Jointly headed by Mark Garden and Shawn van der Meulen, Webber Wentzel's competition team is well-known for its 'expertise and fundamental insight'. It provides full-spectrum competition, antitrust, trade, and investment support, including in investigations, litigation, compliance, merger filings, and dawn raids. Garden has extensive experience across behavioural matters, merger regulation, and complex litigation, while van der Meulen often handles high-profile prohibited practice cases. Daryl Dingley advises on economics and international trade, Robert Wilson on public interest cases, Martin Versfeld on damages claims, Burton Phillips on contested matters, Clare-Alice Vertue on complex mergers, and Dudu Mogapi on merger notifications.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The team has provided practical advice and has employed strategies to achieve outcomes required by the client. The team is engaging and wants to understand commercial rationale and sensitivities.'
- ‘Individuals in the team are very engaging, and are available. Provide good, detailed feedback and are very knowledgeable.’
- ‘The team is very strong and has a commercial understanding of the issues beyond the legal positioning. They have creative thoughts on how to fashion an argument and how to present the facts in the best light.’
- ‘Darryl Dingley is honest, succinct, commercial, open to redirection when necessary. Tremendous knowledge of the law. A good leader. Shawn van der Meulen is diligent, thoughtful, and respectful.'
- ‘This team is market leading and has great insights into how the regulators work and are able to plan the engagement process which creates a platform for positive outcomes.’
- ‘Highly knowledgeable as specialists. Burton Phillips at Webber Wentzel is world class.’
Key clients
- Heineken International
- Heineken Beverages South Africa
- JP Morgan
- Publisher Support Services
- MultiChoice Group Ltd
- Saint-Gobain Construction Products SA
- Hollard Insurance Company of Botswana
- Sanlam
- Pepkor Holdings Limited
- Actis LLp
- Metair Limited
- Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Work highlights
Advising Pepkor Holdings Limited on its proposed acquisition of Shoprite Holdings Limited's furniture business; the merger has been approved unconditionally in COMESA and conditionally in Botswana and Namibia.
Assisting GovChat with its intervention in a referral by the Competition Commission to the Competition Tribunal and obtaining interim interdictory relief against Meta Platforms Inc. (previously known as Facebook Inc.), and its subsidiaries, WhatsApp Inc. and Facebook South Africa (Pty) Ltd, for alleged abuse of dominance and exclusionary conduct by Facebook.
Advising several banks on an investigation by the Competition Commission against foreign currency traders for price-fixing.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
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Leading partners
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Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Busisiwe Masango
Practice head
Mark Garden; Shawn van der Meulen
Other key lawyers
Daryl Dingley; Robert Wilson; Martin Versfeld; Burton Phillips; Clare-Alice Vertue; Dudu Mogapi; Busisiwe Masango