South Africa

Opinion polls indicate that South Africa’s incumbent African National Congress party and president, Cyril Ramaphosa, will win the country’s hotly contested general election, held on Wednesday, with a reduced majority. Bankers expect financing business to return to normal soon, after pausing in the run-up to the election.

Gold Fields, a South Africa-headquartered mining company, sold its $1bn dual tranche bond on Wednesday at a spread that looked historically tight to comparable issuer, AngloGold. It attracted $3bn of orders despite national elections on the same day.

Analysts expect the African National Congress (ANC) to win South Africa's general elections next Wednesday. Although a number of deep-rooted domestic problems have the potential to throw the country into an economic crisis, bankers expect FIs to remain "safe" in the worst of scenarios.

EPP NV, a Polish firm that owns malls and office buildings, raised over €90m of equity capital in Johannesburg on Wednesday last week.

FirstRand Bank has transferred outstanding dollar debt from one of its syndicated loans to Rand Merchant Bank International. The amendment comes amid an anticipated increase in loan activity from South African banks, which bankers are keeping a close eye on.

Gold Fields Limited, a gold producer with operating mines in Australia, Ghana, Peru and South Africa, is embarking on a roadshow to market a five to 10 year dollar benchmark.

Sibanye-Stillwater, the South African commodities miner, sold a 108.9m share block in the market on Tuesday night to solidify its balance sheet as the company continues to weather a gold workers' strike and prepares for wage talks with unions for its platinum workers.

JPM securitization banker leaves — Goldman Brexiter quits for politics — Balax enrols in fintech course

Steinhoff International continued to dispose of assets this week with a R4.8bn (€293m) sale in KAP Industrial Holdings, the South African industrial company, with the company expected to shed more holding to meet its subsidiaries' funding requirements.

Naspers, the South African technology conglomerate cheered European equity markets this week as it announced it would list its international assets in a new company on the Euronext Amsterdam. The company said that the deal would just be a spin-off transaction but sources close to the situation are not writing off the possibility of an IPO as well.

Investec veteran Glynn Burger is stepping down.

Rothschild & Co has appointed Martin Kingston as executive chairman of its board in South Africa, among other personnel moves in the country.