLaw #DisputeResolution #RoadAccidentFund #LegalInsights #WebberWentzel

We are proud to have assisted the international legal team representing the Marshall Islands in proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), working alongside Reed Smith LLP in supporting Gard P&I Club, the world's largest shipping P&I insurer. The landmark judgment reaffirmed fundamental principles of international maritime law and resulted in the largest damages award in the Tribunal's history, providing important guidance on the protection of vessels and seafarers operating in international waters. Congratulations to Gavin Fitzmaurice, Andre Bowley, Andre October and Sheena Dias (née Makan) on their contribution to this significant matter. #ShippingLaw #MaritimeLaw #InsuranceLaw #DisputeResolution

We are proud to have assisted the international legal team representing the Marshall Islands in proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea/Tribunal international du droit de la mer (ITLOS), working alongside Reed Smith LLP in supporting Gard P&I Club, the world's largest shipping P&I insurer. The landmark judgment reaffirmed fundamental principles of international maritime law and resulted in the largest damages award in the Tribunal's history, providing important guidance on the protection of vessels and seafarers operating in international waters. Congratulations to Gavin Fitzmaurice, Andre Bowley, Andre October and Sheena Dias (née Makan) on their contribution to this significant matter. #ShippingLaw #MaritimeLaw #InsuranceLaw #DisputeResolution

The central finding in Pratt v Lactalis South Africa was that silence is not always neutral. In the right circumstances, what you choose not to say can amount to fraud. The Western Cape High Court considered whether a senior employee's failure to disclose a private financial arrangement with a company customer, before signing a mutual separation agreement, constituted fraudulent misrepresentation by omission. For anyone involved in negotiating or advising on settlement or termination agreements, this judgment is worth reading carefully. Read insights by Sandra Sithole, Maano Manavhela and Zaina Hassim to understand when non-disclosure crosses the line and what the consequences can be: bit.ly/4eCbvJr #Disputes #ContractLaw #EmploymentLaw #LegalInsights #WebberWentzel

Members of our Consumer Sector team; Rodney Africa, Adriano Esterhuizen, Danica Jonker, and Ricky Mathebula, will be attending the International Cannabis Symposium 2026 at the University of Cape Town this week. If you'll be there, we'd love to connect. Reach out! #ICS2026 #InternationalCannabisSymposium2026 #Cannabis #Hemp #WebberWentzel

Can confidential medical records be disclosed in a class action? A recent High Court decision says yes, under the right conditions. In the ongoing listeriosis litigation, the court found that access to patient records was essential, not only to determine liability, but also to identify affected individuals who may wish to opt out or claim compensation. Refusing disclosure, in this case, would have undermined the very rights the law seeks to protect. Sandra Sithole, Maano Manavhela and Mandy Mdluli take a closer look at how the court balanced privacy with access to justice. Read more: bit.ly/4xLCAT7 #InsuranceLaw #DataPrivacy #HealthcareLaw #Litigation

Twelve years. That is how long a counterclaim sat unresolved before a Johannesburg High Court was asked to put an end to it altogether. The case of Primall Media v iPoint Marketing and Others offered the court an opportunity to consider when, if ever, it will exercise its inherent power to dismiss an action for want of prosecution. That power exists, but the bar is high. The court must be satisfied that the delay is inexcusable and that the prejudice suffered is so profound that a fair trial is genuinely no longer possible. Raynold Tlhavani, Maano Manavhela and Ahlume Mzwakali unpack the judgment, including why a history of slow, uneven litigation punctuated by settlement discussions fell short of that threshold, and why the applicant's inability to show that every component of the counterclaim was beyond fair adjudication proved fatal to the application. Read the full article for a breakdown of the legal test and what it means in practice: bit.ly/4eCKdCq #InsuranceLaw #Litigation #LegalInsights #WebberWentzel