South African consortium launches majority black-owned equities brokerage: Mazi Macquarie Securities

Further to the announcement of 15 March 2018, Macquarie Group (“Macquarie”), together with a local South African consortium, has successfully completed its transaction to become Mazi Macquarie Securities ("Mazi Macquarie").

The new majority black-owned and female-led enterprise is well positioned to provide South African institutional investors with access to a leading black-owned equities brokerage business with strong local and international execution capabilities and a highly rated global research offering.

The local South African consortium includes Mazi Holdings, AWCA Investment Holdings (AIH), AMB Holdings, as well as some Macquarie senior management and a BEE senior staff trust.

Fawzia Suliman, Chief Executive of Mazi Macquarie, has 20 years of service with Macquarie, most recently as Chief Operating Officer for Macquarie Equities South Africa. 

Suliman commented: “Mazi Macquarie is strategically positioned to become the market-leading black-owned equities brokerage business in South Africa. We are delighted to partner with consortium members who share our vision to contribute meaningfully to true Broad-Based Empowerment and female leadership in South Africa.”

Malungelo Zilimbola, Mazi founder, said the partnership represents a deal among equals and drives much-needed transformation across the financial services sector.

“For BEE deals to be successful, they should be true partnerships bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. Mazi Macquarie is a great example of a company using its diverse people and unique offering to secure the longevity and success of a South African business,” Zilimbola said.

Zenzo Lusengo from independent financial services group AMB Holdings, added another key component of the deal is the ability to be agile when growth opportunities arise:

“Macquarie has a well-documented history of expertise and success and these synergies can be harnessed to build the capacity and agility locally. The ability to service an international client base from South Africa is a commercial edge the partnership will benefit from.”

As Chair of Mazi Macquarie and Non-Executive Director for AIH, Gugu Sepamla highlights the company’s focus on the development of local talent.

Sepamla said: “The aim is to develop a strong pipeline of talent for the financial services industry. There is no question there is local talent out there that needs to be given the opportunity and we have the right partners on board with the skills to provide this in the stockbroking space.”

About Mazi Holdings

Mazi was founded in 2006 and is a predominantly black-owned and an owner managed investment manager. The firm manages ZAR47 billion of assets on behalf of institutional funds, hedge funds and unit trusts. Mazi seeks to build a diversified financial services group and play a critical role in the transformation of the sector and the economy. For more information, visit www.mazi.co.za.

About AWCA Investment Holdings

AWCA Investment Holdings Limited (AIH) manages a diversified investment portfolio which participates in long-term investment opportunities across various economic sectors in South Africa. AIH is an investment company, 100% owned by black women. For more information, visit www.awcainvest.co.za.

About AMB Holdings

AMB Holdings is an independent financial services group specialising in principal equity investing, global financial markets trading and advisory services. Founded in 1995, AMB Holdings is one of the pioneers of black economic empowerment in South Africa with a long and distinguished track record of providing innovative financial solutions to emerging and established corporates and institutions. For more information, visit www.amb.co.za.