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Mvelaphanda Group Limited - Acquisition Announcement

Release Date: 28/09/2005 10:43
Code(s): MVG
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Mvelaphanda Group Limited - Acquisition Announcement Mvelaphanda Group Limited (formerly Rebserve Holdings Limited) (Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa) (Registration number 1995/004153/06) Share code: MVG & ISIN: ZAE000060737 ("Mvela" or "the company") ACQUISITION OF A FURTHER EFFECTIVE 24.7% INTEREST IN BATHO BONKE CAPITAL (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED, EQUATING TO A FURTHER EFFECTIVE 2.47% INTEREST IN ABSA GROUP LIMITED AND WITHDRAWAL OF CAUTIONARY ANNOUNCEMENT 1. INTRODUCTION Further to the cautionary announcement dated 8 September 2005, Mvela is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement with Mvelaphanda Holdings (Proprietary) Limited ("Mvela Holdings") and representatives of Batho Bonke Capital (Proprietary) Limited ("Batho Bonke") to acquire a further effective 24.7% interest in Batho Bonke ("the acquisition"), equating to a further effective 2.47% interest in Absa Group Limited ("Absa"). 2. DETAILS OF THE ACQUISITION 2.1 Rationale In terms of the merger ("the Merger") of the businesses and assets of Mvela Holdings and Rebserve Holdings Limited, Mvela acquired a 20% interest in Batho Bonke from Mvela Holdings. Batho Bonke owns 73 152 300 cumulative option-holding preference shares with a par value of R2.00 each in Absa ("the Absa preference shares"). Each Absa preference share entitles the holder to subscribe for one Absa ordinary share at a strike price ranging between R48 and R69 between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2009. The new Absa ordinary shares subscribed for by the holders of the Absa preference shares will represent 10% of the enlarged issued share capital of Absa. Mvela has previously stated its intention of acting as a `consolidator" of BEE transactions. The consolidation of BEE transactions involves the acquisition by larger BEE groups of interests in South African corporates held by smaller BEE entities, in exchange for cash and/or shares in the larger BEE groups. This consolidation will allow Mvela to increase its interests in large South African corporates such as Absa, while simultaneously increasing the broad-based BEE shareholding in Mvela and contributing to empowerment by realising value for the smaller BEE entities. The recently concluded acquisition by Barclays Bank PLC ("Barclays") of a controlling stake in Absa, together with the re-rating of the banking sector on the JSE Limited ("JSE"), has resulted in Absa becoming a more valuable and material asset to Mvela, with the value of Mvela"s interest in Absa having increased substantially since this interest was acquired by Mvela at the time of the Merger. The board of Mvela believes that the prospects of Absa as a long-term investment, especially under the control of Barclays, are attractive. Mvela has in the circumstances decided to acquire a further effective beneficial interest in Batho Bonke, thereby increasing its leveraged investment exposure to Absa. 2.2 Terms of the acquisition In terms of the acquisition, Mvela will purchase a further effective 24.7% interest in Batho Bonke (comprising an effective interest in 18 050 000 Batho Bonke shares) from Mvela Holdings, equivalent to a further effective 2.47% interest in Absa. Following the acquisition, Mvela"s effective interest in Batho Bonke will increase to 44.7%, equivalent to an effective 4.47% interest in Absa. The purchase consideration payable by Mvela in terms of the acquisition is R25.55 per Batho Bonke share, amounting to R461 million in aggregate ("the aggregate purchase price"), and has been determined with reference to the value of the underlying Absa preference shares held by Batho Bonke, as well as the Absa share price. The aggregate purchase price of R461 million represents a 30% discount ("the acquisition discount"), equivalent in value to R202 million (after providing for capital gains tax), to the market value of the Batho Bonke shares on 6 September 2005 ("the reference date"), being the reference date which was utilised for the purpose of calculating Mvela"s intrinsic net asset value of R8.75 per Mvela ordinary share, as referred to in Mvela"s reviewed results for the year ended 30 June 2005 ("the 2005 results") published on 8 September 2005. The Absa share price and the value per Batho Bonke share were determined with reference to the closing price of R92.40 at which Absa shares traded on the JSE on 26 September 2005. On this basis each Batho Bonke share was valued at R37.85 on that date, before the acquisition discount referred to in the preceding paragraph. The closing Mvela ordinary share price on 26 September 2005 was R7.98. The purchase price will be settled by Mvela issuing 33.9 million new Mvela ordinary shares ("the consideration shares"), credited as fully paid, at a price of R8.00 per Mvela ordinary share, and by the payment of R190 million in cash. Application will be made to the JSE for the listing of the consideration shares. Had the consideration shares been issued at the intrinsic net asset value of R8.75 per Mvela ordinary share prevailing on the reference date, the resultant acquisition discount would have been 27% (after providing for capital gains tax). The acquisition will result in - * Mvela Holdings (which will enter into a voting pool agreement with the other sellers of Batho Bonke shares), controlling an additional 33.9 million Mvela ordinary shares (8% of the
resultant issued Mvela ordinary shares), thereby enhancing the BEE credentials of Mvela; and * the value of Mvela"s effective investment in Absa increasing to 30% of Mvela"s intrinsic net asset value, based on the closing
Absa share price on the reference date. 2.3 Financial effects of the acquisition The table below sets out the pro forma financial effects of the acquisition on Mvela"s reviewed earnings per ordinary share, headline earnings per ordinary share and fully diluted headline earnings per ordinary share for the year ended 30 June 2005, as well as Mvela"s net asset value per ordinary share and net tangible asset value per ordinary share at 30 June 2005. These pro forma financial effects are the responsibility of the directors of Mvela and have been prepared for illustrative purposes only and, because of their nature, may not give a true reflection of the actual financial effects on Mvela. Before the After the
acquisition acquisition % (cents) (cents) increase Earnings per ordinary share 123.0 159.5 29.6 Headline earnings per ordinary 135.5 170.7 26.0 share Fully diluted headline earnings 135.5 170.7 26.0 per ordinary share Net asset value per ordinary 647.2 696.9 7.7 share Tangible net asset value per 493.9 555.5 12.5 ordinary share Number of ordinary shares in 403.2 437.1 8.4 issue (millions) Weighted average number of 306.3 340.2 11.1 shares in issue (millions) Notes: i. The pro forma financial effects are based on Mvela"s reviewed results for the year ended 30 June 2005 (the "Before the acquisition" column). ii. The "After the acquisition" column is calculated on the following basis: * The effective 24.7% interest in Batho Bonke was acquired on 1 July 2004. * The consideration shares to be issued and the cash amount to be paid in settlement of the purchase price were effected on 1 July 2004. * Interest income calculated at an after tax rate of 3.9% was foregone on the cash portion of the purchase price. * The new effective interest in Batho Bonke was valued at the directors" valuation of the Batho Bonke shares based on the closing Absa share price on the reference date. * The fair value gain arising on the acquisition, being the difference between the purchase price and the directors" valuation of the Batho Bonke shares acquired on the reference date, has been accounted for in the income statement. As a result of the acquisition, Mvela"s intrinsic net asset value per ordinary share will increase by 5% to R9.16, compared to the intrinsic net asset value per ordinary share of R8.75 on the reference date, as published in the 2005 results, and based on the closing Absa share price on the reference date. 2.4 Related party transaction Mvela Holdings is the vendor in terms of the acquisition. Mvela Holdings is a material shareholder in Mvela and consequently, the acquisition is considered to be a related party transaction in terms of the Listing Requirements of the JSE. Accordingly - * Mvela Holdings and its associates will be taken into account in determining a quorum at the general meeting in relation to the acquisition, but their votes will not be taken into account in determining the results of the voting at such general meeting;
and * PKF (Jhb) Inc. has been appointed to advise the board of Mvela on whether the terms and conditions of the acquisition are fair and reasonable to Mvela shareholders. Their report in this regard
will be included in the circular to shareholders referred to in 3 below. 2.5 Conditions precedent to the acquisition The acquisition is subject, inter alia, to the fulfillment of the following conditions precedent: * the conclusion of formal legal agreements by the parties recording the terms of the acquisition; * the successful completion of a due diligence investigation to
the satisfaction of Mvela; * the obtaining of all consents and/or approvals which may be required, including from Absa, for the implementation of the acquisition;
* the passing of all necessary ordinary resolutions required to implement the acquisition by the shareholders of Mvela; and * the successful implementation of the proposed capital raising by Mvela, details of which were announced by Mvela on SENS on 8
September 2005 and in the announcement issued simultaneously with this announcement. 3. CIRCULAR TO SHAREHOLDERS A circular containing, inter alia, further details in relation to the acquisition and a notice of a general meeting of Mvela shareholders to approve the acquisition will be posted to Mvela shareholders in due course. 4. WITHDRAWAL OF CAUTIONARY ANNOUNCEMENT The cautionary announcement dated 8 September 2005 is hereby withdrawn. Sandton 28 September 2005 Transaction sponsor Standard Bank Lead sponsor Deutsche Securities Member of the Deutsche Bank Group Auditors and reporting accountants PKF Worldwide Attorneys Werksmans Incorporated (Registration number 1990/007215/21) Date: 28/09/2005 10:44:12 AM Supplied by www.sharenet.co.za Produced by the JSE SENS Department