Old Mutual has unveiled its much anticipated black economic empowerment (BEE) transaction in Namibia which will result in a broad range of black stakeholders acquiring direct ownership of N$308-million of the Old Mutual Group’s Namibian businesses.
The transaction incorporates three separate but interdependent BEE transactions for the group subsidiaries in Namibia, namely Old Mutual Namibia, Nedbank Namibia and Mutual & Federal Namibia.
The group said in a statement on Tuesday that black equity ownership in Old Mutual Group companies in Namibia will be increased by 12,64%. This includes 13,31% of the value of the Old Mutual Namibia business (N$220,5-million), 11,13% of the value of the Nedbank Namibia business (N$67,4-million) and 11,42% of the value of the Mutual & Federal Namibia business (N$19,8-million).
The transaction includes employees, strategic business partners, distributors, trade union members and their families, womens’ organisations and church groups. It is estimated that over 250 000 black Namibians will benefit from the transaction.
“This is not only the largest BEE deal ever undertaken in Namibia, but also the most broadly-based. The benefits of the transaction will enhance the lives of tens of thousands of Namibians across the country both directly and indirectly,” said Johannes !Gawaxab, the managing director of African operations at Old Mutual.
“The Old Mutual Group is a major participant in the Namibian economy, and these transactions are an important step in the transformation of all three of our Namibian businesses. At the same time the transformation will contribute to the economic and social development of Namibia, while also making good business sense.”
He said the empowerment of women is critical for the transformation of society and business. “Women are a key component of the Old Mutual Group transaction and account for an estimated 48% of the beneficiaries of the Old Mutual Group transaction.”
Staff are the largest beneficiary of the transactions and over 1 000 Old Mutual, Nedbank and Mutual & Federal employees in Namibia will receive shares with a market value of N$96-million.
Bill Turton, the managing director of Nedbank in Namibia, said the shares will be used to retain and incentivise black management and staff. By reserving a significant portion of shares for the benefit of current and future black managers and employees, the transactions will help to transform and develop a more dynamic and effective workforce, he said.
Each of the three transactions incorporates a broad-based component that allows for an award of shares to the value of N$8 000 to any employee who has not participated in any other share scheme across the three companies, said Turton.
Gersom Katjimune, MD of Mutual & Federal Namibia, said the group had selected three credible business consortiums, from different parts of the country, as strategic business partners. These partners have been allocated shares with a market value of N$61-million.
“Our partners were chosen based on their ability to add value to the current businesses by attracting new clients and driving transformation. These partner organisations are all broad-based, have empowerment credentials, share our values and have relevant business experience.”
“Performance agreements have been concluded to align the interests of these partners with other shareholders and to measure and reward their contribution to the business,” said Katjimune.
“In addition, the strategic business partners had to demonstrate their ability to make an upfront capital contribution of 2,5% of the value of their share allocation.”
The strategic business partners are a Central consortium which consists of four groups — Fox Investments, Ripanga Investment Holdings, Latenda Investment Holdings and Prudent Investments. All four have influential shareholders in senior positions in the private and public sectors; the Coastal consortium comprising Manmar Investments, which includes black business leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals from the coastal region; the Northern consortium which comprises Northern Empowerment Investments. More than half of the population lives in the north of the country and this consortium will partner the Old Mutual Group in capitalising on the significant growth opportunities that exist in this region.
The group has also selected strategic community partners, notably Women’s Action for Development (WAD) and a consortium of large church groups, to grow the business and to contribute to the development of communities across Namibia. These partners will receive shares worth N$22,5-million.
WAD is a non-profit organisation which represents the interests of women in Namibia and has a high profile in specific regions of the country. The organisation focuses on women’s empowerment and skills development which encourage financial independence.
It is estimated that more than 90% of Namibians are Christians and three large church groupings will partner the Old Mutual Group in the transaction.
These are the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia.
!Gawaxab said part of the Old Mutual Group’s strategy is to extend its distribution to clients from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“In order to develop black financial advisers and brokers in underserved markets, N$35-million worth of shares has been placed in a Distributors’ Trust. This will assist brokers in overcoming the obstacles of starting their own businesses by providing access to capital. About 100 brokers are expected to benefit under this scheme,” he said.
An Education Trust holding shares valued at N$50-million has been created to provide tertiary education scholarships to trade union members — and their families — who are clients of Old Mutual and Nedbank. It is anticipated that up to 100 scholarships will be awarded over the next ten years. Ten trade unions, which represent a membership of about 600 000, will initially participate in the Education Trust. – I-Net Bridge