Legal & Regulatory Briefing 2026
SPEAKERS
Safeera Mayet
Safeera Mayet
Safeera is an admitted attorney and brings over two decades of providing services encompassing corporate and commercial law, financial structuring, international law, risk management, corporate finance, competition law, and company secretarial guidance. She previously held senior management roles in Tiso Group, Kagiso Tiso Holdings, Tiso Blackstar Group, Idwala Industrial Holdings and Tiso Investment Holdings. She has a track record of developing and steering legal consulting services to a diverse customer population, delivering legal and commercial guidance to manage transactions across Africa and Europe.
She has facilitated numerous M&A initiatives, redesigning internal debt and tax structures, establishing investment companies for offshore holdings, as well as negotiating and concluding new investments, disposals, and funding agreements.
She also serves as a trustee of the Tiso Foundation Charitable Trust to manage and promote programmes that support the academic and leadership development of young South Africans from underprivileged backgrounds.
She holds a BCom and LLB degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science
Ajay Lalu
Ajay Lalu
Ajay Lalu, is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 3 decades of experience. He is the founder and Managing Director of the Black Lite Consulting and a leading expert in Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE). In June 2022, he was appointed to the President's Advisory Council on BBBEE, where he plays a pivotal role in shaping national transformation policies and strategies.
Through Black Lite Consulting, Ajay provides strategic advisory services to South Africa’s asset management industry, which collectively manages over R2 trillion in assets under management (AUM). His team has successfully facilitated approvals for over R2.3 billion in Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes (EEIPs), enabling multinational corporations to meet BBBEE compliance while driving sustainable economic development.
Ajay is a trusted advisor to government, multinational corporations, and leading South African companies, with a client portfolio that includes Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, ABInBev, and Colgate Palmolive, as well as local leaders like Allan Gray, Puma Energy, and Mineworkers Investment Company. His extensive experience in transformation has established him as a key figure in advancing inclusive economic growth. Blacklite Consulting was part of the team of advisors on the Coronation Fund Managers Limited 51% black ownership transaction that won the Deal Makers BEE Deal of the Year in 2025.
Ajay is passionate about empowering small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) and is committed to creating meaningful social impact through his involvement in various NGOs, including #shoot4purpose. An award-winning internationally exhibited photographer, author, runner, and traveler, he remains deeply dedicated to changing lives and fostering economic inclusion in South Africa.
Chris Charter
Ajay Lalu
Chris Charter is a Director and National Head of our Competition practice. Chris’ practice covers all aspects of the discipline from merger control to prohibited practices. On the prohibited practices side, bringing and defending complaints, writing opinions, corporate leniency and compliance work are all covered.
Chris has advised in mergers involving major South African listed companies and has advised a number of global companies in obtaining South African and African regulatory clearance in respect of multinational transactions. He and his team have extensive experience in a number of African jurisdictions including COMESA.
Lebohang Mabidikane
Lebohang Mabidikane
Lebohang has extensive experience in evaluating the competitive and public interest effects of mergers, conducting investigations of cartel and abuse of dominance conduct, assessing exemption applications and leading search and seizure operations. She has also provided training and commentary to other African competition regulators and provided input on the legislative framework for, and enforcement of, competition law in several other African jurisdictions. Lebohang has a deep understanding of a broad range of sectors including agriculture, aviation, healthcare, logistics, petroleum, mining, fast moving consumer goods, banking and retail. She has handled a number of complex and high-profile matters for clients in both South Africa and other African jurisdictions. Lebohang also has experience in public and municipal financial management and has advised various South African state-owned entities and litigated on behalf of municipalities.
Phuti Kgomo
Phuti Kgomo
Phuti has over a decade of experience in domestic and international corporate tax advisory. An admitted attorney with an accounting background, he provides advice that considers both legal and commercial/financial factors.
Clients value Phuti’s ability to distill complex issues into practical insights, therefore empowering clients to make informed strategic decisions. His guidance has been instrumental in helping clients navigate the ever-changing tax landscape and strengthen their negotiation positions. His leadership style is defined by insight, precision, and a results-driven approach. He has excellent people management skills and excels at leading client-focused teams.
Phuti has expertise in corporate tax structuring, BBBEE transactions, debt restructurings, share incentive schemes, controlled foreign company (CFC) legislation, and the application of double tax agreements. Whilst his experience is sector agnostic, he is passionate about the private equity (upstream and downstream advice) and renewable energy sectors (public and private offtaker arrangements)).
He also guides leading multinationals on the exchange control complexities of inbound and outbound investments. In addition, Phuti, together with our Corporate/M&A practice, acts as counsel for underwriters in W&I insured transactions.
Jerome Brink
Jerome Brink
Jerome Brink is a Director in our Tax & Exchange Control practice. He specialises in corporate tax, international tax, and tax controversy/dispute resolution.
Jerome advises clients on the tax implications of a wide variety of local and cross-border commercial transactions, including financing, corporate reorganisations and restructurings, disposals and acquisitions, empowerment transactions, inward/ outward investments, and share incentive schemes.
His specialisation extends to tax controversy/tax dispute resolution, including tax policy and design. Furthermore, exchange control, tax incentives, employees’ tax (PAYE), and the taxation of trusts also forms part of his core advisory work.
Jerome has specific tax expertise and experience in a wide variety of sectors, including (amongst others) agriculture, commercial real estate, consumer goods, services and retail, debt restructuring, digital assets, financial services, private equity/venture capital, intellectual property, mining, tech, and projects and energy.
Jan Scholtz
Jan Scholtz
Jan Scholtz is a Director at Compliserve, where he plays a key role in guiding organisations through complex regulatory and compliance landscapes. He brings deep experience in governance, risk, and compliance, working closely with boards and senior executives to design and implement practical, sustainable compliance frameworks.
In his role at Compliserve, Jan focuses on aligning regulatory requirements with business strategy, helping clients strengthen operational resilience while meeting evolving regulatory expectations. He is known for his ability to translate complex regulatory obligations into clear, workable solutions that support long-term organisational effectiveness.
Jan’s leadership style is pragmatic and collaborative, with a strong emphasis on ethical conduct, sound governance, and building trust with stakeholders across highly regulated sectors.
Kent Davis
Kent Davis
Kent specialises in all aspects of financial regulatory law including insurance, collective investment schemes, financial markets, pension funds and anti-money laundering. He has advised numerous local and foreign financial institutions and groups on a wide range of topics including: structuring insurance arrangements, corporate restructures, solo and group governance, asset spreading requirements for insurers and pension funds, mergers and acquisitions, financial conglomerates and insurance groups, issues relating to the custody of financial assets, transfers of insurance business, the promotion of foreign funds and other financial products and instruments in South Africa, OTC derivatives, as well as compliance with South Africa's anti money-laundering and counter terrorist financing regime. He has also acted for several financial institutions in arbitrations and other regulatory disputes.
Adrian Dommisse
Adrian Dommisse
Dommisse Attorneys founder Adrian Dommisse is a leading South African technology and venture capital attorney with deep expertise at the intersection of law, innovation, venture funding, and intellectual property strategy. Prior to establishing Dommisse Attorneys in 2009, Adrian worked across a range of law firms and financial institutions in both South Africa and the United Kingdom, building a multidisciplinary career that spans legal advisory, investment banking, and venture capital structuring.
Over the past two decades, Adrian has advised some of South Africa’s most successful and internationally recognised technology businesses, including GetSmarter, SnapScan, Yuppiechef, WooThemes, and OfferZen. He was the lead attorney acting for Yuppiechef in its landmark acquisition by Mr Price Group — one of South Africa’s most notable e-commerce exits.
Adrian is widely recognised for his work advising venture capital funds and high-growth technology ventures. His experience includes advising Knife Capital, as well as assisting in the establishment of Imperial Logistics’ global UK- and South Africa-based US$20 million venture capital fund in collaboration with Newtown Partners.
In 2022, Adrian founded IP Incubator, a specialist platform focused on helping African technology companies structure and commercialise their intellectual property internationally. Through this work, he supports founders in attracting offshore investment, scaling globally, and building long-term international value.
Beyond private sector advisory work, Adrian also advises the technology spin-out and innovation commercialisation units of both Stellenbosch University and University of Cape Town, supporting the growth of research-driven innovation and entrepreneurship within the South African ecosystem.
Adrian is a sought-after speaker on venture capital, startup growth, technology law, intellectual property structuring, and cross-border investment strategy, bringing a uniquely practical perspective shaped by years of working alongside founders, investors, and scaling technology businesses.
