Lives

OURCLIENTS

We have worked with local and global corporations, building strong relationships and an outstanding reputation with a number of our major clients.We have over the years proven to our trusted clients that we walk the talk. We say what we think and act on what we say. Everything we do is performance based and we build long term lasting relationships with our clients.

OurFunds

We establish, administer and execute corporate venture capital investment funds for our corporate and institutional clients.

Andzani Ventures

Andzani Ventures is an independent venture capital investment company focusing on innovation-driven ventures in the forestry, agricultural and renewable energy sectors of South Africa.

Imvelo Ventures

Imvelo Ventures is a black owned, independent venture and growth capital investment company that focuses on accelerating the national and international expansion of South African entrepreneurial businesses with a bias towards Tech.

OURPEOPLE

Dr. Humphrey

Mathe

Chairman

Bongumusa

Makhathini

Director

Thoko

Mokgosi-Mwanthembe

Director

Prof. Shirley

Zinn

Director

Claire

du Bourg

Alternate Director

Angelo

Fernandez

Associate Dealmaker

Mark

Fitzjohn

Executive Director

Bruce

Ndidi

Investment Principal

Anton

Baumann

Executive Director

This

Could Be You

investor

Dr. Humphrey Mathe

Chairman

Dr. Humphrey Mathe is the independent chairperson of Empowerment Capital and the Abela Trust, and the CEO of Tranter Resources (Pty) Limited. Humphrey is a director of Talent10 Holdings. Handa Copper Corporation (TSX), Cape Copper Oxide Company, Wescoal Holdings Limited (JSE listed) and Council for Geoscience among others. He was previously CEO of Scinta South Africa and prior to that the Executive General Manager of Corporate Services at Exxaro Resources Limited and Chief Operations Officer and Executive Director of Eyesizwe Coal. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of South Africa and a qualified geologist with an MSc in mineral exploration and holds a PhD.

Bongumusa Makhathini

Director

Bongumusa is a Director Empowerment Capital. He is a seasoned executive with more than 15 years strategic, operations and business management experience specialising in Board Governance, Corporate Affairs & Stakeholder Development, Business Turnarounds and Legal/Commercial/Risk Management in the private and public sectors. Bongumusa has worked on major Merger and Acquisition deals including transactions such as the ABInBev £78.4bn acquisition of SABMiller and the Coca-Cola Beverages Africa deal. Bongumusa is a Harvard graduate, holds a Master of Commerce (UJ), a BA Honours (UniZulu) as well as a Bachelor of Education (UniZulu).

Thoko Mokgosi-Mwanthembe

Director

Thoko’s wealth of experience in business and investment management introduces a highly methodological approach to investment management. As one of South Africa’s most successful business women, Thoko has received various business accolades including ICT Business Woman of the Year. Thoko founded one of the most preeminent black woman investment groups and has developed extensive experience in investing and managing investee companies. Thoko has served on various listed company boards, including Old Mutual, ABSA, Vodacom, Royal Bafokeng, Aveng, amongst others.

Prof. Shirley Zinn

Director

Outside of Shirley’s successful track record of building ‘values-based’ organisations at SARS, Nedbank and Standard Bank, Shirley is best known for her humility and her passion for empowerment. Shirley adds a wealth of experience to the team through her experience of holding senior positions on the boards and executive committees of the above, and other listed South African companies, while being widely known as a successful executive coach. Shirley also serves on the Boards of MTN SA and Sanlam.

Claire du Bourg

Alternate Director

Claire has significant experience in mergers and acquisitions and transaction advisory services. She enjoys assisting companies in achieving their growth objectives by executing mergers and acquisitions, advising on transaction structuring, performing due diligences and valuations, assistance with the preparation of business plans and raising of funding. Prior to her appointment as an Investment Principal at the Kutana Group, Claire was a director of Corporate Finance at Grant Thornton.

Angelo Fernandez

Associate Dealmaker

Angelo is a financial services professional with a passion for driving SMME development and transformation through impact investing. He is a financial accountant who received golden key honours at university for a scientific degree in mathematical and actuarial statistics. Angelo completed his accounting training at one of the big four audit firms in the Financial Services Institutions Team which provided both assurance and advisory services to the banking, insurance, and investment management sectors. Angelo is a highly motivated and analytical individual with a demonstrated track record of executing strategic projects and implementing key finance solutions in early-stage and pre-growth ventures within the informal business segment. Above all, a champion of social justice and equality for all.

Mark Fitzjohn

Executive Director

Mark is a Co-Founder of Empowerment Capital. Mark has 15 years of commercial, international and investment banking experience. After a 10 year stint at FNB he joined RMB as a dealmaker in the STCF team, which focused on offering high leverage working capital finance. In 2011 Mark joined Citadel as a partner in the wealth realization team. In 2012 Mark co-founded Talent10 Holdings and is a founding partner of Empowerment Capital. Mark obtained his BCom and MBA through the University of South Africa and Bond University Australia respectively. Mark is also registered as a Key Individual with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority.

Bruce Ndidi

Investment Principal

Bruce is an investment banking and impact investing professional with extensive transactional experience in development finance, leverage finance, project finance and private equity. He is vastly experienced in originating, structuring, executing and managing portfolio investments across multiple economic sectors including telecommunications, manufacturing, healthcare, agri-processing and energy. Prior to joining Empowerment Capital in October 2020, Bruce spent 8 years at KZN Growth Fund, an impact investor operating as a middle market focused private debt and private equity house. During this period, Bruce served as an Investment Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Debt Fund, Principal. Bruce also previously worked at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), specialising in infrastructure financing. Prior to this role, Bruce worked at Pamoja Capital, a boutique corporate finance advisory firm, CIDA City Campus as a corporate finance lecturer and at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Bruce graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours) degree majoring in Finance & Banking and holds a Master of Science degree in Finance & Investment from the National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe). Bruce is passionate about making positive, measurable social impact through investments.

Anton Baumann

Executive Director

Anton is a Co-Founder of Empowerment Capital. He is a well-known expert in matters relating to transformation and BEE. Anton has led the legal department of ZTE Corporation where he structured and implemented a BEE Ownership transaction for the company. After managing the National Empowerment Rating Agency as Managing Director for a period of 4 years he moved on to become a partner at Transcend Capital, a boutique corporate finance advisory firm specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions as well as BEE-related transactions for large listed South African and multinational corporates. He served as a Finance Director on the Board of ABP. He is a qualified lawyer and holds an MBA from the Berlin School of Economics. Anton is also registered as a Key Individual with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and forever Punk!

venture capital

investor

We are always on the lookout for bright minds to grow our team. We aim to maximise diversity from an organisational cultural perspective, as a firm of endearment, in which each employee, entrepreneur, partner and stakeholder is incentivised and engaged in their personal right to build their own business interests with or within the organisation, while being incentivised to maximise such person’s investment in their direct and indirect communities. Team spirit and trust is vitally important to the way we operate as an investment company but also as a thought leader in transformation, and as a result we will ensure that this will require that we engage in difficult discussions to ensure that we maximise diversity, freedom of choice and the spirit of transformation when required to do so. Under no circumstances will we operate in bad faith nor will we allow any dishonesty to affect our brand capital. We are a social impact investment company and are aligned with our objective of ‘transforming lives through investment’. From a cultural perspective, social impact takes precedence in everything we do provided that any business case presented is able to sustainably cater for such social impact. Our communities are the base of our existence and our stakeholders will enable our success. If this resonates with you, please submit your CV to [email protected]

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ABELATRUST

Through our investment activities we create value for perpetual transformation and socio-economic related activities on various layers. We believe in the notion of sharing value that has been created through our investing activities. To this effect we involve a social development partner in all our structures. At Empowerment Capital we trust in Abela. The Abela Trust is a charitable foundation. The objectives of the Abela Trust are education and entrepreneurship development in favour of previously disadvantaged individuals.

OURCLIENTS

OurFunds

Andzani Ventures

Imvelo Ventures

ourpartners

OURPEOPLE

Dr. Humphrey

Mathe

Chairman

Bongumusa

Makhathini

Director

Thoko

Mokgosi-Mwanthembe

Director

Prof. Shirley

Zinn

Director

Claire

du Bourg

Alternate Director

Angelo

Fernandez

Associate Dealmaker

Mark

Fitzjohn

Executive Director

Bruce

Ndidi

Investment Principal

Anton

Baumann

Executive Director

This

Could Be You

investor

Dr. Humphrey Mathe

Chairman

OURINVESTMENTS

ABELATRUST

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