The South African Housing and Infrastructure Fund (SAHIF), with Old Mutual’s African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) and STOA S.A., an investment vehicle that is based in France, acquired the 25.8% interest in MetroFibre Networx previously held by Sanlam Life Insurance, the ARC Fund (ARC) and a minority shareholder to increase their respective shareholding. Between the three entities, they currently own over 80% of MetroFibre.
The investment made entrepreneur Rali Mampeule the single biggest black private investor in optical fibre in South Africa.
Mampeule is chairman of the Mampeule Foundation, sits on the board of MFN, serves as the chairman of SMaCT Research Centre at The University of Johannesburg (UJ) and is a councillor at the Global Surgery Foundation Transition High-Level Council based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Recent reports about Africa’s largest asset manager, the Public Investment Corporation, backing a possible bid led by the former CEO of Telkom SA, Sipho Maseko, for a stake in Telkom points to a race to consolidate the telecoms and fibre optics industry.
A Vodacom deal to buy Vumatel is awaiting Competition Commission approval any time from now.
