The Competition Tribunal has announced the appointment of three legal experts who will serve as members on a part-time basis.
Advocates Geoff Budlender, Jerome Wilson and Tembeka Ngcukaitobi will join the tribunal in January, February and April 2023, respectively.
“The newly appointed members will serve in a part-time capacity, which will enable them to bring their external and ongoing experience as the tribunal endeavours to adjudicate for competitive and inclusive markets in SA,” said tribunal chair Mondo Mazwai.
“They bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will enhance our capacity as demand for our services continues to grow and as the tribunal develops new jurisprudence.”
The tribunal is an independent adjudicative body with expertise in law and economics, whose function is to hear and decide cases involving corporate mergers and prohibited practices such as the abuse of market dominance and cartel-like behaviour. Members adjudicate matters that are before the tribunal and write judgments, much like a judge would in the high court.
Each tribunal panel comprises three members who are either economists or lawyers with varied industry, academic and professional experience. However, each panel must have at least one lawyer.
Budlender is a highly experienced advocate practising in Cape Town who specialises in constitutional law, including human rights and administrative law and other aspects of public law. He has extensive litigation experience in the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Appeal, the high courts and the land claims court. He has also acted as a high court judge in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Wilson is an advocate at the Johannesburg bar who practises in the areas of competition, commercial and administrative law. He has extensive litigation experience in the Competition Tribunal, Competition Appeal Court, the high court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, the Constitutional Court and courts in Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Wilson also has experience in local and international arbitrations and practised as an associate at a law firm in New York City between 1994 and 1996 after being admitted to the New York bar. He holds legal qualifications from universities in SA, Kings College in London, Oxford University in the UK and Yale University in the US.
Ngcukaitobi is an experienced advocate at the Johannesburg bar specialising in competition law, labour law, constitutional law and commercial law.
He has extensive litigation experience in the Competition Tribunal, Competition Appeal Court, the high court and the Supreme Court of Appeal.
He has worked on several high-profile Constitutional Court cases and has also acted as a judge of the labour, land claims and high courts.
Ngcukaitobi was appointed by then president Thabo Mbeki to serve as a commissioner at the SA Law Reform Commission from 2007 to 2011 and was appointed commissioner of the Judicial Service Commission by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2022.
In addition to various academic roles, Ngcukaitobi has published numerous books as well as academic articles in accredited journals. He holds legal qualifications from universities in SA and the London School of Economics.
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