Minchin & Kelly (Botswana), (“M&K”), hosted its second WIN Africa event on 31st August 2018 at the Peermont Grand Palm Hotel, Gaborone, Botswana, at which the entire M&K team of attorneys was in attendance.
Isaac Ntombela is a Partner and Head of the Commercial Business Unit of the firm Minchin & Kelly (Botswana). Isaac has advised local and international companies on general commercial law (including all aspects of transactional law, mergers and acquisitions, competition law and tax law), employment law advisory, insurance, licensing and regulation, corporate law (including advising on company formations and registrations, corporate governance, general company law compliance aspects).
Isaac regularly advises clients on procurement law and has in-depth detailed knowledge regarding the Public Procurement Act and the Public Private Partnership Policy. He was involved and acts for the Government of Botswana in a multibillion-dollar proposed coal to liquid public private partnership project.
He is currently ranked by Chambers & Partners Global 2026 Band 3 under Corporate & Commecial.
"Isaac Ntombela has a wide-ranging skill set that encompasses a broad range of transactions and commercial agreements, as well as corporate governance and registration matters."- Chambers Review
"Isaac Ntombela is a very experienced young lawyer, with a depth of knowledge in handling legal matters."- Strengths quote
- Lead legal advisor in a multibillion-dollar proposed XTL PPP Project. Advised on structuring and implementation aspects including drafting and reviewing various documents for the Project such as the PPP Agreement, Implementation Agreement term sheet, conducting legal feasibility study, drafting legal risk matrix, and conducting bidder due diligence as well as dealing with overall management of the legal team.
- Acting as advisor to an Australian listed mining company in its proposed development of a copper mine in the Ghanzi District in the western part of Botswana. Provided a full suite of advice including dealing with various listing aspects, financing, and mining licenses.
- Local advisor to Botswana registered mining company in the proposed acquisition of the company’s entire issued share capital including acquisition of the company’s subsidiaries and related companies.
- Advised a multinational beverages company in various transactions including the acquisition of the soft drinks business from a Botswana beverages company and the sale and acquisition of various intellectual properties.
- Lead advisor to a Netherlands headquartered tourism entity in its acquisition of 3 target enterprises in Botswana.
- Drafting, reviewing, and advising extensively on various transactional documents including lease agreements, sale agreements, share sale agreements and construction contracts, as well as conducting various due diligence investigations.
- Advising multinational companies on Botswana tax law, including advice on corporate taxation in Botswana, tax reliefs, double taxation agreements, exemptions on tax and special tax regimes.
- Conducting due diligence investigations including on the following entities: Khoemacau (Pty) Ltd, Supa Swift Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Fluid Systems (Pty) Ltd, Fluid Systems North (Pty) Ltd, Espire (Botswana) (Pty) Ltd, Kubu Enterprises (Pty) Ltd and others.
- Drafting varied employment contracts, advising on retrenchments, and advising on aspects of employment, employee benefits and immigration law related aspects in M&A transactions.
- Advising a diamond machinery manufacturer on the infringement of a diamond cutting machine patent.
- Advising on company conversions, including conversion of an external company to a local subsidiary, conversion of a foreign company into a local entity and conversion of a close company into a private company.
Professional Qualifications
- LLB (cum laude), University of Pretoria, 2009
- Certificate in Islamic Commercial Law, CIMA, 2014
- MBA in Organizational Leadership , The University Of Zambia Institute of Distance Education, 2022
Professional Experience
- 2017 to date, Partner, Minchin & Kelly (Botswana), DLA Piper Africa, Botswana
Market Recognition
- Ranked in Chambers 2025
- 2011 to 2017, Associate, Minchin & Kelly (Botswana), DLA Piper Africa, Botswana
Memberships
- Law Society of Botswana
The Data Protection Act 2018 (the “DPA”) was assented to by the Parliament on 3rd August 2018 and is currently on notice. As the first local statutory enactment focused solely on protection of personal data it is without doubt a critical piece of legislation.