Realeboga Tshetlo

Date of Call: 2014

Realeboga Tshetlo (‘Rea’) is an admitted advocate of the High Court of South Africa and a member of the Legal Practice Council of South Africa. 

He is also a member of the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (‘JSA’) and the General Council of the Bar of South Africa. 

Rea was called to the “Bar” in 2014 and is currently in his 9th year of practice at Group One Advocates, Sandton. 

Rea runs a general commercial litigation practice and has appeared in the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, all Provincial Divisions of the High Court of South Africa, Labour Appeal Court, Labour Court, Land Claims Court, the Complaints and Compliance Committee of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa and the Financial Services Tribunal and in commercial arbitrations before the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa. 

Rea graduated from the University of Pretoria, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree.  He also holds a Master of Laws (specialising in Company Law, Competition Law & Banking and Finance) from the University of the Witwatersrand. 

Prior to joining the JSA for pupillage, under the mentorship of Adv. Isabel Goodman at Victoria Mxenge Group of Advocates, Rea practiced as a Banking & Finance attorney at Webber Wentzel, Sandton.  He completed his articles of clerkship at Webber Wentzel, where he also rotated (and gained experience) in the Commercial Litigation, Mergers & Acquisitions & Banking and Finance Departments.  

In 2012/2013, Rea had the distinct privilege of being appointed as a Law Clerk to retired Honourable Justice Johan Froneman at the Constitutional Court of South Africa.  

Rea serves as a member of the Executive Committee of Group One Advocates.  He also serves as an elected member of the JSA Bar Council for the period 2022/2023, having previously served in various sub-committees of the JSA. 

He has previously been recognised by the Mail & Guardian as a Top 200 Young South African.  In 2017, he was presented with a Justice & Law special award from the Gauteng Provincial Government by former Premier David Makhura. 

Rea runs a general commercial litigation practice and is often briefed in the following areas: commercial litigation and arbitrations, business rescue, liquidations, pension law, medical schemes, telecommunications, public audit regulatory work, mainly for the Auditor General of South Africa, administrative and public law, constitutional law, mining and environmental law, forensic investigations and employment law. 

Rea also has experience in class action litigation, having acted as counsel for Goldfields in the Silicosis class action certification litigation. 

Rea is also often called upon to act in a quasi-judicial capacity and has been appointed numerous times to preside as an Independent Chairperson in internal disciplinary enquiries. 

Rea has acted as counsel in some of the following notable reported matters (listed alphabetically): 

Constitutional Court of South Africa 

  1. Daniels v Scribante and Another 2017 (4) SA 341 (CC)
  2. Democratic Alliance in re Electoral Commission of South Africa v Minister of Cooperative Governance and Others 2022 (1) BCLR 1 (CC)
  3. Electoral Commission of South Africa v Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Others 2022 (5) BCLR 571 (CC)
  4. Electronic Media Network Limited and Others v E.TV (Pty) Limited and Others 2017 (9) BCLR 1108 (CC)
  5. Nkabinde and Another v Judicial Service Commission and Others 2017 (3) SA 119 (CC)
  6. United Democratic Movement v Speaker of the National Assembly and Others 2017 (5) SA 300 (CC) 

Supreme Court of Appeal 

  1. Central Energy Fund SOC Ltd and Another v Venus Rays Trade (Pty) Ltd and Others 2022 (5) SA 56 (SCA)
  2. Contango Trading SA v Central Energy Fund SOC Limited 2020 (3) SA 58 (SCA)
  3. ETV (Pty) Ltd v Minister of Communications 2016 (6) SA 356 (SCA)
  4. Nkabinde and Another v Judicial Service Commission and Others 2016 (4) SA 1 (SCA)
  5. Pather and Another v Financial Services Board and Others 2018 (1) SA 161 (SCA)
  6. Post Office Retirement Fund v South African Post Office SOC Ltd and Others [2022] 2 All SA 71 (SCA) 

High Court of South Africa 

  1. Bafokeng Land Buyers Association and Others v Royal Bafokeng Nation and Others 2018 (5) SA 566 (NWM)
  2. Central Energy Fund SOC Limited and Another v Venus Rays Trade (Pty) Ltd and Others (4305/18) [2020] ZAWCHC 164 (20 November 2020)
  3. Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd v Road Accident Fund and Another 2023 (2) SA 212 (GP)
  4. Ex Parte: Goosen and Others 2019 (3) SA 489 (GJ)
  5. Jai Hind Emcc CC t/a Emmarentia Convenience Centre v Engen Petroleum Ltd South Africa 2023 (2) SA 252 (GJ)
  6. Mntambo v Piotrans (Pty) Ltd (2021) 42 ILJ 2298 (GJ)
  7. Mpho Phalatse and Others v The Speaker of the City of Johannesburg Case NO: 22/26790
  8. Msiza v Motau Sc (NO) and Another 2020 (6) SA 604 (GP)
  9. Municipal Workers Retirement Fund v South African Local Government Bargaining Council and others and related matters
[2023] 5 BLLR 465 (GP)
  10. Nkala and Others v Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited and Others 2016 (5) SA 240 (GJ) (13 May 2016)
  11. Open Secrets and Another v Minister of Finance and Others (55493/2020) [2021] ZAGPPHC 570 (13 September 2021)
  12. Phalatse and Another v Speaker of the City of Johannesburg and Others (2023/26790) [2022] ZAGPJHC 1054 (25 October 2022)
  13. Post Office Retirement Fund v South African Post Office SOC Limited and Others (35043/2020) [2020] ZAGPPHC 519 (14 September 2020)
  14. Registrar of Medical Schemes v Sizwe Medical Fund Case No 28986/2020, Tuchten J dated, 23 November 2020
  15. Road Accident Fund v The Sheriff of the High Court, Pretoria East and Others (028726-2022) [2023] ZAGPPHC 746 (28 August 2023)
  16. Special Investigating Unit and Another v Vision View Productions CC (2019/20801) [2020] ZAGPJHC 421 (19 June 2020)
  17. Steenkamp and Another v Central Energy Fund SOC Limited and Others 2018 (1) SA 311 (WCC) 

Labour Appeal Court 

  1. Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology v Construction Education and Training Authority and Others (2022) 43 ILJ 374 (LAC) 

Land Claims Court 

  1. District Six Committee and Others v Minister of Rural Development & Land Reform and Others [2019] 4 All SA 89 (LCC) (2 August 2019) 

Complaints and Compliance Committee of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa 

  1. Vodacom (Pty) Ltd v Mobile Telephone Networks (Pty) Ltd Case  283/2018 

Contact Information:

Telephone: 011 290-4000
Mobile: 071 860-8853
Email: tshetlo@counsel.co.za