Leading South African law firm Webber Wentzel received IJGlobal's African Mining & Metals Deal of the Year Award for 2014 at an awards ceremony held in London last night (19 February 2015).

IJGlobal is an online intelligence service that tracks global market activity in the financing of infrastructure projects within various sectors. The award was made for the firm's work on the Kalagadi Manganese Mine Project.

Webber Wentzel senior partner, David Lancaster, says, "We are delighted to receive this award as it recognises not only our work on the Kalagadi project, but also our ongoing involvement in many of the most significant financing transactions in southern Africa. It also demonstrates our ability to compete on an international platform."

According to IJGlobal the awards are, "the most prestigious… for excellence in developing and financing energy, infrastructure and resources transactions. They draw on over two decades of leadership in providing information and analysis in these markets."

Kalagadi Manganese is a majority black owned company with women occupying the leading management positions. The Kalagadi Manganese Mine Project is significant because it is the largest project of its kind to be launched in South Africa in the last 30 years. It is also the first to be started from scratch, to be developed into a mine, a sinter plant and a smelter by women.

In addition the project has resulted in approximately 12,500 direct and indirect jobs being created to date. The complete development is expected to create a further 1,600 jobs at full production.

Lancaster concludes, "It's good for us to be involved in projects such as these. It's clearly important not only for our client, but also for the broader community in which the project is situated."

Lancaster will be retiring at the end of February 2015. He will be succeeded at Webber Wentzel by Christo Els, who will take over as senior partner, and Sally Hutton, in a newly-created managing partner role.