Johannesburg - Thebe Investment Corporation announced on Wednesday that it had acquired a 51 percent interest in market agency group Botha Roodt Agency. Thebe chairman Vusi Khanyile said former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, now a resident advisor to Thebe, would be the key man on the new venture.
“Housed under the umbrella of the Thebe Services Division - headed by Jerry Mabena, who will also play a vital management role - the acquisition will be the springboard for Thebe’s entry into the supply aggregation of fresh produce.
"Furthermore the Botha Roodt Agency acquisition is the key first step in the planned positioning of Thebe as a strategic partner in the national food sector as a whole,” Khanyile said.
Thebe said it would facilitate primary agriculture by enabling the entrance of emerging farmers into the commercial food supply chain “by making them market-ready through training and mentoring".
It said it would also provide farmers access to local and international markets. “In its first phase, the venture will effectively raise black grower participation in the country’s largest fresh produce market from an existing mere 5percent to almost 30percent, thus providing a springboard to huge potential job creation."
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