HB Senekal
Partner | Johannesburg
Contact
T: +27 11 669 9617
Overview
HB is one of the first competition lawyers in South Africa and started off his career with the Competition Commission shortly after the promulgation of the Competition Act in South Africa in 1999. During his time at the Commission, he led several complex merger and cartel investigations and played a key role in developing competition policy in South Africa. HB then joined the competition team within a top corporate law firm in Johannesburg and spent over 16 years representing high-profile clients in South Africa and Africa (especially Namibia but also Botswana, Zambia, COMESA, Tanzania, Morocco, Zimbabwe and CEMAC) on all aspects of competition law including merger notifications, cartels, abuses of dominance, and competition and other regulatory litigation.
HB has a strong legal acumen bringing a solid track record of achieving successful outcomes for his local and international client base across a wide range of economic sectors, including, oil and gas, mining, renewable energy, property, financial and transport sectors.
Experience
Jurisdictions worked in: Botswana, CEMAC, COMESA, Morocco, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Languages fluent in: Afrikaans and English
Charl Pienaar at the Laser Transport Group said the following about working with HB ‘I have had the opportunity to work with HB as our company’s lawyer in a complex matter for many years. Legal expert, skill, competent professional, best interest in mind, dedication, thorough, passionate, ethical, available always but above all an excellent human being. HB, you will always be in my corner’.
Recently HB has advised:
- Vivo Energy Namibia in its acquisition of GasIT in Namibia;
- Tetrad Holdings in its acquisition of IMDBH requiring merger notifications in South Africa and Namibia;
- Standard Bank in the Namibian Competition Commission’s investigation into the banking sector;
- RC Murowa in its acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of Sperrgebiet Mining Proprietary Limited. The transaction was notified in Namibia;
- Consolidated Copper Corp in its acquisition of all shares held by Bonohgroup Limited in Weatherly (Namibia SL) Limited, CARN Holding Limited and China Africa Resources Limited;
- Sibanye-Stillwater in respect of its acquisition of Lonmin Plc.
- Sanlam Emerging Markets in respect of its acquisition of Masawara Investments Limited which required merger approval in 4 African jurisdictions as well as COMESA;
- CENEC Namibia in respect of its acquisition of Sertum Energy Namibia.
- Veolia EAU – Compangnie Générale Des Eaux in respect of its acquisition of Ujams Wastewater Company Limited; and
- Atterbury Properties on various property acquisitions and disposals, including a transaction with Broll Property Group.
Awards
- Legal 500 recognized HB as a recommended lawyer in 2023.
- Best Lawyers recognised HB as a recommended lawyer in Competition/Antitrust Law (South Africa) from 2020 to 2023
- Who’s Who Legal recognised HB as a leading practitioner from 2022 to 2023.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Qualifications
Education
- B Proc, LLM Contract Law and LLM Mercantile Law, University of Pretoria.
- EU Competition Law Summer school, Cambridge University.
Professional Memberships
- Admitted to practice in Gauteng (2005) and Western Cape (2011).
INSIGHTS
Overview
HB is one of the first competition lawyers in South Africa and started off his career with the Competition Commission shortly after the promulgation of the Competition Act in South Africa in 1999. During his time at the Commission, he led several complex merger and cartel investigations and played a key role in developing competition policy in South Africa. HB then joined the competition team within a top corporate law firm in Johannesburg and spent over 16 years representing high-profile clients in South Africa and Africa (especially Namibia but also Botswana, Zambia, COMESA, Tanzania, Morocco, Zimbabwe and CEMAC) on all aspects of competition law including merger notifications, cartels, abuses of dominance, and competition and other regulatory litigation.
HB has a strong legal acumen bringing a solid track record of achieving successful outcomes for his local and international client base across a wide range of economic sectors, including, oil and gas, mining, renewable energy, property, financial and transport sectors.
Experience
Jurisdictions worked in: Botswana, CEMAC, COMESA, Morocco, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Languages fluent in: Afrikaans and English
Charl Pienaar at the Laser Transport Group said the following about working with HB ‘I have had the opportunity to work with HB as our company’s lawyer in a complex matter for many years. Legal expert, skill, competent professional, best interest in mind, dedication, thorough, passionate, ethical, available always but above all an excellent human being. HB, you will always be in my corner’.
Recently HB has advised:
- Vivo Energy Namibia in its acquisition of GasIT in Namibia;
- Tetrad Holdings in its acquisition of IMDBH requiring merger notifications in South Africa and Namibia;
- Standard Bank in the Namibian Competition Commission’s investigation into the banking sector;
- RC Murowa in its acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of Sperrgebiet Mining Proprietary Limited. The transaction was notified in Namibia;
- Consolidated Copper Corp in its acquisition of all shares held by Bonohgroup Limited in Weatherly (Namibia SL) Limited, CARN Holding Limited and China Africa Resources Limited;
- Sibanye-Stillwater in respect of its acquisition of Lonmin Plc.
- Sanlam Emerging Markets in respect of its acquisition of Masawara Investments Limited which required merger approval in 4 African jurisdictions as well as COMESA;
- CENEC Namibia in respect of its acquisition of Sertum Energy Namibia.
- Veolia EAU – Compangnie Générale Des Eaux in respect of its acquisition of Ujams Wastewater Company Limited; and
- Atterbury Properties on various property acquisitions and disposals, including a transaction with Broll Property Group.
Awards
- Legal 500 recognized HB as a recommended lawyer in 2023.
- Best Lawyers recognised HB as a recommended lawyer in Competition/Antitrust Law (South Africa) from 2020 to 2023
- Who’s Who Legal recognised HB as a leading practitioner from 2022 to 2023.
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