Rudolph Labuschagne is a partner in our Cape Town office Competition Practice.

He specialises in all aspects of competition law and regulation, with a particular focus on competition litigation. He has advised and represented clients in a range of industries on South African and Pan-African merger regulation, prohibited practices, cartel investigations, corporate leniency applications and competition compliance and training programmes. He has been involved in a number of precedent setting matters before the South African competition authorities. Before joining Bowmans, Rudolph was as legal counsel at the South African Competition Commission.

He has B.Com and LLB degrees from the University of Pretoria. He is a member of the Cape Law Society’s Special Committee on Competition Law.

Relevant Experience

• Rudolph has a particular focus on competition litigation and cartel investigations. He was part of the South African Competition Commission’s team that successfully prosecuted South African Airways for abuse of dominance, which resulted in the highest ever penalty levied in South Africa at that time.
• He has acted for a variety of local and multi-national corporations in several business sectors, including the packaging, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicle, aviation, agro and food processing and construction industries in a number of cartel matters before the South African competition authorities, Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court.
• Rudolph advises on merger control and regulation in relation to local and multi-jurisdictional transactions and has managed and advised on merger notifications across the African continent, including in relation to COMESA merger notifications.
• Rudolph has advised on and has formulated a number of bespoke competition law compliance and training programmes and has conducted competition law compliance reviews and audits for clients in a range of industries.
• Co-author of the 2015 Chambers Cartels Legal Practice Guide on cartel enforcement in South Africa.
• Co-author of the 2019 Chambers Cartels Legal Practice Guide on cartel enforcement in South Africa.

Awards

• Chambers and Partners consistently ranked Rudolph in Band 4 for Competition/ Antitrust for the past four consecutive years (2018 to 2021).
• Who’s Who Legal recognised Rudolph as a Future Leader in the Partner category for the past four consecutive years (2018 to 2021).

‘Cape Town-based Rudolph Labuschagne is a well-respected competition lawyer who is notably active on contentious proceedings relating to prohibited practices and cartel investigations. – Chambers and Partners 2020

‘Rudolph Labuschagne is always available for reasonable and pragmatic answers.’ -Legal 500 2020

Rudolph Labuschagne is particularly noted for his expertise in prohibitive practices and is regularly sought out for his counsel on cases relating to suspected cartel activity. Sources praise him as “very responsive and pragmatic.” – Chambers and Partners 2019

Based in Cape Town, Rudolph Labuschagne is best known for his work relating to the Competition Commission and draws praise from sources as a “strong performer.” He focuses his practice on prohibitive practices and cartel investigations. – Chambers and Partners 2018

• Chambers and Partners: Cartels 2023 Guide – South African Chapter
• Chambers Global Practice Guide on Cartels, 2020 – South Africa Chapter
• Thomson Reuters Practical Law Cartel Leniency Global Guide South Africa, 2020
• The proposed amendments to the exemption provisions of the Competition Act, 89 of 1998
• Chambers Legal Practice Guides – Cartels 2015 South Africa chapter