Here’s what happened in SA business this week | Business

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German shareholder group gears up to fight ‘unfair’ Steinhoff debt plan in court

A major group of German investors says it has the necessary funds to fight Steinhoff’s recently announced restructuring plan, which risks leaving shareholders with nothing. 

 The Schutzgemeinschaft der Kapitalanleger (SdK) is a private body representing shareholders’ rights and interests in Germany and other countries.

“SdK is convinced that it can build up considerable pressure on [Steinhoff’s] board of directors,” said board member Marc Liebscher.

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Momentum caps power surge payouts as claims rocket, other insurers increase excesses

Momentum Insure will reduce the amount it pays out for power surge claims on 1 May.

The Centurion-based insurer sent a letter to its customers informing them that power surge cover under their buildings and contents policies will be capped to a maximum of R10 000 per claim. Customers will still pay a standard excess of R3 000 per incident for all power surge claims.

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Nampak slumps after warning of loss, writedowns

Africa’s largest packaging group, Nampak, warned on Thursday it fell into a loss in the first five months of its 2023 half year, hit by large foreign exchange losses, while it also will need to implement hefty writedowns in Nigeria and Angola. The group’s shares fell more than 15% on Thursday, but then recovered somewhat, and have lost about three quarters of their value over the past year.

Now valued at about R630 million on the JSE, Nampak has been battling under the weight of a debt pile that stood at a net R5.2 billion at the end of September. It has been struggling to convince shareholders to back a rights issue that will potentially be twice its current market value.

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SA blueberry farmers ready for comeback after Transnet strike impacts 2022 export season

South Africa’s blueberry season will kick off in a few months, and farmers will try to bounce back after a challenging 2022.

SA usually exports berries (including blueberries) to the value of about R3 billion each year, and the labour-intensive harvesting process provides jobs for about 30 000 people.

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FNB offers black credit cards, free airport lounge access to lower-income earners

As interest rates continue climbing and observers carefully watch banks’ bad debt levels, FNB is going in the opposite direction and announced a series of initiatives to boost credit this week.

These include a new credit card for low-income earners, with a credit limit starting from R1 000 to help those not yet credit active build their credit record. The bank’s middle-class offering also got a standalone low-cost credit card and access to the coveted black card for people who earn as little as R84 000 a year, or R7 000 a month.

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Clicks may be forced to sell its manufacturer after legal blow

Clicks may be forced to sell its medicines manufacturer following a Constitutional Court judgment on Tuesday that effectively forbids it from owning pharmacies and producing its own medicines.

The ruling is a victory for independent pharmacies who brought the case against the JSE-listed pharmaceutical retailer seven years ago.

The company has up until now sold a range of generic medicines manufactured by its subsidiary Unicorn in its pharmacies.

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Luno mulls public listing as long-time CEO steps down

Cryptocurrency exchange Luno, one of the few South African-founded tech companies with a global footprint, is considering a public listing.

“One of Luno’s ambitions is a potential public listing in the future,” said its new CEO James Lanigan. “However, the timing and geographic details of a potential IPO (initial public offering) are unknown at this stage, but yes, we will be exploring all options.”

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Shell will continue to fuel SA’s aviation industry, as peer BP exits

Global energy and petrochemical group Shell plans to continue its aviation fuel operations at airports in South Africa, unlike British oil and gas giant BP.

News24 reported last week that British oil and gas giant BP has decided to exit all its aviation activities at South African airports.

In a letter to its aviation customers, dated 27 March 2023 and seen by News24, Shell says it is aware of concerns regarding the group’s position in the South African aviation market.

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These are SA’s top asset managers

In one of the most trying years for active asset managers, as investors’ flight to safety saw massive outflows from risky classes like equities, Ninety One retained the top spot in 2022.

The latest Alexforbes Manager Watch Survey shows that despite the R65 billion net outflows Ninety One recorded in the first six months of its 2022 financial year, it held on to its crown after displacing Old Mutual Investment Group (OMIG) to become SA’s top asset manager in 2021.

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