Standard Bank Tightens Grip on Liberty After Row With CEO

Standard Bank Tightens Grip on Liberty After Row With CEO

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – History is repeating itself at the insurer controlled by Africa’s largest bank by assets. Standard Bank Group Limited on Tuesday announced that its head of investment banking will take over as chief executive officer of Liberty Holdings Limited in an effort to end the drag that the Johannesburg-based insurer is having on profit. The deployment of David Munro to the post comes after the abrupt departure of Thabo Dloti following a bust-up with his…

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Nampak Surges as Can-Maker Extracts More Cash From Nigeria

Nampak Surges as Can-Maker Extracts More Cash From Nigeria

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nampak Limited rallied the most on record after Africa’s biggest beverage-can maker said it significantly improved its ability to get cash out of Nigeria while increasing the use of hedging contracts to protect against currency fluctuations. The Johannesburg-based company expects to get $54 million out of Nigeria by the end of September, Chief Financial Officer Glenn Fullerton said by phone. The combined rate at which Nampak extracted money out of Nigeria and Angola…

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Majority of South Africa’s ANC Want Zuma to Resign, Poll Shows

Majority of South Africa’s ANC Want Zuma to Resign, Poll Shows

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African President Jacob Zuma’s public approval rating has reached an all-time low and most members of his ruling African National Congress want him to resign, according to an opinion poll released two days after he survived a second bid to oust him. Almost two-thirds of eligible South African voters want Zuma to quit, the survey released Tuesday by research company Ipsos found. About 54 percent of ANC supporters say the president should…

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HSBC Sees Buying Opportunity in South Africa Amid Zuma Turmoil

HSBC Sees Buying Opportunity in South Africa Amid Zuma Turmoil

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – While some stock investors may choose to flee South Africa as political turmoil engulfs President Jacob Zuma, HSBC analysts argue the noise around the embattled leader and his ruling party makes it a good time to buy. That’s because a pick-up in the South African economy and a favourable commodity price cycle as China, the biggest consumer of metals, avoids a hard landing are positive for the local market. In…

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Mozambique Misses Latest Loan Payment as Restructuring Stalls

Mozambique Misses Latest Loan Payment as Restructuring Stalls

MAPUTO (Capital Markets in Africa) – A state-run company in Mozambique skipped $134 million in payments on a government-guaranteed loan, the third time this year the southern African nation failed to meet its obligations as a standoff with creditors blocks debt restructuring talks. Mozambique Asset Management, one of three state-owned companies that took out undisclosed loans worth about $2 billion, failed to make the payment due May 23, Rogerio Nkomo, a spokesman for the Finance Ministry,…

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South Africa Rate on Hold as Central Bank Warns of Rand Risk

South Africa Rate on Hold as Central Bank Warns of Rand Risk

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The South African Reserve Bank left its key rate unchanged for a seventh straight meeting as policy makers warned politics and ratings downgrades could still knock the rand and scupper an improving inflation outlook. The Monetary Policy Committee maintained the benchmark repurchase rate at 7 percent, Governor Lesetja Kganyago told reporters Thursday in the capital, Pretoria. The decision was in line with the estimates of all 21 economists in a Bloomberg…

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South Africa’s Gigaba Calms investor fears pledging accelerated and “inclusive growth” for the Investment Community

South Africa’s Gigaba Calms investor fears pledging accelerated and “inclusive growth” for the Investment Community

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s finance minister has sought to allay investor fears over his pledge of “radical economic transformation”, toning down the rhetoric just over a month into the job to talk more of “inclusive growth”. Malusi Gigaba, appointed after President Jacob Zuma sacked his predecessor Pravin Gordhan in a move that rattled markets, has backed Zuma’s aim of redistributing wealth to poor blacks. While investors want the ruling African National…

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