ZSE halts trading in Padenga Holdings

Listed entity Padenga Holdings traded for the last time on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) on Monday ahead of its listing on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX).

The crocodile skin supplier and now a major gold producer is set to de-list from the ZSE on Friday and list on the VFEX on 11 July 2021.

If successful, it will become the second company to list on the new foreign currency denominated bourse after SeedCo International that is already trading on VFEX.

While Padenga’s de-listing was still days away, the ZSE management has put in place a trading halt on the counter probably to guard against price distortions as investors would jostle to take positions in or out of the counter.

“Notice is hereby given that the ZSE has instituted a Securities Halt in the trading of shares in Padenga Holdings Limited (the “Issuer” or “Padenga”) with effect from Tuesday, 6 July 2021 (yesterday), pending its de-listing from the ZSE on Friday, 9 July 2021,” reads part of the ZSE statement released Monday afternoon.

“Further that investors will not be able to buy or sell Padenga shares during the period the Securities Halt is in effect.”

Padenga’s listing comes after Government announced a set of incentives to attract many companies mainly in the resource sector to list on the forex denominated bourse.

Last week, the company received shareholder approval to list on Zimbabwe’s new bourse.

Padenga’s switch to the VFEX is motivated by incentives such as tax breaks and high foreign currency retention levels for incremental foreign currency earnings.

The VFEX will also give Padenga a better chance to raise foreign currency “from a wider deeper potential market, to expand existing business, acquire or establish new business and fund acquisitions”.

Foreign currency denominated capital raising initiatives on the ZSE is seen as a tough ask for listed entities. The bourse also trades in the local Zimbabwe dollar.

On Monday, Padenga closed 3,08 percent up at $29,37.

Mining incentives

Treasury has said will continue to extend incentives to the mining sector as part of efforts to boost mineral production.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube, recently said his ministry had developed a supportive fiscal mining regime targeted at sustainably growing the industry.

The Treasury chief said he had given a number of incentives to players in the sector, as part of measures to optimise the mining fiscal regime in support of the industry.

These include reduction of corporate tax from 25 to 24 percent, deductibility of royalties for assessment of income tax, reduction of diamond royalties from 15 to 10 percent as well as sliding scale royalty system for gold, depending on global price levels. Minister Ncube said this at the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (CoMZ) annual conference held in Victoria Falls from June 3-5, 2021.

“We have additional incentives for the sector, Your Excellency, to grow the sector. All capital expenditure incurred for expansion or exploration development wholly or exclusively, is allowed in full,” he said.

The Finance Minister said any expenditure incurred in processing or acquiring mining rights may be allowed in full.

He said mining entities enjoy an indefinite carryover of tax losses while rebates on duty are granted to holders of a mining location, which during a specified period are imported exclusively or solely for mining operations development.

Further, he said rebate on duty was permitted on capital goods imported for mining operations development and during the exploration phase of a mining project.

The Government has put in place an incremental export incentive structure to boost exports.

The system rewards miners for bettering their export performance from the previous two years, and can see a miner’s forex retention rising from 60 to 80 percent.

For players in the export processing zones, the minister said, retentions rise to 100 percent.

The sector is central to the achievement of National Strategy Development 1 (NDS1) and Vision 2030, by which Zimbabwe should be an upper middle-income state.

Minister Ncube said given mining’s strategic importance, support measures will be given to make sure the industry graduates from simply extracting to mineral value addition as well as beneficiation.

Mining contributes 20 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), accounts for 11 percent of fiscal revenue, which is primed to increase amid bullish NDS1 growth targets.

“For the mining sector, we project growth (for mining) of the order of 7 percent (per annum), which is above the NDS1 growth target of 5,2 percent, over the five-year period,” Prof Ncube told delegates. – www.ebusinessweekly.co.zw.