De Beers Sale: Botswana Plus One or Two Buyers
October 13, 25
(IDEX Online) - Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad says the sale of De Beers will involve one or two shortlisted buyers alongside the government of Botswana, rather than the usual two-round selection process.
Wanblad (pictured) told the Financial Times Metals and Mining Summit (held in London and virtually): "This isn't going to be the classical first round, second round sale process that you would ordinarily receive for businesses of this type.
"What we are planning to do is now move into the second round with one or two of the potential selected buyers that came through the first round with us and work with the government of Botswana in finalising an agreement that works not only for the potential buyers, but also for Botswana."
Anglo is expected to raise $3bn to $4bn from the sale of its 85 per cent stake in the loss-making diamond miner. The remaining 15 per cent is owned by the government of Botswana, which wants to secure a majority holding, and to do so by the end of this month.
Angola's state-owned mining company Endiama has submitted a fully financed offer for a minority stake, as part of a pan-African proposal, which would include Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.
Former De Beers CEOs Bruce Cleaver and Gareth Penny are leading bidding consortia and there is speculation about interest from Qatari and other Gulf investors.