Vodacom sell-off may fund Eskom

THE Treasury is in talks to sell part or all of the state’s stake in cellular operator Vodacom to the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) to raise funds for Eskom, according to two people familiar with the plans.

While a deal has not been completed, agreement could be reached soon. The stake would not be sold by the government at a significant premium or discount to the share price, one of the people said. The state’s 13.9% stake is worth about R26.6-billion.

The government is seeking to raise funds to help plug a R225-billion shortfall at Eskom amid frequent blackouts. The Treasury said on Thursday it would wait until transactions were completed before providing details of a sale of government assets, which is needed to finance a R23-billion rescue package.

“The government has not said anything about the sale of a Vodacom stake,” Phumza Macanda, a Treasury spokeswoman, said on Friday. “The government has only said it is looking into the sale of a non-core asset.” The PIC and Vodacom declined to comment. Vodacom closed flat at R128 on Friday. The state-owned PIC, Africa’s biggest fund manager, holds 3.19% of Vodacom and could become the largest shareholder after Vodafone, the UK operator that owns 65% of South Africa’s biggest cellular provider.

Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene submitted the Eskom Special Appropriation Bill to parliament this week. It enables the government to allocate the R23-billion bailout to the utility. A Vodacom stake could be sold “at an opportune time”, Nene said on Thursday. Details of asset sales could be published at the end of this month, he said. — Bloomberg