Choppies Supermarkets SA says it has agreed to sell its Jwayelani chain and meat processing plant to the Shingai Group.
The local retailer, best known for its regional strength, said it had entered binding agreements to dispose of 100% of its shareholding in Business Venture Investments, which owns 45 Jwayelani-branded community supermarkets, together with the assets of its KwaZulu-Natal meat processing facility.
The sale, to the black-owned Shingai Itai Consortium led by Shingai Retail Investments. represents “a key move in the retail sector, as it signals a transition of ownership to a new black-owned retailer with a bold vision to empower local producers, farmers and suppliers”, the companies said in a statement.
Completion of the deal, which the group said was supported by Africa’s largest retailer Shoprite, is subject to competition and regulatory approval and is expected before the end of November.
“This divestment allows Choppies to streamline its operations and focus on its strategic priorities while ensuring the Jwayelani stores continue to grow under new ownership and to ensure the business is sustainable over the long term,” Choppies said.
According to Shingai CEO Philisiwe Sibiya, the plan is to revitalise Jwayelani as a neighbourhood discount chain while creating a food platform for black-owned producers, farmers and suppliers.
“The Jwayelani brand has a loyal customer base … I want to bring it back to its roots and reconnect with its customers,” she said.
“We’re thrilled to acquire the Jwayelani business and build on its strong community heritage as the go-to neighbourhood discount store. The Jwayelani brand has a loyal customer base and stores in high foot traffic areas. This acquisition is close to my heart — I want to bring Jwayelani back to its roots and reconnect with its customer base,” she said.
“As a new black-owned retailer, our strategy goes beyond being just a value retailer. We want to create a food platform that empowers black-owned producers, farmers and suppliers by giving them direct access to consumers. We’ve assembled an experienced management team to help transform Jwayelani into one of SA’s leading value grocery retailers.”
Correction: November 3 2025
An earlier version of this article referred to Choppies in a way that may have created confusion about which corporate entity is involved in the transaction. To be clear, Choppies Supermarkets SA is the seller in this deal. Choppies Ltd, the Botswana company, is not involved and exited SA in 2019. Its licence to the Choppies name ended in April 2023. We apologise for the error.
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