George Gapu

Practice Areas

Corporate and Commercial Law

Employment and Labour Law

Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

Environmental Law

Work Highlights

1. He advised on a financing transaction involving regional financial institutions in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Kenya for a power project with a facility value of US$50 million where he is collaborating with a team from Bowmans attorneys in South Africa. The transaction is nearing completion.

2. In collaboration with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, George and an Associate in the firm actively participated in a capacity building project for senior officers in the Ministry of Finance and Attorney General’s office aimed at building their capacity in negotiating commercial contracts, navigating local and international arbitration laws and handing local and international arbitrations. The project was successfully completed in September 2022 with a three-day capacity building workshop in Harare.

3. In recent years, he has advised on some local and regional mergers and acquisitions projects in the manufacturing sector involving large enterprises in Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa which were successfully concluded. He also represents and advises a rapidly growing agricultural enterprise on setting up greenfield agricultural projects and deal structures in Zimbabwe.

4. As an arbitrator, George is currently presiding over several commercial disputes involving local and international companies.

5. He also represents some corporates in ongoing arbitration matters including an arbitration with claims and counterclaims amounting to in excess of US$25 million.

6. He is currently involved in ongoing litigation in the superior courts of Zimbabwe pertaining to among other things, international trade, insolvency disputes and immunity of international organisations.

7. Defended a 3 billion rand claim by a South African company against a leading Zimbabwean company

Languages Spoken

English and Shona

Experience

George joined Scanlen and Holderness in 2000. His practice areas are commercial law, banking and finance law. He is also head of the Civil Litigation Department in the firm and is an arbitrator with the Commercial Arbitration Centre in Harare.

He is a non-executive director of Landos Farm (Private) Limited, a significant player in the agricultural sector in Zimbabwe and is a law examiner with the Council for Legal Education.

He is a member of the Africa Leadership Group, a 3 member committee of lawyers leading Meritas activities in Africa. Meritas is an international network of lawyers with members across the globe. He co-chairs the network’s Africa Banking and Finance Practice Group.

He has a keen interest in Environmental Law and co-founded the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, the leading environmental law association in the country advocating for sustainable development and environmental justice, where he remains active as chairperson of its Executive Committee

Professional Memberships

• Law Society of Zimbabwe

• Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA)

• Commercial Arbitration Centre

Education