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Former SA Competition Commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele joins OWP Partners as a Director
South African corporate law and tax firm OWP Partners has bolstered its competition law practice with the addition this month of the nation’s former Competition Commissioner as a Director and Head of Competition
After nearly two decades at South Africa’s Competition Commission, legal leader Tembinkosi Bonakele is joining Johannesburg-based specialist corporate and tax law firm OWP Partners as a Director and the firm’s Head of Competition.
“With extensive experience in competition law, policy and regulation, Tembinkosi will lead our Competition practice, advising clients on merger control, Competition Commission investigations, market inquiries, competition compliance and strategic regulatory matters,” said OWP Partners when announcing the news last week.
Tembinkosi served for 18 years at the Competition Commission of South Africa, including nine years as Commissioner. During his tenure, he led the organisation through a period of significant institutional growth, strengthening its reputation as one of the country's leading public institutions and an internationally recognised competition authority. Tembinkosi’s work provided him with deep insight into the structure and competitiveness of key sectors of the South African economy.
A law graduate of the University of Fort Hare in Eastern Cape, Tembinkosi also has an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria.
Bringing extensive experience in competition law, public policy and strategic advisory to OWP Partners, Tembinkosi will advise clients on competition regulation, market conduct, regulatory compliance and complex commercial matters, drawing on his nearly two decades of leadership within South Africa's regulatory framework.
Tembinkosi is also an Adjunct Professor of Practice at the University of the Witwatersrand and Nelson Mandela University, where he contributes to the development of future legal and business leaders. He has served on a number of boards and remains actively involved in community development initiatives.
Launched by leading South African lawyers Milton Osborn, Andrew Wellsted, and Nicole Paulsen in 2023, bringing together several decades of ‘big firm’ and international law firm experience, OWP Partners prioritises excellence, transformation and value as core principles that guide every aspect of its work.