Otsile Matlou

Otsile Matlou is the Chief Operating Officer of ENS and a director in the firm's natural resources and environment department, practicing in Mining Law. As COO, he ensures the seamless delivery of effective solutions for clients across the continent, while his expertise covers the full circle of mining – from exploration, mining and beneficiation to downscaling and closure across all mineral commodity sectors including base and precious metals, coal, rare earths, sand, and diamonds.

Mr. Matlou advises on mining aspects of equity and asset acquisitions, disposals and corporate restructuring, black economic empowerment transactions, distressed mining assets, and royalties in the mining sector. He has done mining title and transactional work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and has advised on joint ventures in DRC, Zimbabwe and Zambia. He also advised the Uganda Chamber of Mines on the Ugandan mineral regulatory framework.

Otsile holds a BA and LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Higher Diploma in Tax, and Certificates in Advanced Company Law I and II. He is a former advocate of the High Court of South Africa and is admitted as an attorney of the High Court. He is an instructor for the Black Lawyers Association and the International Law Institute – African Centre for Legal Excellence, where he has trained senior government negotiators and regulators from various African countries on mining contracts, concessions, and disputes.

He is regularly invited to present papers at conferences in the field of mining law and is widely published. He has been recognized by Chambers Global in Energy & Natural Resources: Mining, by The Legal 500 EMEA in Mining, by IFLR1000 in Project Development, and was named Best Lawyers' Lawyer of the Year in Mining Law (2021).