Jurisdictions worked in/for: South Africa, Botswana, France, Germany, Nigeria, Mauritius, Tanzania, the UAE and the United Kingdom.

Domestic matters in which Jonathan has acted recently include:

• Defending a global vehicle manufacturer in class action proceedings instituted in South Africa involving damages and other claims for billions of Rands.
• Successfully defended South Africa’s largest brewery against a multi-million Rand damages claim in arbitration proceedings.
• Successfully defending a non-profit sports club against historical land access claims brought in the High Court, and on appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal, arising out of alleged servitudinal and other access rights. The case was reported and made new law in the Supreme Court of Appeal. A subsequent attempt at a further appeal to the Constitutional Court by our opponent was dismissed.
• Acting for a large corporate taxpayer in litigation proceedings against the South African Revenue Service.
• Defending a multinational information technology company against alleged breaches of a commercial lease agreement.
• Represented one of the country’s largest beverage manufacturers in commercial and contractual disputes across its range of operations.

International and cross-border matters in which Jonathan has acted recently included:

• Assisting an international energy company with enforcement proceedings in Mauritius, the UAE and South Africa.
• Acted for an international bank in relation to a disputed demand for payment of a substantial performance guarantee made by a South African company and the subsequent litigation flowing from the disputed demand.
• Representing a global private equity fund in resisting an application to prevent a bank’s performance of its obligations under a performance guarantee relating to the Twin City Power Project in Ghana
• Represented an African mining consortium in International Arbitration proceedings instituted in the International Chamber of Commerce.
• Obtaining an urgent interdict against a Botswana publication and pursuing a damages claim against the same publication in respect of defamatory remarks made about a high net worth South African citizen.
• Acting for an American financial products and services multinational corporation in litigation proceedings initiated by a local bank pertaining to the alleged repudiation of a South African governed contractual arrangement.

Education