Administrative Law, Data Protection Law, Energy Law, Public Procurement Law
Raisa Cachalia
Admitted 2013 – South Africa
Raisa Cachalia is a senior public, energy and regulatory lawyer with experience across constitutional and administrative law, public procurement, public finance management, electricity-sector reform, IPP procurement and energy infrastructure projects. She also has experience in information and data protection, education, advertising and financial services regulation. She advises clients operating at the intersection of business, regulation and the state, where legal decisions often carry both commercial and public-law consequences.
Previously at Bowmans, and with more than 10 years in regulatory consulting, Raisa combines deep practical legal expertise with a rigorous academic and research foundation. In 2026 she was awarded a doctoral degree for her dissertation on the judicial regulation of state contracts in South Africa. Her work is relevant both to public-sector clients seeking support on regulatory, procurement, energy, data protection and governance matters generally, as well as to private-sector clients navigating complex government processes, regulatory compliance, and commercial arrangements shaped by public law considerations.
Years' Experience
10+ Years
Primary Practice
Administrative Law, Data Protection Law, Energy Law, Public Procurement Law
Jurisdictions
South Africa
Previously At
Bowmans
Expertise
Public Law, Energy and Regulatory Law
Raisa is a public, energy and regulatory specialist, with particular expertise in constitutional and administrative law, public procurement and public finance management. She also has an active energy law practice, advising government entities, municipalities, project developers and energy traders on matters related to electricity-sector reforms, IPP projects, gas-to-power projects, energy trading (including virtual wheeling and power purchase agreements), section 34 determinations, and licensing and permitting. Other areas of expertise include information and data protection, education, advertising and financial services regulation.
She is adept at helping clients understand how legal frameworks apply in practice, whether in relation to government engagement, regulatory compliance, public decision-making, or commercial arrangements affected by public-law requirements.
Her approach is careful, structured, and commercially aware. She helps clients identify the legal position, understand the risks, and make informed decisions in complex regulatory environments through advisory work, legal opinions, due diligence support and by reviewing agreements, policies, guidelines and MOUs for their regulatory implications.
- Administrative Law
- Constitutional Law
- Public Procurement
- Public Finance Management
- Energy Law
- Data Protection
- Information
- Education
- Advertising
- Regulatory Advice
- Regulatory Structuring
- Regulatory Compliance
Selected Expertise
Energy Law · South Africa
Advises government entities, municipalities, project developers and energy traders across the energy sector, including electricity-sector reform and the new institutional and market structures emerging under it – specifically, the wholesale electricity market. Also advises on the broader policy and regulatory framework shaping the sector’s transformation. Experience includes independent power producer procurement, section 34 determinations, licensing, energy trading and emerging mechanisms such as virtual wheeling, as well as the regulatory dimensions of contractual arrangements relevant to the changing energy landscape. Provides specific support to developers through regulatory due diligence, and assists in obtaining the regulatory permitting and authorisations required for financial close from relevant government departments. Specific experience in large infrastructure projects including gas-to-power.
Energy Law · Electricity Sector Reform · Infrastructure Projects · Regulatory Compliance · South Africa
Public Finance Management · South Africa
Advises organs of state and private-sector clients on the application of the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 and the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003, and related National Treasury regulations, guidelines and practice notes. Experience includes blended finance structures involving government and private capital, revenue-generation models for public entities, and the interaction of public finance legislation with digital integration into government supply-chain systems.
Public Finance Management · Constitutional Law · Public Procurement Law · South Africa
Public Procurement Law · South Africa
Advises organs of state and private-sector clients on public procurement law and process, including unsolicited proposals under National Treasury’s regulatory framework, and procurement processes specifically for major infrastructure projects in the energy sector. Also advises on the transition to South Africa’s new Public Procurement Act 28 of 2024 as it comes into effect, and its implications for organs of state and private-sector suppliers.
Public Procurement Law · Energy Law · Infrastructure Projects · South Africa
Data Protection & AI Regulation · South Africa
Advises on data protection compliance and the emerging regulatory standards applicable to artificial intelligence, including for public-interest projects involving government, civil society and private-sector data partners.
Data Protection Law · Technology Law · South Africa
Financial Services Regulation · Education Sector · South Africa
Advises investment managers and financial services providers on the regulatory classification of investment structures, including licensing, advisory and intermediary-services considerations under the applicable financial services regulatory framework, as well as advising clients on the transition to the new regulatory regime under the Conduct of Financial Institutions Bill.
Financial Services Regulation · Regulatory Compliance · South Africa
Financial Services Regulation · Investment Structuring · South Africa
Advises foreign investment managers on the regulatory classification of proposed investment structures, including licensing and intermediary-services implications under the applicable financial services framework.
Financial Services Regulation · Regulatory Compliance · South Africa
Education
Qualifications
LLD – Judicial Regulation of State Contracts in South Africa
Stellenbosch University
2026
LLM – Administrative Law, Contract Law, Information and Privacy Law & Corporate Law (Cum laude)
University of the Witwatersrand
2016
BA Law, LLB (Cum laude)
University of the Witwatersrand
2010
Work with Raisa Cachalia
Available for ad hoc briefs, retainers, and secondments across South Africa and internationally.
Currently accepting new instructions
View full professional profile
Practice Areas
Administrative Law, Data Protection Law, Energy Law, Public Procurement Law
Jurisdictions
South Africa
Languages
English
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