Zuko Komisa
- Capitec founder Jannie Mouton’s foundation is offering R7.2 billion to acquire and delist Curro Holdings, planning to convert it into a non-profit education organisation.
- The deal offers shareholders a significant premium, with all future profits set to be reinvested into expanding access to quality education, particularly in underserved communities.
- This move is being hailed as a landmark philanthropic act for South Africa, aiming to transform a profitable business into a lasting social asset.
Jannie Mouton, the founder of Capitec, has made a R7.2 billion offer to buy out all shares in Curro Holdings, with the bold intention of transforming the private school group into a non-profit educational organisation.
The offer, made through his Jannie Mouton Stigting (Jannie Mouton Foundation), seeks to delist Curro and pivot its focus from shareholder returns to expanding access to quality education for more South Africans.
This move sent Curro’s share price soaring by over 53% on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The deal, which values the company at R7.2 billion, offers shareholders R13 per share—a hefty 60% premium over the closing price before the announcement. The transaction, a mix of cash and shares in Capitec Bank and PSG Financial Services, is expected to conclude in late 2025 or early 2026, pending regulatory and shareholder approval.
Kaya Biz with Gugulethu Mfuphi spoke to Jan Mouton- Deputy Chairman for the Jannie Mouton Foundation, who shared more about the foundation’s intent to buy out the private school group.
Listen to the conversation here:
The foundation’s vision is to leverage Curro’s extensive network to provide top-tier education beyond urban centres, with all surpluses reinvested into the organisation rather than distributed as dividends.
This would fund bursaries, scholarships, and the development of new schools in underserved areas. This philanthropic move is one of the largest in South Africa’s history, according to Jannie Mouton’s son, Jan Mouton.
Dr Chris van der Merwe, Curro’s founder, and CEO Cobus Loubser have both expressed support for the deal, reassuring parents and staff that daily school operations will not change.
Loubser also spoke to Kaya Biz on the recently released its interim results for the six months ended June 2025 – showing a mixed picture of resilience in tough market conditions.
Listen to the conversation here:
The transition to a non-profit model would simply free the institution from the “profit mindset” and allow it to accelerate its mission of providing quality education for a greater number of learners, a goal that aligns with both Curro’s foundational values and Jannie Mouton’s long-standing passion for empowering the nation through education.
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