our people
Koos Pretorius
practical experience
Koos Pretorius joined ENS in 1991 and remained with the firm for 35 years, until early 2026, when he became an External Consultant.
For most of his tenure, he was an executive director in ENS' corporate commercial department. He served as corporate department head from 2002 to 2018 and thereafter for several years led the corporate commercial business unit of the firm, where he focused on client relationships with certain key clients and assisted the firm and its clients with strategic initiatives.
Koos acted for sector and industry leaders in renewable energy, oil and gas, financial services, banking, insurance, media, telecommunications, retail, wholesale, mining, transport and logistics, property, gaming, hospitality, agribusiness, eco-conservation, and wildlife.
Koos advised on hostile takeover bids, complex schemes of arrangement, and assisted with several transactions where companies and their shareholders conclude more sophisticated arrangements aimed at achieving specific strategic outcomes.
His experience includes due diligence investigations, commercial contracts, company law, regulatory compliance, corporate structuring, corporate governance, rights offers and listings, partnerships, incorporated and unincorporated joint ventures, shareholder arrangements, rights offers and listings.
Over the period 2018 to 2026, Koos focused extensively on inbound ESG initiatives for foreign investors, family offices, and private equity funds targeting eco-conservation and wildlife areas in Southern Africa.
Koos currently consults to ENS and its clients on a variety of projects and transactions and continues to specialise in M&A and private equity, assisting PE funds, family-owned and closely held businesses and foreign investors on their ventures into Africa. His focus remains eco-tourism and wildlife, although his work includes more general corporate and commercial services.
He is a past member of the Ethics Committee of the Cape Law Society and, has presented modules of the LLM programme on advanced company law at the University of Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape.
Koos is recognised as a leading/recommended lawyer by:
- Chambers Global Guide 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 – Corporate Commercial: M&A (South Africa)
- IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate Guide; M&A – 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 – Highly Regarded (South Africa)
- The Legal 500 EMEA 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 – Commercial, Corporate and M&A (South Africa)
- Who’s Who Legal 2019, 2018, 2017 – Mining (South Africa)
- Best Lawyers® 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 – Corporate Law, M&A; 2019 - Lawyer of the Year: M&A
qualifications
- BA (Stellenbosch University)
- LLB (Stellenbosch University)
- Leadership in Professional Service Firms (Harvard Business School)
- Admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa
