/ 13 February 2020

South Africa to be almost R 14-billion wealthier when SAB Zenzele BB-BBEE scheme winds down in April 2020

Sab Johannesburg
The SAB headquarters in Johannesburg. SAB Zenzele is one of the country’s most successful empowerment schemes

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When the South African Breweries (SAB) Zenzele B-BEE scheme winds down in April 2020, the scheme will have generated almost R14-billion in value for South Africa. Created with the intention of redressing historical imbalances and generating sustainable ownership and economic wealth opportunities for previously disadvantaged groups, the B-BEE deal transferred 8.45% of ownership of SAB shares to more than 40 000 shareholders. Since its inception in 2010, SAB Zenzele has disbursed R4-billion to shareholders, with an additional R9.6-billion to be paid out when it winds up.

For the almost 40 000 South African families that have benefitted from Zenzele, due to its vast capacity and broad reach, tangible value has been created. Maniki Lawrence Dunge (72), owner of Dunge Liquor Store and Dunge Bar, is an example. His businesses directly impacts 20 people who are permanently employed by him in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

Continuing this legacy, when SAB Zenzele winds down, the SAB Zenzele Kabili Scheme will be launched. Shareholders of the SAB Zenzele scheme will have multiple options, one of which is to reinvest a portion of their unwind value in the new SAB Zenzele Kabili scheme. Alternative options include to receive proceeds in the form of AB InBev shares or to receive their proceeds in cash.

SAB Zenzele is the most prolific scheme in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector and one of the country’s most successful empowerment schemes, creating tangible wealth for its three groups of shareholders. Beneficiaries of the scheme are the SAB Zenzele Employee Trust, which holds shares for the benefit of SAB employees; SAB Zenzele Holdings Limited, which holds shares for the benefit of qualifying beer and soft drink retailers; and the SAB Foundation Trust, which supports entrepreneurship projects to benefit low-income communities.

“Looking back at SAB Zenzele’s 10-year track record, it is inspiring to see what has been achieved and the economic growth that it has contributed to the country,” said Richard Rivett-Carnac, director M&A and Treasury, SAB and AB InBev Africa.

“From the outset, SAB Zenzele sought to be genuinely broad-based and to deliver real economic benefits to the lives of thousands of South Africans. I am very proud of the degree to which SAB Zenzele delivered against this initial objective,” he added. 

SAB Zenzele will run in its current form until the end of March 2020. With empowerment as a key driver and one of the core beliefs of the business, SAB will formally launch its new empowerment scheme, SAB Zenzele Kabili, in April 2020.

“We are looking forward to carrying SAB Zenzele’s legacy forward and continuing our empowerment story into the next decade with the launch of SAB Zenzele Kabili. The new empowerment scheme will be built on the strengths of SAB Zenzele, incorporating the advancements and lessons of the last 10 years,” concluded Rivett-Carnac.