Itayi Gwaunza is an Executive at ENS in the Employment practice.

He specialises in all employment law matters including litigation matters (such as appearances for trials, applications and arbitrations at the Labour Court, Labour Appeal Court, CCMA and Bargaining Councils dealing with unfair dismissal disputes, unfair labour practice disputes, unfair discrimination disputes, restraint of trade disputes, collective bargaining/organizational rights disputes, strike interdicts, protected disclosure/whistle-blower disputes and section 197 disputes) and non-litigation matters (such employment-related opinions, drafting employment contracts, independent contractor agreements, consultancy agreements, section 197 agreements, restraint of trade agreements, recognitions agreements, policies and procedures, due-diligences, compliance-checks and audits, occupational health and safety). He also advises on employment aspects arising from corporate transactions, such as sales of businesses, mergers and acquisitions and share-sale transactions.

Itayi has additional expertise in in the areas of administrative law, employee benefits, compensation and remuneration and sports law.

Itayi also advises boards of directors, board committees, executive committees and management committees on all employment law matters. He has presided over and prosecuted internal enquiries at several clients – such as disciplinary enquiries, performance enquiries, grievance hearings etc.  He has lead internal investigations into employee conduct at the workplace. 

Itayi has been an acting judge in the Labour Court, during which period he write several judgments.

Itayi has advised clients on employment matters in several countries on the African continent, he has written several articles on employment matters and he has also facilitated workshops and seminars on a number of employment related topics.

Education

• BA (University of Cape Town)
• LLB (University of Cape Town)
• Admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa

Itayi is recognised as a leading/recommended lawyer by:

• Best Lawyers® 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 – Labour and Employment Law (South Africa)

• Requiring that an Employee Speaks a Specific Language or be of a Specific Nationality: Unfair Discrimination or an Inherent Requirement of the Job?

  By Itayi Gwaunza |August 2021

• Requiring that an Employee Speaks a Specific Language or be of a Specific Nationality: Unfair Discrimination or an Inherent Requirement of the Job?

  By Itayi Gwaunza |August 2021

• An Employee Does Not Have to be Caught Red-Handed in an Act of Misconduct to be Found Culpable

  By Itayi Gwaunza |July 2021