The GKA Capital team consists of 7 seasoned and passionate partners across South Africa. Our team have built strong relationships with local as well as international clients and have a comprehensive track record, which ensures value and commitment for every GKA Capital client.
The professionals of GKA CAPITAL have more than 70 years of combined experience helping company owners plan for and execute their growth and exit strategies. From managing the sale of a company, to negotiating the acquisition of a competitor or raising debt and equity capital to improve financial and operational flexibility, we can help you assess the available financial and strategic options and develop a specific course of action to achieve desired results.
Meet the team behind GKA Capital’s success:
Gert Kruger
Managing Partner
Email: gert@gkacapital.com
Gert Kruger is one of South Africa’s leading dealmakers and has completed 47 mergers and acquisitions.
His previous career back ground includes:
- Senior Executive, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Information Officer at Liberty Life (16 years).
- Information Technology Executive at Investec Bank (6 years).
- Founder of GKA Capital, a medium-sized corporate finance focused practice with 12 partners across South Africa.
Gert specialises in Sub-Saharan African corporate finance transactions and focuses on deals in the financial, retail, wholesale, engineering, IT and high technology manufacturing and agricultural domain.
Dr André Steenekamp
Partner
Email: andre@gkacapital.com
André Steenekamp is the Cape Town-based partner of GKA Capital and a generalist M&A dealmaker. He is essentially an 'operator' with more than 25 years’ experience in various business sectors ranging from criminal forensic investigation and litigation to engineering and industrials, small-scale diamond mining, franchising, property investments, and family businesses and trusts. André focuses on local and cross-border transactions in South- and Southern Africa.
He has a deep passion for small and medium sized businesses and preference to engage in environments where the entrepreneurial spirit runs free. His focus areas for corporate finance include Engineering, Industrials, Financial Services, Manufacturing and High Technology plays (including ICT), but, being a generalist, is also comfortable working on projects across industry sectors both in South Africa and Africa, as well as internationally in association with Acquisition Consulting Services (ACS), a cross-border M&A network with representation from many countries across the globe.
André has extensive Corporate Finance Advisory experience, including valuations and due diligence, and is highly valued in GKA Capital for his meticulous approach to the preparation of investment cases and ability to craft optimum solutions. He is a formidable negotiator and able to bring buyers and sellers together across cultural and other differences.
André has presented academic papers internationally and published locally, and remains involved in education as moderator for the MBA program of a leading business school in South Africa. He is also a Registered Business Coach with Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA), an association focused on the development of business leadership in the country.
Qualifications include a National Diploma (cum laude) and Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, an MBA (general; with distinction) and a Doctorate (PhD) in Business Administration.
Additional contact details:
Tel: +27 (0)21 856 5494 | Mob: +27 (0)83 227 4927 | Skype: andre.steenekamp1
Dr Hein van der Merwe
Partner
Email: hein@gkacapital.com
Hein van der Merwe is a registered professional engineer and coach with ECSA with a B Eng (Chemical engineering); M Eng (The electrochemical treatment of water to remove dissolved substances; Focusing on acid mine drainage) and a PhD (Chitosan membranes for the removal of zinc from simulated wastewater) obtained from the North-West University.
He started his career as technician at a water treatment company specialising in water solutions for industry and mining. Thereafter, he worked at the Vaal University of Technology in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the positions of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and six years as head of the department. He was leader and co-leader of different university research focus areas, National Research Foundation projects and Water Research Commission funded projects and served on advisory bodies for different universities and centres of excellence. Research outputs include national and international presentations and also author and co-author of various publications as well as peer reviewer of local and international conference papers. He has acted as supervisor, co-supervisor and examiner for post-graduate students and received an associate professorship and also the Faculty of Engineering: Researcher of the year award for excellence in research achievement. During this time, he did consultation work for various companies and designed and commissioned several water treatment plants. Over the years, he has also helped develop strategies and evaluated projects for incubators and institutes aimed at the establishment of small and medium sized enterprises in the downstream chemical industry through transfer of technology and value addition.
In 2008, he joined Sasol as Lead Process Engineer, Production Manager and later Engineering Manager for projects. His main focus is maintaining the technical integrity of plants; ensuring business growth, safety and environment protection, people and personal development and coaching and guiding through the principles of active participation, engagement and professional networking. As Engineering Manager of projects, he was accountable to ensure that the business strategy is achieved through aligning assets, projects, resources and capital expenditure with the business objectives. He was also champion for the process safety management functions process safety information and management of change.
Viola Sinamai
Partner
Email: violar@gkacapital.com
Viola holds a Bachelor of Psychology (honours) degree, a Diploma in Industrial Relations both from the University of Zimbabwe and successfully completed a Management Development Programme (Stellenbosch University). She also holds certificates in Labour Relations, Training, Recruitment and Selection.
Viola has experience in various senior roles as a human resource practitioner within SADC. She was a Human Resource Manager with a Zimbabwe Stock Exchange listed conglomerate with interests in sugar refinery and distribution, wholesaling, long-haulage transport, engineering and tyre manufacturing, packaging, the manufacture of value added sugar products and the bottling of carbonated drinks.She also performed the Human Resources Executive role for a ports company. Viola currently consults in various aspects of human resources management, including recruitment and selection, salary and employee satisfaction surveys, organisational development, and industrial relations.
Bennie Wienekus
Partner
Email: bennie@gkacapital.com
Bennie is a passionate and enthusiastic senior management professional with more than 30 years’ knowledge and experience in general, operations and financial management in complex and diverse business environments. Bennie excels at initiating business strategy as well as implementing strategic goals and company deliverables with a focus on turnaround strategies.
In addition to having a strong work ethic, Bennie also has the ability to empower, motivate and inspire others as well as establishing positive and productive relationships between all stakeholders, colleagues and clients.
He strongly believes in creating a collaborative and creative environment and combines a supportive and intuitive approach, promoting loyalty, positivity and a sense of humour at all times. Bennie’s empathic approach to life allows him to demonstrate outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.
Bennie is widely experienced in providing full accounting and reporting functions, including the preparation of annual budgets and controls, monthly management accounts and operational reports, cash flow requirements and projections, annual financial statements, processing income tax returns, costing structures and rates and researching and presenting complex feasibility studies as required. In addition, Bennie has a wide-ranging working knowledge of the Company’s Act, Income Tax Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, The Labour Relations Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) codes.
Bennie is also experienced in managing various aspects of Human Resources including coaching and mentoring, task delegation, the recruitment process, skills management, training and development as well as personnel administration including payroll, employee benefits, personnel cost-planning, Industrial and Labour Relations and ensuring adherence to employment equity and BEE.
He started his career at an audit and accounting firm where he successfully completed his articles of clerkship and also studied towards a B Compt at UNISA. After 10 years, Bennie left the audit and accounting firm as a senior office manager at the beginning of 1986 to take up the position of financial manager at a manufacturing company in the local motor industry, where he spent the last 30 years of his career, retiring respectively as the managing director during 2013 and the non-executive chairman at the end of August 2015.
Bennie also holds an MBA from Rhodes University and has a proven commitment to life-long learning, currently working towards a Master of Science in Financial Management at Edinburgh Business School.
During his working career Bennie has been actively involved in the local community by holding various senior positions on several sporting bodies. He also held the position of chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce and is an ex-Rotarian.
He currently holds memberships in the following professional organisations;
- Chartered Institute of Management Consultants (CIMC) – Fellowship
- Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA) – Member
- Institute of Business Advisors (IBASA) – Principal Business Advisor
- The Institute of Management Consultants and Master Coaches of South Africa (IMCSA) – Associate Member
- South African Institute of Business Accountants (SAIBA) – BA (SA)
- South African Institute of Tax Practitioners (SAIT) - Tax Technician (SA)™
- Estate Agency’s Affair’s Board – Intern Agent
Bennie joined GKA Capital as a partner at the beginning of 2016 and is geographically responsible for the Eastern Cape. His preference is the manufacturing and industrial sectors, but certainly not limited to it. He transacts across all industries as well as across borders.
Albert Erasmus
Practice Manager
Tel: +27 28 754 1828
Fax: +27 28 754 1000
Email: albert@gkacapital.com