General
The Great Debate: Infrastructure Investing in SA vs the Rest of the Continent
29 June 2022 It’s a well-known fact that infrastructure investment is urgently needed across Africa, including in South Africa. The African Development Bank estimates that the continent’s infrastructure financing needs will be as much as $170 billion a year by 2025, with an estimated gap of around $100 billion a year. And in the private…
Read MorePositive outlook for the PE industry’s impact on SAs socioeconomic development
The Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) recently hosted its first in-person private equity (PE) conference since before the pandemic hit our shores in early 2020. Over 400 local and international delegates attended the two-day event which took place at the beautiful Ashanti Estate in Paarl, Western Cape. Tanya van Lill, outgoing…
Read MoreSouth African HR software startup Wamly targets international expansion after securing Knife Capital investment
24 January 2022 Wamly, the one-way video interview software startup has secured a 2nd round investment from South African venture capital firm, Knife Capital. The deal sees Davey Gant, Knife Capital partner based in UK, joining the Wamly Board of Directors. Wamly is one-way video interview software that connects great companies to talented people and…
Read MoreFM:Systems Acquires WizzPass,Gaining Best-in-Class Visitor Management Technology
FM:Systems Solutions and Provides Unprecedented Digital Workplace Experience for Employees, Contractors, Suppliers and Visitors RALEIGH, N.C., June 23, 2021 — FM:Systems, a dominant provider of digital workplace solutions globally, announced today that it has acquired WizzPass, a rapidly growing leader in the visitor management system and workplace management market. Used and trusted by leading companies…
Read MoreSA private equity firm has R350 million available for investment opportunities
Private equity company Moshe Capital Fund Managers is actively seeking to invest R350-million into diverse companies with a solid presence in their sectors. The firm has secured a funding commitment from FNB Commercial and has entered into a partnership agreement with RMB Ventures. Both divisions of FirstRand Limited. “Despite economic challenges, there are several opportunities…
Read MorePress Release: Acquisition of additional interest in ChannelVAS (CVAS)
Convergence Partners is pleased to announce that it has acquired an additional $5 million interest in CVAS, a leading fintech provider of mobile financial services across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Read MoreMedia Release: Private equity sees start of recovery
The latest RisCura-SAVCA South African Private Equity Performance report for the second quarter of 2020 showed glimpses of a recovery, though Covid-19’s impact remains evident. The report tracks a representative basket of private equity funds in South Africa. The 10-year and five-year ZAR internal rate of return (IRRs) increased from 8.1% and 3.5% to 8.5% and…
Read MoreMedia Release: SAVCA statement on Moody’s and Fitch ratings downgrade on SA
The Southern African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (SAVCA) notes with disappointment the downgrade of the country by ratings agencies Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings, further into junk status. In March this year, Moody’s had downgraded SA to BA 1 junk status, not long after the country had entered its hard lockdown brought…
Read MoreMEDIA RELEASE: SAVCA Responds to Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement
The Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) agrees with the concerns raised by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and the current economic outlook as outlined during Wednesday’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). While SAVCA welcomes the transparency around the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued strain which the fiscus is…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE| SAVCA APPOINTS NEW CHAIRMAN
The board of directors of the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lelo Rantloane as its new chairman. Rantloane, who is the founding CEO of Ata Capital, takes up the position after serving on the SAVCA board for 5 years. He has significant investment banking…
Read MoreMEDIA RELEASE: WHY A SIMPLE REG 28 AMENDMENT COULD FUEL SA’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY
COVID-19 and the ensuing national lockdown has had a dramatic effect on all spheres of South African society, but small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – especially those in the service sector – have been particularly hard hit. These SMEs, however, are also the fastest creators of new jobs, and could underpin the country’s much-needed economic…
Read MoreMEDIA RELEASE| SAVCA APPOINTS TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS
The Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) – the industry body for private equity and venture capital in Southern Africa –welcomes two new directors to its board, following the virtual SAVCA Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 7 October 2020. SAVCA CEO, Tanya van Lill says that the new appointees – Natalie…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE| Vantage Capital invests $28.0 million in CIM Santé Group
Casablanca, Morocco – Vantage Capital, Africa’s largest mezzanine fund manager, announced today that it has made a $28.0 million equity investment to acquire a significant minority shareholding in the Cliniques Internationales du Maroc Group (“CIM Santé Group”). The business was founded in 1994 by Professor Assad Chaara, an internationally renowned cardiologist who pioneered coronary angiography…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE| Championing economic opportunities for women in Africa – Development Partners International’s (DPI) latest fund to become the first 2X Flagship Fund
DPI’s African Development Partners III Fund (“ADP III”) has been chosen as the first 2X Flagship Fund, committed to investing with a gender lens. DPI’s long-standing commitment to gender equity, along with its fund’s commercial performance, recognises the power of DFI collaboration working alongside proactive fund managers to effect real development impact while generating commercial…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE| PAPE FUND 3 ACQUIRES 45% EQUITY IN THE DDS GROUP OF COMPANIES
PAPE Fund 3, the mid-cap South African private equity fund has announced the successful acquisition of 45% of the equity in the DDS Group of companies, a leading African beverage dispensing and refrigeration services provider. The DDS Group of companies provide beverage dispensing and refrigeration services on behalf of the multinational distributors, as illustrated by…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE| PRIVATE EQUITY INDUSTRY WELL POSITIONED TO NAVIGATE COVID-19 CRISIS
After experiencing accelerated growth for the last three years, Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to go deep into contractionary territory in 2020. Highlights from the SAVCA 2020 Private Equity Industry Survey, however, indicate that the private equity industry remained resilient in the face of weak macroeconomic circumstances during the 2019 calendar year, which bodes well for…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE: Sanlam launches urgent job-preservation initiative in response to COVID-19
Sanlam Investments is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through large-scale support of the recovery of South African companies, from small enterprises to corporates that employ a large number of people. Sanlam has committed R2.25 billion of its own capital to seed three funds with the core objective of preserving and creating jobs ̶ in a…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE: Mergence Investment Managers and Third Way Investment Partners in R450-mIllion renewable energy deal
Two established, women-led black fund managers point the way for cleaner energy post-COVID Mergence Investment Managers and Third Way Investment Partners have invested R225m each to refinance a major renewable energy plant in a remote area of South Africa. The project cannot yet be named for confidentiality reasons. Both parties to the transaction have strong…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE: PHATISA AND PARTNERS ACQUIRE SOUTHERN AFRICAN AGRICULTURAL SOLUTIONS PROVIDER FES
22 April 2020 Phatisa Food Fund 2 (PFF 2) and a group of co-investors – Norfund, Mbuyu Capital and DEG – have acquired integrated agricultural solutions provider Farming and Engineering Services Limited (FES). The investment will support FES’s long term growth strategy, assisting the company to expand its successful business model to neighbouring countries. FES,…
Read MorePrivate equity and venture capital industry pledges over 1 100 hours to assist SMMEs
April 07 2020: South African businesses are facing the battle of their lives. To ensure as many companies as possible survive the COVID-19 economic crisis, the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) has launched a small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) support platform in collaboration with is membership network, which consist of…
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