Team size:    9

What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

The majority of the matters are highly confidential and cannot be disclosed, especially as we are listed. However, one of the most notable matters in which our legal team has recently been involved is the Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (MBFS) / National Credit Regulator (NCR) case concerning the treatment of “on the road fees” in vehicle finance agreements. The matter was successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Appeal in SA, which ruled in favour of MB Financial Services. This judgment clarified the legal position on whether “on the road fees” — costs such as licensing, registration, and delivery — could be included in credit agreements under the National Credit Act.

The decision is widely regarded as a landmark precedent in the vehicle finance sector. It provides certainty for financiers, dealers, and consumers by establishing clear guidance on the structuring of credit agreements and permissible charges. Beyond the immediate dispute, the case has reshaped industry practice, ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks while protecting consumer rights. It also reinforced the importance of transparent disclosure in credit transactions. If the matter was not successfully defended, then it may have caused significant losses for the entire vehicle finance industry and possibly invalidating vehicle finance agreements across the country.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience? 

Managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis requires the legal function to operate as a stabilising force rather than a purely defensive one. The true value of legal leadership in such moments lies in its ability to keep the water calm amid turbulence. Business leaders and partners often look to the legal function as a barometer of the organisation’s condition; visible anxiety or reactionary behaviour can unnecessarily amplify uncertainty and escalate the situation. By contrast, a composed, measured, and solution-driven legal presence instils confidence, anchors decision-making, and enables the organisation to respond deliberately rather than react impulsively. In this way, the legal function becomes a source of clarity, reassurance, and resilience at precisely the moment it is needed most. The approach begins with focused legal triage: rapidly identifying and prioritising risks that threaten organisational continuity — regulatory exposure, liquidity constraints, contractual defaults, labour issues, or reputational harm — and aligning these with enterprise risk management. This ensures attention is directed to matters that affect resilience, not merely technical compliance.

Governance discipline must be reinforced, not diluted. Clear decision rights, proper approvals, and well-documented processes protect the organisation and its leadership, preserve stakeholder confidence, and ensure decisions taken under pressure remain defensible. Proactive regulatory and stakeholder engagement is critical. Early, transparent communication with regulators and key counterparties often preserves operational flexibility and reduces enforcement or dispute risk.

From a commercial perspective, the legal function must actively manage contractual resilience — assessing force majeure, termination, renegotiation, and default provisions in critical agreements — while supporting pragmatic, relationship-preserving solutions. Finally, legal leadership translates uncertainty into clear, executable options for management, while safeguarding ethical standards and compliance culture. This combination enables decisive action without compromising long-term integrity. In essence, resilience is achieved by using law as an enabler of informed decision-making, disciplined governance, and strategic flexibility during periods of instability.

AI has been taken seriously as a potentially revolutionary technological change in the legal world for a number of years now. Has it had a meaningful impact on how your legal team works in this time?

AI has begun to have a meaningful, though still evolving, impact on how the legal team operates. We use AI-enabled tools primarily to improve efficiency in areas such as contract review, document analysis, and legal research, allowing our lawyers to focus more on strategic and advisory work. At the same time, we are cautious and deliberate in our adoption, ensuring that any use of AI aligns with our governance frameworks, confidentiality obligations, data protection requirements, and professional standards. For us, AI is not about replacing legal judgment, but about augmenting it; helping the team work smarter, faster, and more consistently while maintaining a high level of legal and ethical oversight.

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company? Can you share an example of a recent legal-led initiative that had a significant impact?

The legal team plays an active role in shaping business strategy by acting as a partner rather than a gatekeeper. We are involved early in key initiatives to help identify risks, enable informed decision-making, and find legally sound paths to achieve commercial objectives. To achieve this, it is fundamental that there are initiatives to reduce turnaround times for key agreements, improved risk visibility for management, and ultimately support faster commercial growth without compromising governance or regulatory standards.