South Africa's global companies
A decade ago, South African companies were chained to their national base. Sanctions, political isolation and legislative constraints made anything beyond normal trade relations nearly impossible. Even much of the trade was done under the table.After the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, both business and diplomatic relations with the rest of the world began to expand - slowly. Following the democratic elections of 1994, the floodgates opened, and South African corporations moved with alacrity into the rest of Africa and beyond.
Mining houses led the way, followed by manufacturers and financial institutions. Trade mushroomed, mostly in favour of South Africa. As exchange controls were eased, companies began investing offshore and listing on foreign bourses.
25 of South Africa's best
Today, South Africa-based companies are rapidly expanding their global profile and proving that they can compete with the best multinational companies in
the world. Here's a quick glance at 25 of SA's high-flying firms (clicking on a name brings up the company's website):
Energy Africa
Energy Africa is an African oil and gas exploration and production group. Energy Africa's strategy for growth is to increase its hydrocarbon reserves and production through exploration, development and acquisition of projects principally in Africa.
Steinhoff International
One of the top five furniture groups in Europe, and the largest in Africa, the Steinhoff Group manufactures, warehouses and distributes a wide range of household goods (mainly comprising bedding, case goods and lounge furniture) as well as raw materials used primarily in the manufacturing of household goods.
Metro Cash & Carry
The company is an investment holding company. The trading subsidiaries and
associated companies are engaged in the distribution of groceries and other related consumer goodsmainly on a cash and carry basis.
Illovo Sugar
Illovo Sugar is a leading, global, low-cost sugar producer and a significant manufacturer of high-value downstream products. The group has extensive agricultural and manufacturing operations in six African countries and also operates a beet sugar manufacturing plant in the United States.
Alexander Forbes
Alexander Forbes is a leading independent international provider of financial and risk services. Listed on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa, Alexander Forbes has, since 1998, been ranked in the world's top 10 risk and benefit consultants.
Nampak
Nampak is Africa’s largest packaging manufacturer. In South Africa it is
able to offer customers one of the widest product ranges of any packaging company in the world, providing them with a total solution to their packaging needs where necessary.
Avis Southern Africa
Avis Rent A Car System, Inc and its subsidiaries operate the world's second largest general-use car rental business, providing business and leisure customers with a wide range of services at more than 1 700 locations in the United States, Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Latin American/Caribbean region.
Impala Platinum
Impala Platinum Holdings Limited – Implats – is in the business of mining, refining and marketing platinum group metals (PGM), particularly platinum, as well as nickel, copper and cobalt. It is also involved in the secondary sourcing of platinum group metals where the company's core refining competencies offer a competitive
advantage.
Sasol
Active in over 20 countries and on six continents, Sasol is a global player in chemicals and fuels.
Murray & Roberts
A major group of world class companies serving the global value chain. Murrary & Roberts deals with the extraction, benficiation and industrialisation of natural resources. It has a strong presence in southern Africa and focuses on the construction economies of the developing world.
Anglo American
Anglo (R193,639m) is one of the world's largest mining groups. Although mainly involved in gold, diamonds, and platinum production, it has extensive holdings in base and ferrous metals, forests, coal and industrial minerals.
Richemont Securities
Richemont (R109,098m) is a
Swiss-based holding company with investments in tobacco, luxury goods and the electronic media. Some of its well-known brands include Cartier, Piaget, Dunhill and Benson & Hedges. The group is controlled by South Africa's Rupert family.
De Beers Consolidated
Founded by the Oppenheimer family, De Beers (R95,502m) is the world's largest producer of gem and industrial diamonds. Through its London-based Central Selling Organisation (CSO), De Beers controls almost 65% of the world's diamond,
trade.
Billiton
Billiton (R78,001m) is one of the world's leading metals and mining companies, holding assets in base metals, coal, steel, ferroalloys, aluminium, titanium, nickel and copper.
Anglo American Platinum
AngloPlat (R76,605m) is the world's largest producer of platinum
and palladium. Gold, copper, nickel and cobalt are also recovered as by-products. The company is controlled by Anglo American.
Dimension Data
Didata (R69,723m) designs, supplies and implements communication networks and information technology in 36 countries across six continents.
Old Mutual
Old Mutual, (R67,477m) together with its listed subsidiaries Nedcor (banking) and Mutual and Federal (general insurance), is the largest financial services group in Southern Africa. One quarter of its operating profits u generated outside Africa, mainly in the US and UK.
First Rand
First Rand (R45,686m) was formed in 1998 when Anglo American and Rand Merchant Bank merged their financial services interests in First National Bank (SA's third largest bank), Momentum Life and Southern
Life. The group also owns listed subsidiary Discovery Health.
Standard Bank Investment Corporation
Stanbic (R44,992m) Owns SA's second largest bank (by total assets) and has a controlling interest in Liberty Life, the upper income life assurer. Stanbic operates in 14 African companies, as well as in the UK, US, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
M Cell
M Cell (R44,152m) is the owner of cellular phone network operator MTN, one of the largest and quickest growing in the world. The group operates in Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon and Swaziland and is aggressively pursuing expansion in other parts of Africa.
Sappi
Sappi is a global forest products group, with manufacturing facilities on three continents and marketing outlets in over 100 countries. The world's leading producer of coated
woodfree papers.
SABMiller
SABMiller is one of the world's largest brewers with a brewing presence in over 40 countries across four continents and a portfolio of strong brands and leading market shares in many of the countries in which it has brewing operations. Outside the USA, SABMiller is one of the largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products in the world.
Barloworld
An international brand management company focussed on heavy industrial products in Southern Africa, the UK, Europe, the US and Australia. Its best-known brand is Caterpillar.
Rembrandt
A diversified industrial holdings group consisting of the world's second largest tobacco company (a merger of HAT and Rothmans) as well as a variety of financial services, mining and other interests.
Investec
A major independent financial services group with activities in SA, Europe, the UK, the US and Israel.
