David Nireston
Senior PartnerThird-generation head of the practice; leads engagements above R50m in advised assets and sits on two independent audit committees.
WHAT WE DO
01 — INDEPENDENT COUNSEL
Independent portfolio and risk counsel
No product shelf, no commission structure to defend. Our recommendations are built on the same fiduciary standard we'd apply to our own family's capital — because for three generations, they've been the same thing.
02 — STRUCTURING
Structures built to survive succession
Trusts, holding structures and shareholder agreements drafted for what happens after you're no longer in the room — reviewed against South African tax and estate law, not assumed against it.
THE PRACTICE
A firm you can walk into
Sixty-seven years of continuous practice, kept in one Cape Town office. Click any plate for a closer look.
CASE FILE — MANUFACTURING SECTOR
From 600 unverified suppliers to a defensible view
01 / SITUATION
Situation
A JSE-listed manufacturer inherited a supplier base of over 600 counterparties through three acquisitions, with no consolidated view of financial exposure, ownership, or FICA compliance status. Its audit committee could not answer a basic question: which of these relationships posed real credit or reputational risk.
02 / THE WORK
The work
Over fourteen weeks we ran every counterparty through a tiered financial and ownership verification process — cross-referencing CIPC records, credit bureau data and beneficial ownership disclosures, then scored each supplier against a weighted exposure model built specifically for the client's balance sheet.
03 / RESULT
Result
The base was reduced to 214 verified, tiered counterparties. Twenty-two relationships were flagged for immediate board attention, including two with undisclosed common directorship. The client's provision for doubtful debt against supplier prepayments fell by 31% within the following reporting cycle.
600 → 214
Suppliers, before and after verification
22
High-risk relationships flagged for the board
31%
Reduction in doubtful-debt provision
We were never in the business of selling products. We were in the business of being right, quietly, for a long time.
Aaron Nireston — Founding Partner, 1958–1994
WHO ANSWERS THE PHONE
The people behind the counsel
Helena Heritage-Cross
Head of Risk & ComplianceNineteen years in counterparty risk and FICA compliance advisory, formerly with a big-four financial crime unit.
Sipho Radebe
Director, Wealth StructuringBuilds cross-generational trust and holding structures for family businesses navigating succession or emigration.
Aisha Osman
Portfolio Risk AnalystRuns the quantitative side of every due diligence engagement, from supplier scoring models to portfolio stress tests.
SPEAK TO A PARTNER
Some decisions deserve a second, unhurried opinion.
Speak to a partner before the board meeting, not after.
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