New generation takes over at M&Z

METJE and Ziegler Limited (M&Z) has reclaimed its identity as a family business with major corporate reorganisation and control of the board assumed by descendants of Hermann Metje who founded the group in Luderitz back in 1906.

Since then it has grown big enough to be listed on both the JSE and the NSX with interests ranging from property to hardware and motor dealerships. M&Z Group recently announced that its three-year corporate reorganisation process had been completed.Abel Gower (chairman) and Francois Uys (managing director) retire at the end of May 2004.’Peter’ (E.P.H.) Bieber will take over as chairman of the board, a position he has held before.Stefan van Doorn and Verena Gruttemeyer join the board as managing director, and executive director of business development and customer relations, respectively.”Both Mr Van Doorn and Mrs Gruttemeyer are great grandchildren of the founder,” the group said in a statement.According to David Oram, board member of the M&Z Group, the board now has 11 members in total.He said all the shares of the M&Z Group currently belong to a holding company called Herta Ernst Investments Pty. Ltd.The Behnsen family are the shareholders of Herta Ernst, with three of them including Axel Behnsen (deputy chairman), also serving on the board of M&Z.Verena Gruttemeyer is Axel Behnsen’s second daughter, the company pointed out.Gower said “the reorganisation strategy of the group, which was initiated three years ago, is considered successfully completed and the Family can build on a sound foundation henceforth”.Oram explained that when the company was listed on both the JSE and the NSX there were between 120 and 130 shareholders.”Corporate refocusing over the past two years has included the delisting of M&Z from both the JSE and NSX, the sale of the hardware and building materials division, and the recent sale of the Metje Behnsen Building in Independence Avenue, Windhoek,” the company said.Transfer of the Metje Behnsen Building was completed on April 30 2004 to Swen Bachran (33), a Namibian entrepreneur based in Cape Town.”These major transactions have allowed the M&Z Group in future to focus on its motor dealerships, which include DaimlerChrysler franchise since 1936, the Volkswagen Audi franchises since 1966 and Delta franchise since 1999,” the company said.However the statement says: “The group remains involved in the property sector, but is moving towards greater investment via listed entities such as Oryx and Ambit Properties, rather than direct property holdings and management.”M&Z Group recently announced that its three-year corporate reorganisation process had been completed.Abel Gower (chairman) and Francois Uys (managing director) retire at the end of May 2004.’Peter’ (E.P.H.) Bieber will take over as chairman of the board, a position he has held before.Stefan van Doorn and Verena Gruttemeyer join the board as managing director, and executive director of business development and customer relations, respectively.”Both Mr Van Doorn and Mrs Gruttemeyer are great grandchildren of the founder,” the group said in a statement.According to David Oram, board member of the M&Z Group, the board now has 11 members in total.He said all the shares of the M&Z Group currently belong to a holding company called Herta Ernst Investments Pty. Ltd.The Behnsen family are the shareholders of Herta Ernst, with three of them including Axel Behnsen (deputy chairman), also serving on the board of M&Z.Verena Gruttemeyer is Axel Behnsen’s second daughter, the company pointed out.Gower said “the reorganisation strategy of the group, which was initiated three years ago, is considered successfully completed and the Family can build on a sound foundation henceforth”.Oram explained that when the company was listed on both the JSE and the NSX there were between 120 and 130 shareholders.”Corporate refocusing over the past two years has included the delisting of M&Z from both the JSE and NSX, the sale of the hardware and building materials division, and the recent sale of the Metje Behnsen Building in Independence Avenue, Windhoek,” the company said.Transfer of the Metje Behnsen Building was completed on April 30 2004 to Swen Bachran (33), a Namibian entrepreneur based in Cape Town.”These major transactions have allowed the M&Z Group in future to focus on its motor dealerships, which include DaimlerChrysler franchise since 1936, the Volkswagen Audi franchises since 1966 and Delta franchise since 1999,” the company said.However the statement says: “The group remains involved in the property sector, but is moving towards greater investment via listed entities such as Oryx and Ambit Properties, rather than direct property holdings and management.”