Moving forward: Deneys adds tax expert Frank Mosupa as a Director while welcoming back Sabeeha Kathrada

Leading African law firm Deneys has announced today that it has further bolstered its Johannesburg office by adding highly regarded tax practitioner and thought leader Frank Mosupa as a Director in the Tax Practice, alongside the return of homegrown Senior Associate Sabeeha Kathrada, who brings commercial disputes experience with specialist investigations, risk advisory, and compliance expertise. 

Stephen Kennedy-Good, Head of Corporate, M&A and Securities at Deneys, noted Mosupa has more than 25 years of experience advising multinational corporations, financial institutions, private equity sponsors, and asset managers on complex domestic and cross-border tax matters. “Much of Frank's work focuses on corporate and international tax, mergers and acquisitions, business restructurings and cross-border investment structures across Africa and other global markets.”

Joining Deneys from PwC South Africa, where he held several senior leadership positions including Southern Market Area Deals Tax Leader and member of the PwC South Africa Governance Board, Mosupa has advised clients across a range of sectors, including banking and financial services, insurance, aviation, manufacturing, technology and telecommunications. “In addition to his extensive advisory experience, Frank is a respected thought leader in the tax profession,” added Kennedy-Good. “He was a member of the PwC Africa Global Tax Policy Panel, has published widely on tax matters, and has lectured in tax and company law.”

Meanwhile, Riccardo Petersen, Head of Corporate and Commercial Litigation, was “delighted” to announce the return of Kathrada, who spent nine years with the firm after originally joining as a Candidate Attorney in January 2017, rising to Senior Associate before leaving last December to travel.

“It is so wonderful to return to familiar faces, colleagues and clients, while also being part of a new chapter for Deneys as an independent South African firm,” shared Kathrada yesterday, noting she was excited to be back doing the work she enjoys . “I look forward to reconnecting with clients, working alongside an exceptional team and continuing to build on the relationships and experience of the past several years… I am excited for what lies ahead for Deneys as the world moves forward.”

Petersen noted that Kathrada has previously managed complex internal investigations for corporate clients, covering procurement fraud, employee misconduct, data breaches, and cyber incidents, and has taken matters through to post-investigation civil recovery litigation. She also advises clients on anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering compliance, and sanctions, and has conducted third-party due diligence reviews across more than 20 jurisdictions.

These two latest senior-level additions to the Deneys team continue a period of active building and talent investment in the months following the full launch of the leading firm’s new brand identity earlier this year, 

As previously reported by Africa Legal, several lawyers joined Deneys between April and June, including real estate partner Alex de Wet, while five other lawyers were promoted to Senior Associate, across practice groups and offices. 

More recently, the firm made four appointments across its Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban offices and its insurance, dispute resolution, and mining practices, including the arrival of financial regulatory expert Nicci Britton as a Director. 

“Clients choose advisers they can rely on for the long term, and that is the firm we are building,” said Deneys CEO Brent Botha. “Since launching in March, we have added lawyers with international experience and specialist expertise across our offices, welcomed back talent we trained, and promoted from within. Each appointment and promotion strengthens our teams, and we will continue this investment trajectory”.