Gasant Orrie

Summary Profile

Gasant Orrie is the Cape Managing Partner of Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr and a director in our Corporate and Commercial practice. Gasant covers most areas of corporate and commercial law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions in the real estate, hospitality, hotel and leisure, and tourism sectors. He has a special interest in the aviation and airline industry, and public-private partnerships.

Career

Gasant was admitted as an attorney in 1991 and practised in law firms in Cape Town and Johannesburg before being appointed Chief Legal Advisor at South Africa Airways in 1995. In this capacity, Gasant served as a member of the airline's Executive Committee, Aviation Safety Review Board and Transformation Committee. During 1997, Gasant joined Hofmeyr (now Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr) as a director. Since September 2008 he held the position of Joint Managing Partner, Cape Town and was appointed as the Cape Managing Partner in 2011.

Education

• BA LLB, University of Cape Town
• Year of admission as an attorney: 1991

Memberships

Cape Law Society

Experience

• Experience in African countries including as a member of the South Africa Airways' negotiating team bidding for a strategic equity stake in Kenya Airways and Ugandan Airlines.
• Acted as the South African legal counsel to Alliance Air and Alliance Express in respect of their Y2K projects.
• Project-managed the restructuring, corporatisation and partial privatisation of South African Airways and coordinated all the legal work on this complex transaction covering all aspects of corporate and commercial law.
• Extensively involved in due diligence work as either team leader or team leader of the legal workstream on several major M&A transactions including the FirstRand/Rand Merchant Bank merger, Gensec/Sanlam Asset Management merger and the South African Airways/Swissair transaction.
• Acted as legal advisor to the airline industry and the South African Government in respect of the development and implementation of a new international treaty dealing with the acquisition and financing of high value mobile equipment (Undroit Convention), which has as its primary objective the securitisation of interests in high value mobile equipment such as aircraft, railway rolling stock, space property, telecommunications equipment, ships and vessels and oil rigs.
• Acted as legal advisor to the airline industry and the South African Government in respect of the development and implementation of a new international treaty (Montreal Convention) dealing with the updating of the airline passenger liability system (Warsaw Convention).
• Acted as lead attorney to the South African Government and Transnet in relation to the disposal of Transnet's interest in Mobile Telephone Network (MTN), a mobile telephony company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
• Acted as lead attorney to Government on several Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) including the Chapman's Peak Drive toll road project, Department of Environmental Affairs polar ship project and Department of Land Affairs head office building project, which work involved the legal aspects of the feasibility study, due diligence, options analysis, risk analysis, funding issues, bid evaluation, and drafting and negotiation of transaction agreements including concession agreements and finance agreements.
• Acted as legal advisor to a private party bidder in the Western Cape Department of Health Lentegeur, Swellendam and Hermanus Hospital PPP Projects, which work entailed advising the private party bidder on all aspects of the PPP project, legal due diligence, and commenting on bid documents including the draft concession agreement and related documentation.
• Acted as lead attorney to the South African Government and Transnet in relation to the disposal of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront development in Cape Town.
• Acted for the V&A Waterfront in relation to several hotel development and building projects including the new BP Head Office Building and Kerzner One&Only Hotel, which work included drafting and negotiating various transaction agreements such as commercial leases and development agreements.
• Acted for the owners/management of Protea Hotels in relation to the disposal of their interests in the company to an Australian investor.
• Acted for Protea Hotels in relation to several new hotel projects, which included drafting and negotiating various transaction agreements such as shareholders agreements, commercial leases and development agreements.
• Acted for Istithmar PJSC, Leisurecorp LLC and Dubai World Group in relation to several of their investments in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa including the acquisition of Pearl Valley Golf Estates and several private game reserves in South Africa (Shamwari, Jock of the Bushveld, Sanbona and Nkomazi Wilderness) and various acquisitions in Comores, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zanzibar and Dijibouti.
• Acted for one of the vehicle operating services providers in relation to the negotiation and conclusion of a contract for transport and other services to the City of Cape Town for the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010.
• Acted for Public Investment Corporation in relation to the acquisition of the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

Market Recognition

• Best Lawyers International - South Africa
  • 2011 named Gasant as 'Lawyer of the Year' in Corporate; and 'Best Lawyer' in Mergers and Acquisitions.
  • 2010 listed Gasant as a 'Best Lawyer' in Corporate.
• Legal 500 EMEA 2009 highly recommends Gasant as well established in Corporate and Commercial.
• Winner of an ACQ Country Award for Achievement 2008 in the category Legal Adviser of the Year.