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Two Indian-origin jurists appointed to South Africa tribunal
The Companies Tribunal was established in terms of the Companies Act to provide a swift resolution of company disputes throughout South Africa.
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Rwittika Chakraborty
- Tue, 16, Dec 2025
- 00:52 EST
- 15
Judge Mohammed Navsa and Judge Visvanathan Ponnan. / Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa
Two senior Indian-origin judges, Judge Mohammed Navsa and Judge Visvanathan Ponnan, have been appointed to South Africa’s Companies Tribunal, an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.
The Companies Tribunal was established in terms of the Companies Act No. 71 of 2008 to provide a swift resolution of company disputes and has jurisdiction throughout the Republic of South Africa.
Judge Navsa, 68, was heavily involved in building and running the community law clinic and has spent 14 years at the Legal Resources Centre, while serving as its director from 1990 to 1994.
Following Nelson Mandela's appointment as South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994, Navsa was granted senior counsel and later became an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court.
Judge Ponnan, 64, joined the Gauteng High Court in 2001 and was promoted to the Supreme Court of Appeal in December 2004.
He was also a Commissioner for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration between 2000 and 2001 and an acting judge in the Eastern Cape High Court in 2000.
Along with Judge Navsa and Judge Ponnan, Judge Kathleen Satchwell, Judge Robert Nugent, and Judge Boissie Henry Mbha were also appointed by the cabinet to serve as members of the Companies Tribunal.
In a statement, the Companies Tribunal announced these new appointees and wrote,
“These esteemed members share a reputation for integrity, fairness, and sound legal reasoning. Each has made a significant contribution to South Africa’s jurisprudence, particularly in areas closely aligned with the Tribunal’s mandate—commercial law, administrative justice, and dispute resolution.”
“Their combined experience positions the Tribunal to further entrench a culture of accessible, efficient, and equitable justice for companies and stakeholders across the country.”
The statement also mentioned that Chairperson of the Companies Tribunal, Judge Dennis Davis, has expressed confidence that the newly appointed judges will further enrich its jurisprudence, particularly in the arbitration of company disputes.
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