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OPT - Optimum Coal Holdings Limited - Proposed delisting of Optimum from the

Release Date: 15/05/2012 15:27
Code(s): OPT
Wrap Text

OPT - Optimum Coal Holdings Limited - Proposed delisting of Optimum from the exchange operated by the JSE; adoption of a proposed new memorandum of incorporation for optimum, which will result in the conversion of Optimum from a public company to a private company; and extension of mandatory offer period Optimum Coal Holdings Limited (Registration No. 2006/007799/06) Share Code: OPT ISIN Code: ZAE000144663 ("Optimum" or the "Company") Piruto B.V. (incorporated in the Netherlands) (Registration No. 1610663) ("Glencore") Lexshell 849 Investments (Proprietary) Limited (Registration No. 2010/023373/07) ("Lexshell") PROPOSED DELISTING OF OPTIMUM FROM THE EXCHANGE OPERATED BY THE JSE; ADOPTION OF A PROPOSED NEW MEMORANDUM OF INCORPORATION FOR OPTIMUM, WHICH WILL RESULT IN THE CONVERSION OF OPTIMUM FROM A PUBLIC COMPANY TO A PRIVATE COMPANY; AND EXTENSION OF MANDATORY OFFER PERIOD 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Shareholders are referred to the salient dates announcement released on SENS and published in the press on 2 May 2012 in respect of the mandatory offer (such offer, "the Mandatory Offer") by a consortium ("the Consortium") comprising of Glencore and Lexshell, for the remaining shares in the issued share capital of Optimum for a cash consideration of R38 per Optimum share. In this announcement, shareholders were advised that the board of directors of Optimum ("the Board") and the Consortium had determined that, following the implementation of the Mandatory Offer, it would no longer be in the best interests of Optimum shareholders for the listing of the Optimum shares on the exchange operated by the JSE Limited ("the JSE") to be maintained for, inter alia, the following reasons: 1.1.1 the proportion of Optimum shares held by the Consortium, directly and indirectly, relative to the minority shareholders, and the likely trading liquidity of the Optimum shares on the exchange operated by the JSE; and 1.1.2 the limited number of Optimum shares that will be held by members of the public. 1.2 A delisting circular has, today, 15 May 2012, been dispatched to shareholders containing the rationale for, and details of, the proposed termination of the listing of the Optimum shares from the exchange operated by the JSE (such termination of listing, "the Delisting"), as well as the adoption of a proposed new memorandum of incorporation for Optimum ("the New MOI") in substitution for its existing memorandum of incorporation ("the Existing MOI"). 1.3 The circular contains a notice of general meeting of Optimum shareholders that will be convened for the purposes of considering and passing the resolutions required to give effect to the matters referred to above (such meeting, "the General Meeting"). Shareholders are advised that the General Meeting will be held at 10:00 on Tuesday, 12 June 2012 at the registered office of Optimum 36 Fricker Road, Illovo, 2193. 2. DELISTING OF OPTIMUM AND EXTENSION OF MANDATORY OFFER PERIOD 2.1 If the Delisting is implemented, Optimum shares will be delisted from, and no longer be traded on, the exchange operated by the JSE. Shareholders are advised that all settlements of unlisted Optimum shares held in dematerialised or uncertificated form will occur in the Strate dematerialised environment. All settlements through Strate Limited are in Rand, and the same custody and settlement rules and procedures in place for the listed environment will continue to apply in the unlisted environment. 2.2 The JSE has issued a ruling stating, among other things, that the Mandatory Offer will constitute an offer for the purposes of paragraph 1.14(c) of the JSE Listings Requirements, on the basis that the Mandatory Offer remains open for acceptance by Optimum shareholders for at least 7 days after the date of the General Meeting. Shareholders are advised that the offer period was intended to close on Friday, 15 June 2012. However, as the General Meeting is now scheduled for Tuesday, 12 June 2012, the Consortium hereby extends the closing date for the Mandatory Offer from Friday, 15 June 2012 to Friday, 22 June 2012 in accordance with regulation 103(1) of the Takeover Regulations. This will ensure, in line with the JSE`s requirements, that Optimum shareholders will have at least 7 days to accept the Mandatory Offer after the outcome of the vote on the Delisting resolution is announced on SENS. The new salient dates and times for the Mandatory Offer are set out in paragraph 4.1 below. 3. ADOPTION OF NEW MOI AND CONSEQUENT CONVERSION FROM PUBLIC COMPANY TO PRIVATE COMPANY 3.1 The Consortium has, in consultation with the Board, determined that, should the Delisting be approved by Optimum shareholders, the Existing MOI, which was prepared and adopted to meet the requirements of a publiclytraded company listed on the exchange operated by the JSE, will not meet the needs of Optimum as a private company controlled by the Consortium. 3.2 Shareholders are advised that the adoption of the New MOI will result in the conversion of Optimum from a public company to a private company, which will mean that shareholders will not be able to trade their Optimum shares freely and will require the consent of the Board in order to dispose of their Optimum shares. 4. SALIENT DATES AND TIMES 4.1 The salient dates and times relating to the Delisting are as follows: 2012 Opening Date for the Mandatory Offer Thursday, 26 April Record Date for the posting of the Delisting Friday, 4 May circular Posting of the Delisting circular to Optimum Tuesday, 15 May shareholders Last Day to Trade in Optimum shares to be Friday, 25 May registered on the Record Date for the General Meeting Record Date for the General Meeting Friday, 1 June Forms of proxy for the General Meeting to be Monday, 11 June received by 10:00 General Meeting of Optimum shareholders to be held Tuesday, 12 June at 10:00 Revised Last Day to Trade in order to be Friday, 15 June registered on the Closing Date of the Mandatory Offer Revised Closing Date of Mandatory Offer at 12:001 Friday, 22 June Record Date for the Mandatory Offer Friday, 22 June Finalisation announcement in respect of the Friday, 22 June Delisting released on SENS Results of the Mandatory Offer released on SENS Monday, 25 June Finalisation announcement in respect of the Monday, 25 June Delisting published in the press Results of the Mandatory Offer published in the Tuesday, 26 June press Last Day to Trade in order to be registered on the Friday, 29 June Record Date for the Delisting Suspension of listing of Optimum shares on the Monday, 2 July exchange operated by the JSE Record Date for the Delisting Friday, 6 July Expected termination of listing of Optimum shares Monday, 9 July on the exchange operated by the JSE at the commencement of trade on or about 4.2 Dematerialised Optimum shareholders who accept the Mandatory Offer will have their accounts at their CSDP or broker updated by no later than the sixth business day after the date on which the dematerialised Optimum shareholder`s acceptance of the Mandatory Offer is notified to the transfer secretaries, Computershare Investor Services (Pty) Ltd ("Computershare"). 4.3 Certificated Optimum shareholders who accept the Mandatory Offer will have the offer consideration posted to them or transferred to them by way of electronic funds transfer within six business days of the date on which their documents of title and forms of acceptance, surrender and transfer are received by the transfer secretaries, Computershare. Notes: 1. The abovementioned dates and times are South African dates and times. All references to days are to business days. 2. Optimum shares may not be dematerialised or rematerialised from the business day following the Last Day to Trade for the Delisting, Friday, 29 June 2012, until the Record Date for the Delisting, Friday, 6 July 2012, both days inclusive. 3. The above dates and times are subject to amendment by the Consortium and/or Optimum. Any such amendments will be released on SENS. Johannesburg 15 May 2012 Sponsor to Optimum Rand Merchant Bank (a division of First Rand Bank Limited) Legal Adviser to Optimum Webber Wentzel Legal Adviser to Glencore Werksmans Incorporated Legal Adviser to Lexshell Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Incorporated Date: 15/05/2012 15:27:01 Supplied by www.sharenet.co.za Produced by the JSE SENS Department. The SENS service is an information dissemination service administered by the JSE Limited (`JSE`). The JSE does not, whether expressly, tacitly or implicitly, represent, warrant or in any way guarantee the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information published on SENS. The JSE, their officers, employees and agents accept no liability for (or in respect of) any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage of any kind or nature, howsoever arising, from the use of SENS or the use of, or reliance on, information disseminated through SENS.

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