Dr Tebello Thabane

Senior Lecturer

BA (Law), LLB National University of Lesotho
LLM (Commercial Law) University of Pretoria
LLM (Human Rights) University of Free State
PhD University of Cape Town
Certificate (Corporate Compliance, Commercial Meditation) UCT
Advocate of the High Courts of South Africa and Lesotho

Bio

Dr Tebello Thabane is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Cape Town. He holds a PhD in Commercial Law from UCT, an LLM in Mercantile Law from the University of the Free State, an LLM in Human Rights from the University of Pretoria, and BA Law and LLB degrees from the National University of Lesotho.

His teaching and research interests include company law, corporate governance, compliance, corporate accountability, and the governance of state-owned enterprises. He has published on corporate governance in state-owned companies, statutory remedies, mergers, corporate accountability, and related areas of commercial and public-interest law. He also supervises postgraduate research at the LLM and PhD levels.

Dr Thabane’s professional experience spans academia, legal practice, public administration, mediation, and specialist consultancy. He has served as Deputy Head of the Department of Commercial Law at UCT, Senior Proctor at UCT, Principal Secretary in Lesotho’s Ministry of Law, and Chief Advisor to the Minister. He is an advocate in South Africa and Lesotho, serves as an accredited commercial mediator, and consults on governance, compliance, and corporate accountability projects.

Areas of Interest

  • Company Law
  • Corporate Governance
  • Compliance
  • Regulatory design and practice

Publications

  • T Thabane ‘Public interest standing under section 157(1)(d) of the Companies Act: A sharp arrow in the quiver of public interest guardians’ (2026) 143 South African Law Journal 155–183
  • T Thabane & J Mudzamiri ‘Pitfalls of shareholder-centric corporate law in an unequal society: A South African perspective’ Journal of African Law. 2026:1-19
  • T Thabane, P Mathibela & J Mudzamiri ‘Corporate social responsibility within the paradigm of transformative constitutionalism in South Africa’ (2025) 12(1) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 190–218
  • T Thabane ‘Can the minority oppress the majority? Rethinking the oppression remedy under the Companies Act 71 of 2008’ (2024) 10 (2) Journal of Corporate and Commercial Law and Practice 110 – 121
  • T Thabane & J Mudzamiri ‘An appraisal of the application and soundness of the solvency and liquidity test in the implementation of statutory mergers’ (2024) 49(1) Journal for Juridical Science/Tydskrif vir Regswetenskap 77–100
  • T Thabane ‘Rebooting state-owned companies in South Africa: Exploring the viability of Singapore’s state holding company (Temasek) model of ownership and control’ (2024) 27 Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal 1–30
  • T Thabane ‘The impact of regulatory pluralism and complexity on the governance of state-owned companies in South Africa’ (2023) 35 South African Mercantile Law Journal 49–73
  • T. Thabane, The removal of directors in state-owned companies: Shareholders’ franchise in jeopardy? Molefe and others v Minister of Transport and others South African Mercantile Law Journal 30 (2018) 155–171.
  • T. Thabane, Pathological corporate governance deficiencies in South Africa’s state-owned companies: A critical reflection Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal 21 (2018) 1–31(with E Snyman).
  • T. Thabane, A Contract of engagement as an unenforceable pactum de contrahendo under South African law: Distilling lessons for Lesotho courts [2018] Speculum Juris 17
  • T. Thabane, Weak extraterritorial remedies: The Achilles heel of Ruggie’s ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ Framework and Guiding Principles African Human Rights Law Journal 1 (2014) 43–60.
  • T. Thabane, ‘Stacking the odds against the accused’: Appraising the curial attitude towards amici participation in criminal matters’ South African Journal of Criminal Justice 24 (2011) 19–32.
  • T. Thabane, The impact of the African Charter and Women’s Protocol in Lesotho, (2012) 79–90 (Book Chapter) (PULP) (with I Shale).
  • T. Thabane, ‘Racism in the Workplace’ Industrial Law Journal 29 (2008) 43–51 (With A Rycroft)
  • T. Thabane, ‘Bridging the gap between de jure and de facto parliamentary representation of women in Africa’ CILSA 42 (2008) 175–204 (with MC Buthelezi).

Grants and Special Awards

  • NRF Thuthuka: National Research Foundation Thuthuka Funding
  • NRF BAAP: National Research Foundation Black Academics Advancement Programme
  • University of Pretoria Academic Honorary Colours Award (Award for academic excellence)
  • M Butterworth Prize in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
  • Mokhele Kabi Memorial Award in Mercantile Law