About our logo
Our logo is based on an ancient symbol called “the seed of life” or “the seed of the universe”. It shows a spiral of potential energy within a sphere symbolising the Universe. Our logo reminds us that creativity and life flows from the dynamic balance created by the constant ebb and flow of opposing energies and that our lives and work should reflect this fundamental principle. It also represents the creative energy of our organisation and our commitment to designing strategies and governance systems that are holistic, balanced, and consistent with the greater natural systems within which we exist.
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| People |
EnAct has a team of highly qualified specialist consultants, each of whom formerly practised in a law firm or in government. This includes six specialist environmental lawyers, each of whom has, or is in the process of obtaining, a Masters Degree in environmental law. The EnAct team also includes two senior government officials with extensive environmental governance and public sector experience one of whom is an international recognised marine scientist with extensive experience in the fields of marine pollution and invasive alien species.
Our approach is to combine rigorous intellectual analysis and practical experience with a commitment to excellence and a willingness to innovate, in order to produce consistent, high quality advice, which is practical and relevant to the needs of our clients. The work of each consultant is subject to internal quality review to ensure that our clients benefit from the combined expertise of the team.
Each of our lawyers also practices in the environmental law firm Cullinan & Associates Inc. (see www.cullinans.co.za).
Our team consists of the following full-time consultants:
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Cormac Cullinan |
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BA, BA (Hons), LLB (Natal), LLM (Environmental Law) (London)
Director
Cormac was admitted as an attorney in 1989 and since founding EnAct in London in 1993, has worked exclusively in the fields of environmental law and governance. Cormac has drafted laws, policies and strategies and advised on legal and institutional reforms concerning environment issues in 20 countries. He has drafted several international law agreements (treaties) as well as national, provincial and municipal legislation. Cormac has a reputation for developing innovative solutions and is regularly invited to speak on environmental issues in the USA and UK as well as in South Africa.
Internationally he is best known for pioneering the emerging field of Earth jurisprudence through his book Wild Law. This led to his inclusion in the 2008 book “Planet Savers: 301 Extraordinary Environmentalists” which profiles environmental champions throughout history.
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Ingrid Coetzee |
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BA, BA Honours (Art History) (RAU), MA cum laude (RAU)
Senior Consultant
Ingrid has extensive environmental governance experience, spanning professional to executive management capacity, in all three spheres of government. Her expertise, skills and competencies cover urban conservation, cultural resources management, all fields of environmental management, public participation processes, environmental policy development and formulation, law reform and regulation, protected areas and biodiversity conservation.
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Gregory Daniels |
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BIuris, LLB (UWC)
Director
Greg has specialised in environmental law since being admitted as an attorney and joining EnAct in April 2003. Greg has a particular interest in the marine environment and has researched and advised on the regulation of artisanal fishing and the monitoring, control and surveillance of marine fisheries throughout the SADC region, the regulation of the South African abalone fishery, as well as on integrated coastal management. He also has extensive experience in environmental impact assessment in South Africa and the SADC region, the environmental aspects of mining, and biosafety and seed policies law in Southern Africa. Greg has also participated in capacity-building workshops on good environmental decision-making for municipal and provincial decision-makers.
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Sarah Kvalsvig |
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BA, LLB (Natal)
Director
Sarah joined EnAct in August 2005 and has particular expertise in the law related to protected areas, biodiversity protection and waste management and in the application of the Kyoto Protocol (global warming. Prior to joining the firm she practised as a litigation lawyer in Durban and then worked for 6 years in two major commercial law firms in London. While in the UK she also worked on the three-year public inquiry into BSE and variant CJD charied by Lord Nicholas Phillps. She is in the final stages of completing a Masters degree in environmental law.
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Glendyr Nel |
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BA, LLB, LLM (Environmental law) (University of Natal)
Consultant
Glendyr has specialised in environmental law since 2004 and joined EnAct in 2008. She has assisted clients in South Africa and Namibia in both the private and public sectors by providing services such as legal compliance, due diligence reporting, permitting advice, contractual advice, opinions and the drafting of environmental and planning appeals. An additional area of expertise relates to that of waste and contaminated land. Glendyr has been involved in a legal review of resource use management in KZN and in the initial stages of the development of an environmental bylaw. In addition, she has gathered experience in the marine environment, having provided environmental legal compliance services to all the ports in South Africa. Glendyr also has a special interest in planning for the practical and legal adaptations necessary to accommodate climate change.
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Nathi Mjenxane |
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LLB (University of the Western Cape)
Consultant
Nathi has specialised in environmental law since joining EnAct in 2007. He has a particular interest in historical environmental liability. Nathi has wide ranging experience in land matters including coordinating a module at the University of Western Cape post graduate Diploma Programme in Land and Agriculture Studies and undertaking focused research on land restitution and redistribution for the Legal Resources Center.
Nathi participated in settlement negotiations for the Richtersveld land claim case, assisted in drafting of commonage agreements between local municipalities and farming associations and advised indigent people on illegal evictions from farms and private dwellings.
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Laila Mahomedy |
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LLB, LLM (Medical law), LLM (Environmental lawl)
Consultant
Laila is a consultant at the Cape Town branch of EnAct International and a specialist environmental lawyer at Cullinan & Associates Inc. She completed a Masters degree in Environmental Law at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. In addition, she holds a Masters degree in Medical Law. Since joining EnAct, she has worked on a wide range of projects requiring an analysis of both legal and institutional frameworks. These include the analysis and collation of public comments received on the draft National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Bill, the review and analysis of provisions of trade agreements for African sub-regions relating to invasive species, and the review of legal frameworks relating to biodiversity conservation.
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| Our associates include: |
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Lynn Jackson |
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BSc, BSc Hons, MSc (Marine Ecology), PhD (Marine Science), Graduate Diploma in Marine Law
Lynn is a marine scientist with a Graduate Diploma in Marine Law. She spent 24 years at the Marine and Coastal Management Branch of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, eventually heading the Marine Pollution Division. During that time she was responsible for implementing national legislation on marine pollution, and also represented South Africa at meetings of the London Convention, the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organisation, UNEP’s Programme on Land-based Sources of Marine Pollution, and the Abidjan and Nairobi Conventions. Between 2004 and 2007, Lynn was the Director of the Global Invasive Species Programme which she represented at many international meetings, including meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
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Donald Reid |
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Scottish environmental lawyer
Donald practised environmental law for ten years in a large commercial law firm in Edinburgh where he was a partner for 25 years. In 1999 he became a senior associate with EnAct International in London, assisting mainly developing countries to draft new environmental laws and build their institutional capacity to meet EU and international standards.
He is now part of the English Environment Agency’s legal team advising on environmental guidance for small businesses.
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Teresa Amador |
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Portuguese environmental lawyer and CEO of Ecosphere
Teresa has been practising since 1998 as an environmental lawyer and legal advisor to governments and international organisations. She has undertaken work for EnAct in Angola and Mozambique. Teresa frequently represents the Portuguese government in international fora skills and her skills include international negotiation; drafting of national legislation and international agreements; writing legal opinions and reports; undertaking comparative analyses of different legal regimes; assessing and reviewing environmental legislation in different environmental sectors; conformity checking of the degree of compliance of national legislation with international legal obligations; and training.
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Polly Higgins |
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MA (Hons) Post-graduate Diploma (Law)
Called to the Bar (Middle Temple, London)
Queen Mother Scholar
UK Associate
Polly was called to the UK Bar in 1998, where she practised for seven years. Her primary area of expertise was company and employment law. She has represented numerous corporations, trade unions and public bodies as well as employees, ranging from Employment Tribunal to County Court to Court of Appeal. In 2006 she moved into advisory work for Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Co-operation (TREC-UK), advising and lobbying on EU and international legislative frameworks for upcoming renewable energy policies. Through her work with TREC, Polly began to recognise that the need for a Duty of Care was required for the planet. To that end she has become a vociferous spokesperson of Earth Jurisprudential principles, working with EnAct International to promote wide-scale adoption and recognition. A regular public speaker, she is now a sought after advocate and adviser of Wild Law.
Polly is spearheading a campaign to encourage the United Nations to implement a Universal Declaration of Planetary Rights. To read more about the campaign, visit treeshaverightstoo.com
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| Our Support Staff include: |
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Lisi Mallinson |
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Lisi joined EnAct in July 2006 and provides secretarial and administration support to the team of consultants. With wide-ranging experience as a PA and team secretary in several London-based and South African companies, Lisi brings a range of skills to EnAct that includes proficiency in Excel and excellent typing skills. With her diverse background experience, Lisi is able to manage many challenges and thrives on the fast-paced working environment at EnAct. In her spare time, Lisi is involved with Restoring Wholeness Ministries, a cross-cultural, inter-denominational Christian ministry aimed at addressing relational issues.
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Galimah Majiet |
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Galimah joined EnAct in June 2008. She has significant experience as a legal secretary and is able to manage and organise her tasks efficiently and timeously. Her skills are invaluable in her daily management of duties and include MS Office and dicta-typing. She is known for her friendly and peaceful nature and also has an accreditation in aromatherapy and holistic health.
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Elizabeth Booysen |
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Elizabeth Booysen or Lizzie as she is affectionately known, joined EnAct in July 2004. Her constant smile makes her perfectly suited for the role of receptionist, greeting clients when they attend meetings at the consultancy’s Cape Town office and efficiently transferring telephone calls. Lizzie is also responsible for some office administration including faxing, scanning and photocopying, and is in charge of the day-to-day maintenance of the filing system.
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Amanda Mkalelwa |
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Amanda Mkalelwa joined EnAct on a part-time basis in April 2005 and became a full-time employee in September of that year. A very capable and enthusiastic cook, Amanda fulfils all the consultancy’s catering needs including the preparation of delicious lunches for the staff. She is also responsible for general office administration, as well as delivering and collecting of post and documents.
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