Shareholders of Aveng wants the company to sell of 51% stake in the Grinaker-LTA business to Kutana Construction.
The proposed sale will be bringing in a partner owned by black women.
According to Reuters News Agency, the deal will help Aveng, a 125-year-old company, to align the business with the government’s economic agenda and policies aimed at transforming the South African construction industry and giving black people a more prominent ownership role.
In October, the construction firm announced plans to dispose of a 51 percent beneficial interest and a 45 percent economic interest to Kutana construction, a black women-owned entity, for ZAR756 million approximately USD57 million to help the business become profitable again and introduce a black partner.
The 51% interest represents the legal voting position of the shares held by Kutana, while the 45 percent economic interest represents the benefit attributable to the firm.Shares in Aveng were up 1.29 percent to ZAR7.04 at 1046 GMT.
With rising unemployment, the ruling African National Congress is under increasing pressure to address gaping inequality that persists 23 years after the end of apartheid.
Black South Africans make up 80 percent of the 54 million population, yet most of the economy in terms of ownership of land and companies remains in the hands of white people, who account for around 8 percent of the population.
Aveng was one of seven construction companies which agreed in October to contribute a total of ZAR1.5 billion over the next 12 years towards a fund to develop skills in the sector and give black workers a bigger role.
