Wandisile Mandlana is a partner in our Johannesburg office Corporate Department.

He specialises in environmental law, mining law, energy and climate change law and other areas of public law including public procurement law, administrative law and constitutional law.

He has worked as an academic, in-house legal counsel and a practising attorney in various aspects of public law. Wandisile’s clients are from both the public and private sectors and he also advises a number of clients pro bono.

He has B.Juris and LLB degrees from the University of Fort Hare and an LLM from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Relevant Experience

Wandisile has solid experience advising mining houses and suppliers to the mining industry. His experience includes advising on mining titles, disputes relating to issuing of mineral rights, disputes regarding overlapping and renewal of mineral rights, transfer of mining rights, environmental management in the mining context, water licenses, land use planning and environmental impact assessments.

Wandisile also specialises in various areas of Public Law (e.g. Public Procurement Law; Administrative Law and Constitutional Law).

Some of the matters he has advised on include:

• Advising on mining regulatory aspects of the transaction in which two black-owned/controlled mining companies combined their interests in order to create a new black-controlled natural resources and industrial holding group.
• Advising various Anglo American plc South African companies (or business units) on various Mining and Environmental Law matters.
• Conducting a significant amount of due diligence exercises in respect of environmental and other regulatory compliance issues in a range of sectors including mining, industrial, commercial property and linear developments. These exercises generally form a key part of an M&A deal process and our findings focus on the risks that may arise in the deal context.
• Advising international and local clients on various government tender processes including application of the Supplier Development programmes and Local content programmes.
• Part of the Bowmans’ team which is advising the South African National Treasury and the Department of Energy on various aspects of the independent power producer procurement programmes currently underway.
• Part of the team which successfully acted for the City of Johannesburg and Johannesburg Water, the water utility of the City of Johannesburg in defending a precedent setting constitutional challenge to prepayment meters and the amount of free water given to residents, this was the matter Mazibuko and others v City of Johannesburg and others .

Signature Matters

• ACSA procurement dispute
• Eurasian Resources Group – Africa

Awards

• Chambers and Partners ranked Wandisile on Band 4 for Environment for four consecutive years (2020-2023) and prior to that, as Up and Coming in the same category as well as in Band 3 for his work in Administrative & Public Law for two consecutive years (2022-2023).

Wandisile Mandlana is quietly spoken, but very knowledgeable.

He is very effective and has both experience in the practice and in the academic part.

Wandisile Mandlana is a great attorney with a great depth of experience.

Wandisile is an excellent lawyer with very practical skills and knowledge. – Chambers and Partners, 2023

Wandisile Mandlana is exceptional service personified. He is available 24/7 and produces top quality work. He works seamlessly with both technical and executive teams. – Legal 500, 2022

He provided clear instructions to us which showed deep familiarity with the matter.

Wandisile is practical, personable and communicative.

He provides good advice on risk mitigation when there are uncertainties. – Chambers and Partners, 2022

Wandisile Mandlana is a well-known practitioner with particular activity advising mining and manufacturing corporates on environmental compliance and licensing. Market commentators say he is “very pleasant to work with and knowledgeable.” – Chambers and Partners 2020

‘Wandisile Mandlana is developing a strong reputation for environmental and mining law.’ -Legal 500 2020

Market commentators view Wandisile Mandlana as a “fantastic lawyer.” He is singled out for is knowledge of the mining industry having previously worked in-house in the sector. His experience includes handling air pollution issues, environmental approvals and the transfer of liabilities. – Chambers and Partners 2019

• South Africa: Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change Law Round-Up, 2023
• South Africa: ESG in decision making – Eloff Landgoed (Pty) Ltd v Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and Others (GDP) (June, 2023)
• South Africa: The ‘polluter pays’ principle – Ezulwini Mining Company (Pty) Ltd v Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and Others (2023) ZASCA
• Environmental, Sustainability and Climate Change Law – Legislative Developments in 2023
• South Africa: A country with abundant green hydrogen potential
• South Africa: The court restates the cradle to grave principle in mining
• South Africa: Allocation of water use entitlements – ecological versus empowerment considerations
• South Africa: Compliance date for the National Environmental Management Act: Financial Provisioning Regulations proposed to be extended again
• South Africa: Public Procurement cast into uncertainty by Constitutional Court judgment
• South Africa: SA mining looks to the long term despite its waning standing on the investment attractiveness index
• South Africa: Embracing green and blue hydrogen
• South Africa: Amendment of mining and mining related activities requiring environmental authorisations and landowner consent requirements
• South Africa: The rising complexities of consultation and public participation requirements in the mining sector
• South Africa: Compliance date for the National Environmental Management Act: Financial Provisions Regulations Extended Again
• South Africa: Alternative financing arrangements in the mining sector
• Impact Investing in Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa
• How to seize opportunities in African mining sector for mutual benefit
• COVID-19: Proposed deferral of payment of carbon tax, South Africa
• The Chambers Global Practice Guide on Mining, 2020 – South Africa Chapter
• COVID-19: Ministerial directive in the mineral resources and energy sector
• COVID-19: Certain environmental process and other timeframes extended, South Africa
• Legal update – top things to know from the South African President’s 2020 SONA
• Liability for harm caused by GHG emissions
• How populism is making its presence felt in mining
• Six things you need to know about Mining Charter III
• The drawn-out process to remake the Mining Charter is still ongoing
• The “once empowered, always empowered” judgment is unlikely to be the last word on mining empowerment requirements
• New tax measures to curb abuse of mining rehabilitation funds are a missed opportunity
• The transition from the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act to the National Environmental Management Act continues
• Reviewed Mining Charter published amid threats of court application to stop its implementation
• Environmental Law Seminar, May 2017: Environmental Enforcement and Risks – Targets, Trends and Tips
• Getting the Deal Through: Mining 2016 edition
• Certainty will help mining sector to do things better
• Delayed MPRDA Amendment Bill unfavourable
• Hefty fines and imprisonment looms for failure to comply with environmental authorisation processes
• Climate change increasingly emerging as a legal liability risk for lenders in SA