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ACQUISITION BY M-CELL; AND FURTHER CAUTIONARY

Release Date: 15/03/1999 09:09
Code(s): MCE
Wrap Text
M-CELL LIMITED
(INCORPORATED IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA)
(REGISTRATION NUMBER 94/09584/06)
("M-CELL")

ACQUISITION BY M-CELL OF AN EFFECTIVE 11,76% INTEREST IN MOBILE TELEPHONE NETWORKS HOLDINGS (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED ("MTN HOLDINGS") FOR THE ISSUE OF NEW SHARES IN M-CELL 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 FURTHER TO THE CAUTIONARY ANNOUNCEMENT DATED 11 MARCH 1999, STANDARD CORPORATE AND MERCHANT BANK IS AUTHORISED TO ANNOUNCE THAT, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL BY M-CELL SHAREHOLDERS IN GENERAL MEETING, M-CELL HAS AGREED WITH NEW AFRICA INVESTMENTS LIMITED ("NAIL") AND OMNI MEDIA CORPORATION LIMITED ("OMNI"), THAT IT WILL ACQUIRE NAIL'S DIRECT AND INDIRECT INTERESTS IN MTN HOLDINGS AND OMNI'S 30% INTEREST IN NEW AFRICA COMMUNICATIONS (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED ("NAFCOM") AND OMNI'S 15,63% INTEREST IN NATIONAL AFRICAN
TELECOMMUNICATIONS (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED ("NAFTEL") ("THE ACQUISITION") IN EXCHANGE FOR AN ISSUE OF 126 741 680 NEW M-CELL SHARES TO NAIL AND 72 909 709 NEW M-CELL SHARES TO OMNI.
1.2 NAFCOM OWNS 84,37% OF NAFTEL, WHICH IN TURN OWNS AN 11,76% INTEREST IN MTN HOLDINGS, WHICH IS THE HOLDING COMPANY OF, INTER ALIA, MOBILE TELEPHONE NETWORKS (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED, THE HOLDER OF A CELLULAR TELEPHONY LICENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA AND M-TEL (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED, A CELLULAR TELEPHONY SERVICE PROVIDER IN SOUTH AFRICA.
1.3 PURSUANT TO THE ACQUISITION, M-CELL'S CURRENT SHAREHOLDING OF 34,71% IN MTN HOLDINGS WILL INCREASE TO 46,47%. 2. RATIONALE FOR THE ACQUISITION
M-CELL WISHES TO INCREASE ITS INTEREST IN MTN HOLDINGS AND TO CONSOLIDATE THE INTEREST OF ITS CONTROLLING SHAREHOLDER, NAMELY OMNI, IN M-CELL. THE
ACQUISITION PRESENTS M-CELL WITH AN OPPORTUNITY OF ACHIEVING THIS. M-CELL ALSO WISHES TO EXPAND ITS INTERESTS IN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS FIELD AND THE ACQUISITION REPRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR M-CELL TO CREATE A BASE FROM WHICH IT CAN BECOME A DIVERSIFIED TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY. 3. TERMS OF THE ACQUISITION
3.1 THE ACQUISITION OF OMNI'S INTEREST IN NAFCOM AND NAFTEL REPRESENTS A RELATED PARTY TRANSACTION AND AS SUCH WILL BE SUBJECT TO M-CELL SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL. M-CELL SHAREHOLDERS WILL ALSO BE ASKED TO APPROVE THE ACQUISITION OF NAIL'S DIRECT AND INDIRECT INTERESTS IN MTN HOLDINGS AND, FAILING SUCH APPROVAL BY 3 MAY 1999, OMNI HAS UNDERTAKEN TO ACQUIRE NAIL'S DIRECT AND INDIRECT INTERESTS IN MTN HOLDINGS IN EXCHANGE FOR THE SAME NUMBER OF SHARES DUE TO NAIL, FROM THE SHARES WHICH OMNI CURRENTLY OWNS IN M-CELL.
3.2 NAIL WILL RECEIVE 126 741 680 NEW SHARES IN M-CELL IN EXCHANGE FOR ITS DIRECT AND INDIRECT INTERESTS IN MTN HOLDINGS. M-CELL WILL, SUBJECT TO SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL, DELIVER SUCH SHARES TO NAIL BY NO LATER THAN 3 MAY 1999, FAILING WHICH OMNI WILL EFFECT SUCH DELIVERY.
3.3 OMNI WILL RECEIVE 72 909 709 NEW SHARES IN M-CELL IN EXCHANGE FOR OMNI'S INTERESTS IN NAFCOM AND NAFTEL. M-CELL WILL, SUBJECT TO SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL, DELIVER SUCH SHARES TO OMNI BY NO LATER THAN 3 MAY 1999. 4. FINANCIAL EFFECTS
THE FINANCIAL EFFECTS ON THE HEADLINE EARNINGS PER SHARE ("EPS") AND NET ASSET VALUE ("NAV") ATTRIBUTABLE TO AN M-CELL ORDINARY SHARE BEFORE AND AFTER THE ACQUISITION HAVE BEEN CALCULATED USING THE FOLLOWING ASSUMPTIONS:
4.1 FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE EPS CALCULATION, IT HAS BEEN ASSUMED THAT THE ACQUISITION HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE FROM 1 APRIL 1998; AND
4.2 FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE NAV CALCULATION, IT HAS BEEN ASSUMED THAT THE ACQUISITION WAS IMPLEMENTED ON 30 SEPTEMBER 1998 (BEING THE DATE OF M-CELL'S LATEST PUBLISHED INTERIM RESULTS).
BASED ON THE ABOVE ASSUMPTIONS, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO MATERIAL CHANGE IN THE EPS OF M-CELL, WHILE ITS NAV WOULD HAVE INCREASED FROM 119 CENTS TO 307 CENTS (PRO FORMA 30 SEPTEMBER 1998). 5. FURTHER CAUTIONARY
M-CELL IS INVOLVED IN FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS WHICH, IF SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED, COULD HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE M-CELL SHARE PRICE AND M-CELL SHAREHOLDERS ARE, ACCORDINGLY, ADVISED TO CONTINUE TO EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN DEALING IN THEIR M-CELL SHARES. 6. DOCUMENTATION
A CIRCULAR CONTAINING INFORMATION ON THE ACQUISITION AND INCLUDING A NOTICE CONVENING A GENERAL MEETING OF M-CELL SHAREHOLDERS, IS CURRENTLY BEING PREPARED AND WILL, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE, BE POSTED TO SHAREHOLDERS IN DUE COURSE. JOHANNESBURG 15 MARCH 1999 MERCHANT BANK SCMB STANDARD CORPORATE AND MERCHANT BANK
(A DIVISION OF THE STANDARD BANK OF SOUTH AFRICA LIMITED) (REGISTRATION NUMBER 62/00738/06) JOINT SPONSORING BROKERS MERRILL LYNCH SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD. MEMBER OF THE JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE REG. NO. 95/01805/07 EQUISEC (PTY) LIMITED MEMBER OF THE JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE (REGISTRATION NUMBER 96/05007/07) ATTORNEYS WWB WEBBER WENTZEL BOWENS

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