It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of André Roux on Sunday, 7 April 2023. He was surrounded by his family and loved ones at his time of passing. Paying tribute to a legend! SAVCA wishes to pay tribute to the grandfather of Private Equity in the region, who has left an indelible mark in the industry.  On behalf of the SAVCA board, management, and all employees, I extend heartfelt condolences to André’s family, friends, and many who worked closely with him over the 40 years that he invested in the growth of the private equity asset class in South Africa.   We ..read more

Johannesburg – The Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) has announced that it has welcomed five new board members at its 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 3rd October 2023. Darshan Daya, Edmund Higenbottam, Liz Kolobe, Ria Papier and Nicola Gubb have now officially commenced their tenure as board members. Providing his insight on these new appointments, SAVCA Chairperson and Executive Director of Ata Capital, Lelo Rantloane commented: “Our five new board members were voted in by our members based on their unique individual and collective skillsets, and in ..read more

The Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) welcomed five distinguished professionals to its board at an annual general meeting held earlier this week. Darshan Daya, Edmund Higenbottam, Liz Kolobe, Ria Papier, and Nicola Gubb have officially assumed their roles as board members, marking a significant milestone in the association’s leadership landscape. In a statement, Lelo Rantloane, chairperson of SAVCA and executive director of Ata Capital, expressed his enthusiasm about the new appointments. Our five new board members were chosen based on their exceptional ..read more

SAVCA is delighted to announce the appointment of Vuyo Ntoi as the new SAVCA Board Chairperson. The appointment took effect on 15 November 2023 following a majority vote from the SAVCA Board of Directors. Ntoi takes over from his predecessor, Lelo Rantloane, CEO of Ata Capital, who, having served a 3-year term leading the Board, has now stepped down as required by the Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI). Expressing their gratitude to the outgoing Chair, the Board applauded Rantloane for his bold and visionary leadership, particularly as the industry continued to grapple with the effects of the ..read more

A low-growth economy, high unemployment and the mounting pressures posed by the ongoing energy crisis have continued to weigh heavily on start-ups in Southern African over the past year. Early-stage investors likewise reported that these challenges have had a material impact on the local venture capital industry, with an overall decrease in the value of deals during the 2022 period. The local information and communication technology (ICT) sector, spearheading efforts to digitise the South African economy, has retained its position of attracting investor interest and confidence, despite the su ..read more

SA VC investors made $17 million from exits in 2022, a 3x return. However, loss-making deals still outnumbered the return-making ones. South African venture capital investors saw a 3x return on exits in 2022, totaling $17 million, according to the Southern Africa Venture Capital Association (SAVCA) survey. While this represents significant returns, the survey also revealed that loss-making deals still outnumbered the profitable ones. South Africa’s exit market, long considered a hub for exits in Africa, has seen some challenges. Many exits have not delivered expected results, possibly due to ..read more

A low-growth economy, high unemployment and the mounting pressures posed by the ongoing energy crisis have continued to weigh heavily on start-ups in Southern African over the past year. Early-stage investors likewise reported that these challenges have had a material impact on the local venture capital industry, with an overall decrease in the value of deals during the 2022 period. The local information and communication technology (ICT) sector, spearheading efforts to digitise the South African economy, has retained its position of attracting investor interest and confidence, despite the su ..read more

24 October 2023: Mining giant Anglo American seemingly managed to please the market with news most of its guidance for 2023 remains unchanged, while the JSE got its latest entrant with the secondary listing of healthcare-focused UK landlord Primary Health Properties. Mining giant Anglo American on Wednesday kept its 2023 production guidance mostly unchanged, reporting that production in its third quarter to end-September was consistent overall with prior year, helped by its new copper mine in Peru. Read the full article. The post Anglo American lifts despite copper slip, and JSE gets a second ..read more

Johannesburg, 26 September 2023: Secha Capital today announced a first close of its second fund, with R300M in investments from blue-chip investors RMB Ventures, 27four Investment Managers, The SA SME Fund and Caleo Capital. Secha Capital is a Black, female-founded fund manager. Founders Nombuso Nkambule, Brendan Mullen and Rushil Vallabh started Secha Capital in 2017. This first close of the R650M fund enables the team to deploy its unique Operator-Investor model. The fund invests in traditional companies across sectors in Southern Africa that are making the tech-enabled transition into the g ..read more

Successful first close for African private equity fund, Metier Capital Growth Fund III 22 September 2023 – Metier announced the first close for Metier Capital Growth Fund III, raising just over $182 million, with further commitments expected by final close positioning Metier to exceed its targeted fund size of $200 million. The fund is the successor fund to the Metier Capital Growth Fund II of 2015/2016 which invested in eight portfolio companies in the retail, out of home dining, healthcare, industrial services, FMCG, manufacturing and telecommunications sectors. The Fund has a geographic foc ..read more