CDH Conversations

The legal industry in Africa is changing, but progress toward gender equality remains a work in progress. Women are taking on leadership roles, challenging biases, and driving change—but barriers still exist. How can we accelerate action to create a truly inclusive and diverse legal sector? As the world marks International Women's Day on 8 March 2025 with the theme, “ Accelerate Action ”, join...

Every month, CDH Kenya Partner  ⁠Njeri Wagacha⁠  publishesa podcast 'Njeri Talks Law', where she explores insightful conversations with industry leaders. This month, Njeri speaks with Phillip Aliker, a world-renowned dispute resolution specialist and arbitrator. Phillip is a Chartered Arbitrator, Barrister (England & Wales), Advocate of the High Court of Uganda, and a Foreign Legal Con...

On 22 January 2025, the Department of Employment and Labour published the Draft Code of Good Practice on Dismissals, for public comment. The draft Code aims to provide guidance regarding dismissals for misconduct,incapacity, and operational requirements.   From a disciplinary action perspective, the Draft Code seeks to formalise the much-echoed sentiments of our courts regarding the informal natur...

Since 2013, CDH's Pro Bono & Human Rights practice (Pro Bono practice) has been at the heart of our firm's commitment to making a real difference. Over the past decade, our Pro Bono practice has passionately championed the cause of public interest, providing pro bono legal support to clients in need. The decision to establish a dedicated practice was motivated by our belief ingiving back to th...

Every month, CDH Kenya Partner Njeri Wagacha publishes a podcast 'Njeri Talks Law', where she explores insightful conversations with industry leaders.   To kick off the year, Njeri sits down with Paul Breloff, CEO & Co-Founder of Shortlist. Paul, a serial entrepreneur, strongly believes in the power of African talent to drive business growth across the continent. Since its launch in 20...

Every month, CDH Kenya Partner Njeri Wagacha  publishes a podcast 'Njeri Talks Law'. In this month’s podcast she talked to Risper Genga Ohaga, Group Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director at East African Breweries Ltd about her career.   Risper epitomises excellence, exemplified by her remarkable journey. At just 32, she was chosen to lead Absa’s audit function, and she has continued to th...

In the latest episode of our CDH Conversations Empowerment Podcast Series, Lena and Alex, explore how tax policies can address economic and social challenges affecting African women. Key topics include: The role of tax policy in reducing the gender pay gap. Successful tax relief programmes for women in Africa. Designing tax measures to support low-income households and working mothers. Strategies...

Regulation of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) became the focus owing to the recent determination in the case of Samasource EPZ Limited t/a Sama v Meta Platforms, Incorporated & 186 Others; Kenya Human Rights Commission & 8 Others (Interested Parties) [2024] KECA 1152 (KLR). The Parliament has proposed amendments to the Employment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act which aim...

Since 2011, CDH's Pro Bono & Human Rights practice (Pro Bono practice) has been at the heart of our firm's commitment to making a real difference. Over the past decade, our Pro Bono practice has passionately championed the cause of public interest, providing pro bono legal support to clients in need. The decision to establish a dedicated practice was motivated by our belief in giving back to t...

Since 2011, CDH's Pro Bono & Human Rights practice (Pro Bono practice) has been at the heart of our firm's commitment to making a real difference. Over the past decade, our Pro Bono practice has passionately championed the cause of public interest, providing pro bono legal support to clients in need. The decision to establish a dedicated practice was motivated by our belief in giving back to t...

Lucinde Rhoodie and Belinda Scriba in the Corporate Debt, Turnaround & Restructuring sector recorded an episode of CDH Conversations on Monday, 21 October 2024, where they spoke about the ongoing battle between South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the business rescue practitioners and business rescue scenarios. The battle began in the infancy of business rescue when SARS insisted it be tre...

Every month CDH Kenya Partner Njeri Wagacha publishes a podcast 'Njeri Talks Law'. In this month’s podcast, Njeri spoke with Kageni Mbungu, Director of Compliance, Anne Muruka, Head of Commercial and Legal, and Evelyn Manasseh, also Head of Commercial and Legal, all from M-Kopa Kenya In this month’s podcast, Njeri spoke with Kageni Mbungu, Director of Compliance, Anne Muruka, Head of Commercial an...

Almost two years after the Companies Act was amended to provide for a beneficial ownership disclosure regime, questions still abound as to its interpretation and implementation. What if there is a trust involved in the control structure? Is a director a beneficial owner? Where does the so-called "5% rule" come from? Director, Yaniv Kleitman and Professional Support Lawyer, Roxanne Bain in our Corp...

Join Trusts & Estates practice Director, Emily West as she sits down with Practice Head, Gretchen Barkhuizen-Barbosa to discuss a critical yet often overlooked topic: Estate Planning for Women-Owned Businesses in South Africa. In this episode, they dive deep into the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs when it comes to securing their legacies and protecting their businesses. They co...

Every month CDH Kenya Partner Njeri Wagacha releases a new episode of her podcast, 'Njeri Talks Law' In this month Njeri speaks to Faith Odhiambo, President of the Law Society of Kenya, and a Partner at Ombok & Owuor Advocates. Together, they discuss Faith's pivotal role in defending the rights of peaceful protesters during the July 2024 protests in Kenya. She exemplifies true leadership and i...

The Department of Employment and Labour has recently conducted labour inspection raids that have attracted significant attention from the media and employers. It is essential that employers understand the origins and scope of these possible inspection raids so that they can prepare themselves and the business accordingly. In this week’s episode of CDH Conversations, Employment Law Director Yvonne...

Since 2011, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr's (CDH) Pro Bono & Human Rights Practice (Pro Bono Practice) has been at the heart of our firm's commitment to making a real difference. Over the past decade, our Pro Bono Practice has passionately championed the cause of public interest, providing pro bono legal support to clients in need. The decision to establish a dedicated practice was motivated by our be...

In this insightful interview, Puleng Mothabeng, Associate in our Tax & Exchange Control practice, sits down with Director, Jerome Brink to discuss the evolving gender dynamics within tax careers in South Africa. They explore the barriers women face in the field, the critical differences between mentorship and sponsorship, and how both can be leveraged to advance women’s careers. Gain valuable...

The public interest assessment element of merger control has undergone significant transformation since the Competition Act's inception. While nobody would debate the urgent need for socio-economic change and transformation in South Africa, the extent to which the Competition Authorities, as gatekeepers for merger control, ought to be placing onerous policy obligations on an increasingly belea...

Tax & Exchange Control Director, Howmera Parak and Associate, Puleng Mothabeng engage in a dynamic conversation about the current state of women's representation in the legal and tax professions in South Africa. Puleng shares her journey, highlighting the barriers she has encountered and her vision for the future. Howmera discusses her experiences, the progress made over the years, and the...

Every month CDH Kenya Partner Njeri Wagacha publishes a podcast 'Njeri Talks Law'. This month's guest is Eric Mwangi, Director Technology Innovation at Capita. Eric is currently a programme lead, working on the UK governments Level up programme. He is a founding member of Fairbanc and is investor and advisor to FINGO.  Listen to this success story which is an inspiration of all founder...

CDH is excited to bring another episode in our CDH Conversations Women's Empowerment series as part of commemorating Women's Month this year. Hosted by Yvonne Mkefa, Director in the Employment Law practice, in our latest episode, Yvonne is joined by Nadeem Mahomed, Director in our Employment Law practice and Knowledge Management Department, to discuss effective legal frameworks for prevent...

CDH is excited to bring another episode in our CDH Conversations Women's Empowerment series as part of commemorating Women's Month this year. In commemoration of Women's Month, CDH is proud to present a special podcast series dedicated to women's empowerment. Join us as we discuss the critical legal protections for LGBTQ+ women in the workplace with Employment Law Directors, Asma C...

The South African construction sector is under siege from extortion, which has escalated from sporadic incidents in 2015 to a widespread crisis. This illicit activity is often attributed to unlawful activities conducted organised extortionists and criminal organisations also known as the construction mafia. Proactive stakeholder engagement is imperative to mitigate the detrimental effects of crimi...

In this episode of CDH conversations, Zachary Kokosioulis and Tayyibah Suliman discuss the role of women within the technology law space, and also discuss emerging trends and corporate practices of the technology sector at large.   Tayyibah Suliman is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial practice and is the Sector Head for our Technology & Communications specialisation. Having spent ma...