Johannesburg - SABMiller’s [JSE:SAB] fourth-largest shareholder, the Public Investment Corporation, met with Anheuser-Busch InBev chief executive officer Carlos Brito last week to discuss concerns that a merger of the world’s two biggest brewers would affect employment in South Africa.
The money-manager, owned by the SA government, reiterated its demand that the combined company be listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and preserve local jobs, spokesperson Sekgoela Sekgoela said in an e-mailed response to questions on Monday.
The PIC also said AB InBev, based in Leuven, Belgium, must support secondary industries linked to brewing, including agriculture, and asked how a takeover would benefit the South African economy, he said.
AB InBev agreed to pay almost $106bn for SABMiller earlier this month in a takeover that would create a brewer selling one in every third beer worldwide.
The deal remains tentative, and the two companies have until October 28 to hammer out a formal agreement.
The PIC owns a 3.14% stake in SABMiller, which is based in London but can trace its roots back to 19th century Johannesburg.