We are passionate about the built environment and specialize in construction, building and engineering law.
We regularly act on behalf of Employers, Contractors, Sub-contractor and suppliers. In an attempt to deliver tangible value to the industry we also, in partnership with voluntary associations and professional and industry bodies, present training on all the standard form building contracts and principles of contract management and dispute resolution to stakeholders in the Building Industry.

Roelf Nel

Roelf Nel

Managing Director
Roelf is privileged to lead the great team at Roelf Nel Incorporated to ever higher levels. He specializes in both the delivery of infrastructure and energy projects with extensive experience in construction advisory project execution mandates and dispute resolution relating to these types of projects. Roelf has a passion for the construction sector and presents training on standard form construction contracts to the industry and the legal profession.
Jacques Smith

Jacques Smith

Senior Associate
Jacques is a Senior Associate with over 20 years’ experience. He obtained his LLB from the University of South Africa in 2004 and was admitted as an attorney the same year. With a strong background in commercial litigation, he brings this passion to RN Inc, where he runs adjudications, arbitrations and High Court matters. He also founded the firm’s Candidate Attorney Mentorship Program and is known for ensuring matters run smoothly while developing colleagues.
Wilhelm Smith

Wilhelm Smith

Associate
Wilhelm is an associate at the firm, since joining the firm in 2023. Wilhelm was admitted as an attorney in 2012, and since then he was admitted as both a Conveyancer and a Notary in 2018. Wilhelm is the head of the Conveyancing department of RN Inc. He assists clients with the transfer of their immovable property or antenuptial agreements. He can also be found doing litigation. He has a keen eye for detail and enjoys the thrill of successful litigious matters. When not working Wilhelm enjoys spending time in the great outdoors.
Keegan Beaton

Keegan Beaton

Associate
Keegan is an Associate at the firm, with a BCom Law from North-West University and an LLB from UNISA. He has built a focused expertise in the commercial and contractual side of the built environment, advising contractors, employers, and professional consultants on the agreements that determine how projects are structured, procured, and delivered. Much of his work involves the drafting and negotiation of construction, engineering, and professional services agreements, giving clients a firm contractual foundation before a project breaks ground. His work also extends to the corporate and transactional side of the built environment, advising on commercial agreements that support property development, infrastructure projects, and the professional services sector. He has experience in construction and engineering disputes, having been involved in adjudication, arbitration, and High Court proceedings under the JBCC, GCC, and FIDIC contract suites.
Daniel Pillay

Daniel Pillay

Associate
Daniel is an Associate at our firm, where he contributes to the firm’s delivery of strategic legal solutions across a range of practice areas. He has a particular interest in contract, construction, and commercial law, and is focused on developing practical, result-driven solutions within these areas. Daniel holds a BCom Law (2021) and LLB (2023) from North-West University. He is involved in supporting matters from inception through to resolution, applying strong analytical skills and attention to detail to ensure efficient and effective outcomes. His approach is grounded in a clear understanding of clients’ commercial objectives, allowing him to contribute meaningfully to both advisory and dispute-related work. Beyond his legal work, Daniel has a keen interest in technology and enjoys gardening, reflecting an appreciation for innovation, growth, and sustainability.
Pelonomi Letsholo

Pelonomi Letsholo

Candidate Attorney
Pelo joined RN Inc. as a Candidate Attorney in February 2023 after completing her BA in Law and LLB at North-West University. She is passionate about Construction Law and is gaining experience in contracts and dispute resolution processes like mediation and arbitration. Committed to growth, Pelo values the firm’s role in sharpening her leadership and professional skills as she works toward admission in 2025. In her free time, she enjoys travel, family, and discovering new restaurants. She believes greatness comes through responsibility and accountability.
Malefo Makena

Malefo Makena

Candidate Attorney
Malefo is a Candidate Attorney at RN Inc, having joined the firm in September 2024. He obtained his LLB from the University of South Africa in 2022 and completed his PLT at the University of Pretoria in June 2023. He began his legal career in 2023 as a Contracts Administrator at a Johannesburg-based Grade 9 construction company, where his interest in construction law developed. Calm and patient by nature, he is focused on growing his expertise in contract and construction law while working toward admission.
Matthew Webb

Matthew Webb

Candidate Attorney
Matthew is a Candidate Attorney who joined the firm part-time in 2024 while completing his LLB at the University of Pretoria, having previously obtained a BA Law from Tuks. After impressing during his part-time tenure, he joined the firm full-time as a CA in January 2025. He is dedicated to learning and professional growth, and is known for his strong work ethic, approachable manner, and commitment to becoming a capable and reliable attorney.
Meokgo Mohale

Meokgo Mohale

Debtors and Creditors Clerk
Meokgo is a detail-oriented Receptionist and Creditors/Debtors Clerk with strong skills in administration and client account management. She holds a National Diploma in Marketing Management from Tshwane University of Technology and is pursuing a BCom in Accounting Sciences through UNISA. Known for accuracy and professionalism, she resolves account queries efficiently and builds solid client and supplier relationships, delivering consistent results with integrity.
Victoria Bota

Victoria Bota

Candidate Attorney
Noloyiso Victoria Bota joined RN Inc. as a Candidate Attorney in June 2025. She obtained her LLB degree from the University of South Africa in 2022. Victoria has a keen interest in contract law, the interpretation of legislation, legal research, and compliance. She is passionate about developing her legal skills across a wide range of legal work, including research, drafting, and assisting in litigation and commercial matters, while contributing meaningfully to the firm’s practice.
Wiehan Palmer

Wiehan Palmer

Consultant
Wiehan is a consultant and director of HAC-CS (Pty) Ltd, specializing in Dispute Resolution and Contract Administration under NEC3 & 4, FIDIC, GCC and JBCC. He holds a BSc in Construction Management, an MSc in Project Management, and a certificate in Construction Adjudication. With local and international experience across mining, energy, healthcare and infrastructure, he advises clients across project lifecycles and has led numerous adjudications.

LEGAL SERVICES

From Tenders to Claims, we have got you covered.

TRAINING SERVICES

Roelf regularly present training to the Gauteng Institute of Architects (GIFA), the Pretoria Institute of Architects (PIA) and to Master Builders South Africa North (MBSA) on the JBCC suite of contract and contract management principles and presents CPD training for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

LEGAL SERVICES
TRAINING SERVICES


From Tenders to Claims, we have got you covered.

EXPLORE OUR SERVICES >

Roelf regularly present training to the Gauteng Institute of Architects (GIFA), the Pretoria Institute of Architects (PIA) and to Master Builders South Africa North (MBSA) on the JBCC suite of contract and contract management principles and presents CPD training for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

BUILD YOUR EXPERTISE >

At RN Incorporated (RNInc), we have dedicated ourselves to construction, building and engineering law.

We ensured that we possess expert knowledge in the associated fields of insurance, commercial, property and contract law to deliver a bespoke service to our clients.

We pride ourselves on the fact that we have been able to tailor our services to all role players in the built environment from the feasibility phase to project close out and defects liability phase. We deal with projects in most sectors, including Transport, Healthcare, Leisure and Hospitality, Commercial & Residential Property, Energy & Oil & Gas.

We have achieved this by compiling an elite team of legal counsel, technical consultants and expert witnesses and by forming strategic alliances with other bespoke legal, financial and building services firms as well as freelance professionals.

We believe in approaching all matters in a practical, cost effective and, as far as possible, non-litigious manner with an elite team of aptly qualified and experienced professionals to find a workable solution that is in the best interest of our clients.

The firm operates as an unlimited liability company and currently has only one director, Roelf Nel.

We have local partner firms in Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Kenya and operate seamlessly in these jurisdictions.

EXPERTISE

CONTENTIOUS MATTERS
NON-CONTENTIOUS MATTERS

Energy
Acted on behalf of a sub-contractor in a claim for payment against the main contractor in relation to variations on a wiring contract on a windfarm project.

Healthcare
Acted on behalf of project owner in a high value dispute with the design build contractor on a 150 bed regional hospital in relation to a rejected compensation event.

Housing
Acted on behalf of the developer in a dispute with the contractor on a 720 bed student housing development in relation to variation orders and contract interpretation.

Leisure
Acted on behalf of the project owner in a dispute with the contractor on a 148 room hotel relating to a disputed final account.

Commercial
Acted on behalf of a project owner in a dispute with the design build contractor on a warehouse in relation to a rejected claim for additional costs resulting from unforeseen ground conditions.

Transport
Acted on behalf of the implementing agent in a high value dispute with the design build contractor on a 25km roads project relating to a disputed termination.

Energy
Acted on behalf of the developer of a 5MW run-of-river hydro power project to negotiate and draft the contract documents for the civil works, water to wire and balance of plant contract packages.

Healthcare
Acted on behalf of the developer of a 130 bed, 4 theatre private hospital with consulting rooms and housing for 200 nurses to advise and draft the commercial structure, negotiate the equity and debt funding, draft loan and security agreements and the consultant appointments.

Housing
Acted on behalf of a lender to prepare execution documents for their niche property development funding product.

Leisure
Provided contractual and commercial advice to a project owner in relation to the refurbishment of an existing hotel.

Commercial
Acted on behalf of architect firm appointed by design build contractor appointed for the design and construction of a new regional airport to negotiate their appointment including the appointment of their international sub-consultants

Transport
Provided contractual and commercial advice to a contractor appointed under a Design Build Operate Maintain contract arrangement in relation to the operation, maintenance and replacement of existing intelligent  freeway management services as well as the construction of replacement and new equipment .  

SERVICES
EXPERTISE

At RN Incorporated (RNInc), we have dedicated ourselves to construction, building and engineering law.

We ensured that we possess expert knowledge in the associated fields of insurance, commercial, property and contract law to deliver a bespoke service to our clients.

We pride ourselves on the fact that we have been able to tailor our services to all role players in the built environment from the feasibility phase to project close out and defects liability phase. We deal with projects in most sectors, including Transport, Healthcare, Leisure and Hospitality, Commercial & Residential Property, Energy & Oil & Gas.

We have achieved this by compiling an elite team of legal counsel, technical consultants and expert witnesses and by forming strategic alliances with other bespoke legal, financial and building services firms as well as freelance professionals.

We believe in approaching all matters in a practical, cost effective and, as far as possible, non-litigious manner with an elite team of aptly qualified and experienced professionals to find a workable solution that is in the best interest of our clients.

The firm operates as an unlimited liability company and currently has only one director, Roelf Nel.

We have local partner firms in Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Kenya and operate seamlessly in these jurisdictions.

CONTENTIOUS MATTERS

Energy

Acted on behalf of a sub-contractor in a claim for payment against the main contractor in relation to variations on a wiring contract on a windfarm project.

Healthcare

Acted on behalf of project owner in a high value dispute with the design build contractor on a 150 bed regional hospital in relation to a rejected compensation event.

Housing

Acted on behalf of the developer in a dispute with the contractor on a 720 bed student housing development in relation to variation orders and contract interpretation.

 Leisure

Acted on behalf of the project owner in a dispute with the contractor on a 148 room hotel relating to a disputed final account.

 Commercial

Acted on behalf of a project owner in a dispute with the design build contractor on a warehouse in relation to a rejected claim for additional costs resulting from unforeseen ground conditions.

Transport

Acted on behalf of the implementing agent in a high value dispute with the design build contractor on a 25km roads project relating to a disputed termination.

NON-CONTENTIOUS MATTERS

Energy

Acted on behalf of the developer of a 5MW run-of-river hydro power project to negotiate and draft the contract documents for the civil works, water to wire and balance of plant contract packages.

 Healthcare

Acted on behalf of the developer of a 130 bed, 4 theatre private hospital with consulting rooms and housing for 200 nurses to advise and draft the commercial structure, negotiate the equity and debt funding, draft loan and security agreements and the consultant appointments.

 Housing

Acted on behalf of a lender to prepare execution documents for their niche property development funding product.

 Leisure

Provided contractual and commercial advice to a project owner in relation to the refurbishment of an existing hotel.

 Commercial

Acted on behalf of architect firm appointed by design build contractor appointed for the design and construction of a new regional airport to negotiate their appointment including the appointment of their international sub-consultants

 Transport

Provided contractual and commercial advice to a contractor appointed under a Design Build Operate Maintain contract arrangement in relation to the operation, maintenance and replacement of existing intelligent  freeway management services as well as the construction of replacement and new equipment .  

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These terms and conditions outline the rules and regulations for the use of RN Inc.’s Website, located at https://rninc.co.za.

By accessing this website we assume you accept these terms and conditions. Do not continue to use RN Inc. Infrastructure Project Attorneys if you do not agree to take all of the terms and conditions stated on this page.

The following terminology applies to these Terms and Conditions, Privacy Statement and Disclaimer Notice and all Agreements: “Client”, “You” and “Your” refers to you, the person log on this website and compliant to the Company’s terms and conditions. “The Company”, “Ourselves”, “We”, “Our” and “Us”, refers to our Company. “Party”, “Parties”, or “Us”, refers to both the Client and ourselves. All terms refer to the offer, acceptance and consideration of payment necessary to undertake the process of our assistance to the Client in the most appropriate manner for the express purpose of meeting the Client’s needs in respect of provision of the Company’s stated services, in accordance with and subject to, prevailing law of Netherlands. Any use of the above terminology or other words in the singular, plural, capitalization and/or he/she or they, are taken as interchangeable and therefore as referring to same.

Cookies

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Most interactive websites use cookies to let us retrieve the user’s details for each visit. Cookies are used by our website to enable the functionality of certain areas to make it easier for people visiting our website. Some of our affiliate/advertising partners may also use cookies.

License

Unless otherwise stated, RN Inc. and/or its licensors own the intellectual property rights for all material on RN Inc. Infrastructure Project Attorneys. All intellectual property rights are reserved. You may access this from RN Inc. Infrastructure Project Attorneys for your own personal use subjected to restrictions set in these terms and conditions.

You must not:

  • Republish material from RN Inc. Infrastructure Project Attorneys

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This Agreement shall begin on the date hereof.

Parts of this website offer an opportunity for users to post and exchange opinions and information in certain areas of the website. RN Inc. does not filter, edit, publish or review Comments prior to their presence on the website. Comments do not reflect the views and opinions of RN Inc.,its agents and/or affiliates. Comments reflect the views and opinions of the person who post their views and opinions. To the extent permitted by applicable laws, RN Inc. shall not be liable for the Comments or for any liability, damages or expenses caused and/or suffered as a result of any use of and/or posting of and/or appearance of the Comments on this website.

RN Inc. reserves the right to monitor all Comments and to remove any Comments which can be considered inappropriate, offensive or causes breach of these Terms and Conditions.

You warrant and represent that:

  • You are entitled to post the Comments on our website and have all necessary licenses and consents to do so;

  • The Comments do not invade any intellectual property right, including without limitation copyright, patent or trademark of any third party;

  • The Comments do not contain any defamatory, libelous, offensive, indecent or otherwise unlawful material which is an invasion of privacy

  • The Comments will not be used to solicit or promote business or custom or present commercial activities or unlawful activity.

You hereby grant RN Inc. a non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, edit and authorize others to use, reproduce and edit any of your Comments in any and all forms, formats or media.

Hyperlinking to our Content

The following organizations may link to our Website without prior written approval:

  • Government agencies;

  • Search engines;

  • News organizations;

  • Online directory distributors may link to our Website in the same manner as they hyperlink to the Websites of other listed businesses; and

  • System wide Accredited Businesses except soliciting non-profit organizations, charity shopping malls, and charity fundraising groups which may not hyperlink to our Web site.

These organizations may link to our home page, to publications or to other Website information so long as the link: (a) is not in any way deceptive; (b) does not falsely imply sponsorship, endorsement or approval of the linking party and its products and/or services; and (c) fits within the context of the linking party’s site.

We may consider and approve other link requests from the following types of organizations:

  • commonly-known consumer and/or business information sources;

  • dot.com community sites;

  • associations or other groups representing charities;

  • online directory distributors;

  • internet portals;

  • accounting, law and consulting firms; and

  • educational institutions and trade associations.

We will approve link requests from these organizations if we decide that: (a) the link would not make us look unfavorably to ourselves or to our accredited businesses; (b) the organization does not have any negative records with us; (c) the benefit to us from the visibility of the hyperlink compensates the absence of RN Inc.; and (d) the link is in the context of general resource information.

These organizations may link to our home page so long as the link: (a) is not in any way deceptive; (b) does not falsely imply sponsorship, endorsement or approval of the linking party and its products or services; and (c) fits within the context of the linking party’s site.

If you are one of the organizations listed in paragraph 2 above and are interested in linking to our website, you must inform us by sending an e-mail to RN Inc.. Please include your name, your organization name, contact information as well as the URL of your site, a list of any URLs from which you intend to link to our Website, and a list of the URLs on our site to which you would like to link. Wait 2-3 weeks for a response.

Approved organizations may hyperlink to our Website as follows:

  • By use of our corporate name; or

  • By use of the uniform resource locator being linked to; or

  • By use of any other description of our Website being linked to that makes sense within the context and format of content on the linking party’s site.

No use of RN Inc.’s logo or other artwork will be allowed for linking absent a trademark license agreement.

iFrames

Without prior approval and written permission, you may not create frames around our Webpages that alter in any way the visual presentation or appearance of our Website.

Content Liability

We shall not be hold responsible for any content that appears on your Website. You agree to protect and defend us against all claims that is rising on your Website. No link(s) should appear on any Website that may be interpreted as libelous, obscene or criminal, or which infringes, otherwise violates, or advocates the infringement or other violation of, any third party rights.

Your Privacy

Please read Privacy Policy.

Reservation of Rights

We reserve the right to request that you remove all links or any particular link to our Website. You approve to immediately remove all links to our Website upon request. We also reserve the right to amen these terms and conditions and it’s linking policy at any time. By continuously linking to our Website, you agree to be bound to and follow these linking terms and conditions.

Removal of links from our website

If you find any link on our Website that is offensive for any reason, you are free to contact and inform us any moment. We will consider requests to remove links but we are not obligated to or so or to respond to you directly.

We do not ensure that the information on this website is correct, we do not warrant its completeness or accuracy; nor do we promise to ensure that the website remains available or that the material on the website is kept up to date.

Disclaimer

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we exclude all representations, warranties and conditions relating to our website and the use of this website. Nothing in this disclaimer will:

  • limit or exclude our or your liability for death or personal injury;

  • limit or exclude our or your liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;

  • limit any of our or your liabilities in any way that is not permitted under applicable law; or

  • exclude any of our or your liabilities that may not be excluded under applicable law.

The limitations and prohibitions of liability set in this Section and elsewhere in this disclaimer: (a) are subject to the preceding paragraph; and (b) govern all liabilities arising under the disclaimer, including liabilities arising in contract, in tort and for breach of statutory duty.

As long as the website and the information and services on the website are provided free of charge, we will not be liable for any loss or damage of any nature.

PRIVACY POLICY

THE PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION ACT

Customer Privacy Notice

This Notice explains how we obtain, use and disclose your personal information, in accordance with the requirements of the Protection of Personal Information Act (“POPIA”).

At Roelf Nel Inc (www.rninc.co.za) we are committed to protecting your privacy and to ensure that your personal information is collected and used properly, lawfully, and transparently.

About the Company

Roelf Nel Inc, based in Pretoria, Gauteng, Registration Number: 2014/051225/21, Telephone: 087 354 3704.

The information we collect

We collect and process your personal information concerning your transactions and provide services accordingly. For this purpose, we will collect contact details including yourself and your company.
We collect information directly from you when you provide us with your personal information. Where possible, we will inform you what information you are required to provide to us and what information is optional.
Website usage information may be collected using “cookies” which allows us to collect standard internet visitor usage information.

How we use your information

We will use your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected and agreed with you. In addition, where necessary your information may be retained for legal purposes.
For example:
• To gather contact information;
• To confirm and verify your identity or to verify that you are an authorised user for security purposes;
• For the detection and prevention of fraud, crime, money laundering, or other malpractice;
• To conduct market or customer satisfaction research or for statistical analysis;
• For audit and record-keeping purposes;
• In connection with legal proceedings.

Disclosure of information

We may disclose your personal information to our service providers who are involved in the delivery of products or services to you. We have agreements in place to ensure that they comply with the privacy requirements as required by the Protection of Personal Information Act.
It must be noted that in the Legal Industry there are various providers involved. It is often necessary to share your information with third parties to fulfill the contractual obligations in terms of this.
We may also disclose your information:
• Where we have a duty or a right to disclose in terms of law or industry codes;
• Where we believe it is necessary to protect our rights.

Information Security

We are legally obliged to provide adequate protection for the personal information we hold and to stop unauthorised access and use of personal information. We will, on an ongoing basis, continue to review our security controls and related processes to ensure that your personal information remains secure.
Our security policies and procedures cover:
• Physical security;
• Computer and network security;
• Access to personal information;
• Retention and disposal of information;
• Acceptable usage of personal information;
• Governance and regulatory issues;
• Investigating and reacting to security incidents.

When we contract with third parties, we impose appropriate security, privacy, and confidentiality obligations on them to ensure that personal information that we remain responsible for, is kept secure.
We will ensure that anyone to whom we pass your personal information agrees to treat your information with the same level of protection as we are obliged to.

Your Rights: Access to information

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. To do this, simply contact us at the numbers/addresses provided on our website and specify what information you require. We will need a copy of your ID document to confirm your identity before providing details of your personal information.
Please note that any such access request may be subject to payment of a legally allowable fee.

Correction of your information

You have the right to ask us to update, correct or delete your personal information. We will require a copy of your ID document to confirm your identity before making changes to personal information we may hold about you. We would appreciate it if you would keep your personal information accurate. The request to delete information will be inline with the respective legal obligation.

Definition of personal information

According to the Act ‘‘personal information’’ means information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person, and where it is applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person.

How to contact us

If you have any queries about this notice and require any further information about our privacy practices, wish to withdraw consent; exercise preferences, or access or correct your personal information, please contact our Office on Telephone 087 354 3704 or email: info@rninc.co.za.