Latest Articles

SA Bidco gets thumbs up to buy Comair

BA’s local operator Comair to be bought by BidCo after Competition Commission approval.

Stor-Age and Moorfield announce UK-focused joint venture

Stor-Age and Moorfield have form a R1.1 billion self-storage joint venture.

Gijima acquires T-Systems South Africa

Gijima has bought T-Systems’ South Africa after it reported a successful turnaround.

Airlink looks for deals to fill SAA, Comair void

Airlink is in talks with several foreign airlines in a bid to broaden their regional footprint.

Afrox to delist from the JSE as part of Linde Group acquisition plan

The Linde Group intends to buy the remaining shares of Afrox, after which it plans to delist the company.

Pick n Pay to acquire online delivery app Bottles

Pick n Pay has concluded an agreement to buy online grocery delivery service Bottles.

Famous Brand’s UK fast food chain sold in pre-pack deal

Invenfin acquires stake in National HealthCare Group

Healthcare innovator gets backing of two investment holding companies.

Telkom takes Vodacom spectrum agreement to Competition Tribunal

Telkom believes that the Vodacom spectrum agreement with Rain should be declared as a merger.

Sun International casino property hits the market

Sun International has put its Carousel Casino complex in the North West up for sale.

Old Mutual Corporate Consultants acquires PwC’s Research Services business

Old Mutual Corporate Consultants has concluded a purchase agreement for 100 percent of PwC’s research arm.

Invenfin acquires stake in healthcare group

Invenfin announces investment into National HealthCare Group

SA Express staff get the nod for buy-out bid

A group of former SA Express workers have received approval to bid for the airline.

French media company takes a 6.5 percent stake in MultiChoice

French broadcasting giant Canal+ becomes MultiChoice’s second largest shareholder.

Tiger Brands disposes of abattoir in R100 million sale

The company completed the sale as part of its exit from value-added meat products.

Ascendis Health eyes NHI for growth

Health and wellness company Ascendis looks to private-public collaboration to grow.

Sasol to sell 50 percent stake in Lake Charles Chemicals business

LyondellBasell will buy a 50 percent stake in LCCP Base Chemicals Business for $2 billion.

Sale of Tongaat Hulett starch business to go ahead

Rothschild & Co's ruling that an MAC has not occurred means the transaction can go ahead.

Woolworths receives several non-binding offers for David Jones

Several offers have been made for Woolworths' troubled Australian David Jones properties.

Competition Commission urges Tribunal to approve TFG's acquisition of Jet stores

The Foschini Group acquisition of Jet from Edcon is pending the Competition Tribunal's approval.

Harmony Gold concludes acquisition of AngloGold Ashanti's SA assets

Interim CEO Christine Ramon: AngloGold Ashanti well-positioned to deliver better returns.

Sasol to sell air separation business to Air Liquide for about R8.5 billion

Air Liquide will take full ownership and overall responsibility for managing the air separation units.

Trace Group acquires majority stake in Okuhle Media

Okuhle Media will enhance Trace's audiovisual production expertise.

Digital Currency Group to acquire Luno

Digital Currency Group will help the cryptocurrency exchange Luno expand globally.

JSE-listed RDI to sell UK retail parks of six assets for £156.9?million to M7 Real Estate

The proceeds of the sale will be used to reduce RDI's revolving credit facility by about £100 million.

SAMRO to sell Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation

SAMRO will be selling the subsidiary to a consortium led by DALRO MD Lazarus Serobe.

Competition Commission approves sale of Edgars stores to Retailability

The sale of the 131 stores to Retailability will save the Edgars brand and 5,200 jobs.

FNB named South Africa's most valuable brand in BrandZ Top 30

First National Bank takes first place for the first time with a brand value of $2.795 billion.

JSE gets go-ahead to acquire 74.85 percent shareholding in Link Market Services SA

JSE CEO Leila Fourie: The acquisition of Link SA paves the way to exciting new opportunities.

AngloGold Ashanti and Barrick Gold to sell 80 percent stake in Morila Gold Mine

AngloGold Ashanti and Barrick Gold plan to sell its stakes in Morila Gold Mine to Mali Lithium.

Exxaro Resources sees revenue increase due to consolidation of energy revenue

CFO Riaan Koppeschaar: Strength and resilience resulted in positive operational and financial results.

Country Bird Holdings won't be renaming Enterprise brand

Country Bird Holdings will, however, be renaming Enterprise Foods, which it bought from Tiger Brands.

Edcon Holdings signs purchase agreement to sell parts of Edgars to Retailability

The sale of its Edgars brand to rival Retailability, will result in the saving of a number of jobs.

AYO acquires Kathea Communication Solutions and Kathea Energy

CEO Howard Plaatjies: These transactions support the group's contribution towards SA's sustainability.

Famous Brands sells controlling stake in tashas

Famous Brands has sold its controlling 51 percent stake in the boutique café brand back to founders.

Network International acquires 100 percent of DPO Group

The acquisition will allow DPO Group to broaden its online commerce offering through Africa.

Fagerhult Group plans to exit South African business

CFO Michael Wood says Fagerhult to focus its investments on more attractive growth opportunities.

Altron goes ahead with potential separation and listing of Bytes UK subsidiary

Bytes UK CEO Neil Murphy said the company can now executive its growth strategy independently.

RMI enters joint venture with OUTsurance and Sampo to acquire Hastings Group

RMI CEO Herman Bosman: The venture is an investment to target the UK home insurance market.

Pepkor enters into sale and purchase agreement with Cashbuild

Pepkor plans to sell its entire issued share capital of The Building Company to Cashbuild.

Prosus raises more than $2 billion through oversubscribed debt offering

The proceeds of the offerings will go to future merger and acquisitions activity.

PIC to increase shareholding in Sibanye-Stillwater

The Public Investment Corporation wants to increase its shareholding from 10 to 15 percent.

Petra Diamonds sells 100 percent stake in Sekaka Diamonds to Botswana Diamonds

The proceeds of the $300,000 sales will go towards repaying Petra Diamonds' $650 million debt.

African economies batten down the hatches as Covid-19 hits

Research shows that the volume of M&A deals in South Africa fell by 18 percent.

Taste Holdings moves to auction off contents of its Domino's Pizza stores

Offers to purchase the contents of the franchise opened on 21 July and closed on 4 August.

Tsogo Sun Hotels sells 50 percent stake in Maia Resort property to MH

The R465 million proceeds of the sale will go towards reducing the group's debt.

Sasol has identified ten assets that will be prioritised for sale

CFO Paul Victor says that the sale of these assets can assist Sasol in paying down its debt.

Astral CFO Daan Ferreira fears that its supplier agreement with Quantum Foods is at risk

This comes after Zeder sold part of its stake in Quantum to Astral competitor, Country Bird Holdings.

Zeder is debt free after sale of Pioneer Foods and Quantum Foods

The transactions ensured Zeder is well capitalised during the crisis, says CEO Norman Celliers.

South African Pierre Naudé's fintech company, nCino, makes headlines with $91 share price

The share price spike has made nCino one of the most successful listings of the year so far.

The Foschini Group places offer of R480 million for Edcon retail division Jet

TFG CFO Bongiwe Ntuli: There is alignment between TFG's product and value offerings with the Jet brand.

Steinhoff to sell its European Conforama France business to Mobilux

The disposal will secure the future of Conforama France by releasing it from its liabilities.

South Africa's Competition Tribunal gives Tongaat Hulett Starch sale the go-ahead

The Competition Tribunal has approved the acquisition of Tongaat Hulett Starch by the KLL Group.

Edcon to sell parts of Edgars to Retailability

The sale will save a significant number of jobs and lead to the sustainability of the Edgars brand.

Adcorp to offload Dare Australia after revenue decline

Dare Australia revenue declines due to drought and flooding conditions in the first half of 2020.

Starwood Capital Group acquires 111.9 million shares in Redefine Properties RDI REIT

FD Leon Kok says disposal of Redefine's RDI shares will reduce its loan-to-value ratio.

SA Express to auction its assets in an attempt to avoid final liquidation

The airline's provisional liquidators have placed jets, engines and other equipment on auction.

Maverick & legend: The lasting legacy of our founder Alex van Groningen

The indomitable founder of CFO SA, CHRO SA and M&A Africa has passed away in his home country, The Netherlands.

Intu Properties shares suspended from London and Johannesburg stock exchanges

The suspension is a result of discussions with shareholders about debt standstill reaching no conclusion.

African Phoenix to delist from JSE following acquisition by Legae Peresec

Legae Peresec acquired almost half of African Phoenix's shares on 29 June.

CFO Mark Stirton: Mr Price to focus on South Africa in a more concentrated way

Mr Price has already shut four of its five Nigerian stores and expects to close the last one soon.

Peter Hayward-Butt says Covid put a spanner in the sale of Brait's Virgin Active chains

Peter Hayward-Butt says Covid put a spanner in the sale of Brait's Virgin Active chains.

TeleMasters concludes ConexLink acquisition

TeleMasters has acquired a 25 percent stake in data centre specialist ConexLink.

Nueva Inversiones Pacifico expresses intention to acquire 50.1 percent of Sun International

Sun International shareholder Value Capital Partners opposes the bid, stating it's not enough.

Take a structured approach to M&A due diligence

LexisNexis's Rudi Kruger expects an increase in M&As over the next few months as companies look for help.

Why ILS and cat bonds are weathering the current market volatility

Insurance-linked securities and cat bonds are proving remarkably resilient amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Orange considering expanding into South Africa and Nigeria

Orange CEO Stephane Richard says it could make sense to be in an economy such as SA.

Harmony Gold shareholders supports acquisition of AngloGold Ashanti's Mponeng

Harmony CEO Peter Steenkamp believes the acquisition remains a perfect fit for the group.

Edcon plans to sell its clothing retail divisions as part of its business rescue plan

Edcon's BRPs have said that the businesses who aren't sold will be auctioned off, among other means.

EOH sells non-core assets to delever its R1.6 billion debt

EOH has been able to reduce its liabilities for acquisitions from R204 million to R114 million.

RMB Holdings receives green light to unbundle its entire stake FirstRand Bank

RMH's Herman Bosman: The unbundling ends a multi-decade relationship between RMH and FirstRand.

Merafe Resources acquires 20.5 percent stake in Unicorn Chrome from Glencore

Merafe considers the acquisition of Unicorn Chrome a valuable addition to its chrome interests.

Finbond Group to exit South Africa and increase focus on North America and Europe

Finbond said that lockdown and a weak economy have limited new business growth potential in SA.

CFO Brent Robertson: Premier only to pursue potential acquisitions after Covid-19

Premier Fishing and Brands is looking to preserve as much cash as possible says Brent.

PSG Group to distribute 32 million of its Capitec shares to shareholders

PSG Group will retain 4.3 percent stake in Capitec through its PSG Financial Services subsidiary.

Eskom to sell some of its non-core assets to reduce R450 billion debt

CEO Andre de Ruyter says the debt has been identified as government's biggest liability.

Grand Parade Investments to negotiate the disposal of its Burger King shares

The renegotiation comes when Burger King has been significantly impacted by Covid-19 lockdown.

CFO Paul Victor: Sasol has no intentions of divesting its downstream fuel retail business

Paul is confident that the business is fundamentally robust despite recent challenges and Covid-19.

Pieter de Wit: Acquisition opportunities allow Afrimat to continue with its diversification strategy

Afrimat will be pursuing several acquisition opportunities, including the Nkomati Anthracite mine.

Mulilo Renewable Energy and Greenstreet given go-ahead to acquire Mulilo Prieska and De Aar

The Competition Commission has approved the acquisition, finding that it raises no public interest concerns.

Africa Data Centres completes acquisition of tier IV data centre from Standard Bank

CEO Stephane Duproz: The facility will redefine the data centre experience for customers.

CFO Rui Morais says Dis-Chem excited about the Baby City acquisition

There are clear opportunities to harness synergies across both brands, says Rui.

The Meeting Specialist a service provider of JSE, not a partner

The JSE has retracted its statement of a partnership with The Meeting Specialist on AGMs in SA.

Sasol considering additional divestments to reduce its $10 billion debt

Sasol's asset review process has been extended to other measures to reposition its debt.

Tongaat Hulett believes Barloworld's KLL Group is making a premature call on MAC notice

Tongaat's Gavin Hudson has been issued with a material adverse change notice on the sale of its starch business.

Anglo American plans to exit its South African thermal coal business

The miner is looking at a possible demerger as its preferred exit option, as well as a trade sale.

Group Five to delist from JSE on 12 June after 46 years

The company's shares have no value as it entered business rescue in September 2019.

Bidvest acquisition of PHS expected to accelerate the hygiene industry during Covid-19

CEO Lindsay Ralphs says the acquisition marks an important step in Bidvest's internationalisation.

Hudaco Industries lists on A2X

FD Clifford Amoils: Huddaco has listed on A2X so investors can trade at lower costs.

Trematon Capital Investments' joint venture with Balwin Rentals has lost momentum

The joint venture is impacted by general weakness in the residential market and Covid-19 lockdown.

Sanlam well capitalised to pursue mergers and acquisitions during pandemic

When the rest of the M&A world has come to a stop, Sanlam plans to keep discussions alive.

Argility Technology Group to invest in Neo Retail Solutions

Argility CEO Marko Salic: The partnership will augment our goal of digitally transforming the business.

Ascendis Health to sell Scitec subsidiary to restore liquidity to its balance sheet

The disposal of these assets follows Scitec's deteriorating financial performance in the past few years.

Capitec has entered the unsecured vehicle finance market

Through a partnership with WeBuyCars, Capitec has launched an unsecured lending product.

No more financial assistance for Gourmet Burger Kitchen says owner Famous Brands

This comes as UK store sales deteriorate following the shut down of all restaurants due to Covid-19.

Fairvest sells Tokai Junction to FPG Holdings for R190 million

The disposal of Tokai Junction will be used to reduce Fairvest's debt.

Standard Bank acquires a 40 percent stake in Payment24 Group

The acquisition will allow Standard Bank to provide digitally-enabled fuel solutions to its partners.

AB InBev postpones SAB Zenzele B-BBEE ownership transaction due to Covid-19

The ownership transaction and SAB Zenzele Scheme has been postponed for up to one year.

BDO South Africa acquires division of SNG Grant Thornton's Durban office

BDO South Africa has already acquired SNG Grant Thornton's Cape Town, Johannesburg and PE offices.

Covid-19: Takeaways for the private equity industry

The Covid-19 pandemic will disrupt work processes in unprecedented ways.

Top deals making headlines this week

In focus this week: Distell, Exxaro, Sappi, MAS Real Estate and more.

South Africa's central bank starts buying bonds

The bank says it will buy government bonds across the curve. 

Exxaro approved to list on A2X

SA's largest coal miner will become the 36th company to list on the A2X.

MAS Real Estate to delist in Luxembourg 

The delisting is set for June.

Sappi halts R2.7bn expansion project due to coronavirus outbreak

It declares force majeure on its Vulindlela project at Saiccor mill.

Chevron slashes capital spending by $4bn

As oil industry reels. 

RDI Reit sells German warehouses 

The landlord is in the process of selling its German portfolio to focus on the UK. 

AB InBev, Pernod cut outlooks as virus hobbles drinks makers

Bars and restaurants have been ordered to shut in many countries.

Top deals making headlines this week

In focus this week: Sasol, Ninety One, Fly Safair, Taste and more. 

Ninety One recovers after 40 percent plunge on JSE debut day 

Hendrik du Toit: 'We are confident in the resilience of our capital-light business model'.

Fly Safair eyes Mango acquisition 

If it is put up for sale.

Tower sells Croatian property 

In a deal worth R228m. 

Adcock Ingram makes a foray into the home care market

With the acquisition of Plush Professional Leather Care. 

Metair is investing R650m in auto components business

The company's businesses in the automotive components vertical 'successfully secured major contracts'.

PSV placed into business rescue

The business rescue come after the group's shareholders rejected a proposed rights offer in 2019.

Taste to liquidate its Domino's Pizza business

This is after talks with prospective buyers collapse.

Sasol unveils plan to raise R99bn

It plans to tap shareholders for up to R33bn.

Top deals making headlines this week

In focus this week: PepsiCo, Dimension Data, Tongaat, Tiso Blackstar and more. 

Sasol may sell assets or stock to shore up finances

The company has been hit by fears around by the Covid-19 and oil price decline. 

Tongaat has a new and large shareholder

Little-known Evanstan Investments has emerged as one of Tongaat Hulett's largest shareholders.