Johannes Gouws

Johannes Gouws is the Country Managing Partner for South Africa at DLA Piper, with over 31 years of experience specialising in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He advises on cross‑border and domestic M&A transactions, securities regulation, corporate finance, and the resolution of financial institutions, representing clients across the banking, financial services, insurance, agriculture, and retail sectors.

He has advised Sanlam Life Insurance on its subscription for a new class of shares in African Rainbow Capital Investments, representing a 25% economic interest in the ARC Fund's diversified investment portfolio, for an aggregate consideration of ZAR 3.2 billion. He has acted in many of the largest corporate transactions in South Africa in recent years, providing strategic legal counsel to clients across a broad range of industries and jurisdictions. He is recognised by Chambers Global (2021‑2026) in Band 1 for Corporate/M&A in South Africa, where clients note that “Johannes is particularly renowned for his experience leading complex cross‑border M&A deals.” He is also ranked as a Leading Partner by The Legal 500, recognised by Thomson Reuters as a Stand‑out Lawyer (2025), and recommended by Best Lawyers (2011‑2026) for Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law.

He holds an LL.B (1992) and a BLC (1990) from the University of Pretoria. He was admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa in 1995.