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Banking on the future of Fasken: finance expert Bontle Bopape returns as partner in Johannesburg after in-house stint
Leading international law firm Fasken, which has more than 950 lawyers across ten offices on three continents, has announced that in-house counsel Bontle Bopape has returned to its Johannesburg office. as a partner in its Banking & Finance practice group.
The experience of Bontle Bopape across project development, infrastructure, and energy transactions further strengthens Fasken’s ability to support clients on significant and complex matters across South Africa and the continent, said Blaize Vance, Managing Partner, South Africa, as the international firm announced her return as a partner in its Banking & Finance practice group in Johannesburg.
“Bontle’s track record and client-focused approach align strongly with our commitment to delivering exceptional service and strategic legal advice.”
A law graduate of the University of South Africa, who also has a commerce degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, Bopape was most recently the Senior Legal Advisor for Nedbank Corporate Investment Banking, having moved in-house from Fasken in September 2025. She began her legal career with Dentons in March 2013, rising to Senior Associate before first joining Fasken in October 2021.
Bopape was originally made a partner at Fasken in 2024.
Her return this month brings extensive experience advising banks, development finance institutions (DFIs), financial institutions, and corporate clients on complex financing transactions across South Africa and the broader African market.
In addition to her banking and finance practice, Bopapa has advised on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) transactions, and a range of corporate and commercial matters.
Known for combining technical excellence with a strong commercial understanding of her clients’ businesses, she assists clients in structuring and executing transactions while managing legal and regulatory risk.
Her experience spans a broad range of sectors and financing structures, making her a valuable addition, says Fasken. Bopape’s practice focuses on project, infrastructure, and renewable energy finance, as well as leveraged finance and acquisition finance, refinancing transactions, and debt restructurings.
With more than 950 lawyers and agents globally, Fasken is a Toronto-headquartered international firm with 10 offices across three continents. Its Johannesburg office was initially established in 2003, before a merger with long-established South African law firm Bell Dewar ten years later significantly expanded its local presence.
During her time at Fasken, Bopape has advised on several landmark renewable energy and project finance transactions, including being a key member of the team that advised the lenders on the multi-million dollar refinancing of the CPV 1 Touwsrivier solar plant. Developed under South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), this installation is notable as one of the largest Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) solar plants in the world, and the only utility-scale CPV plant operating on the African continent