R4.5 billion in unclaimed dividends: JSE urges South Africans to check if they are owed

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) urges South Africans to check if they are owed a portion of the R4.5 billion in unclaimed dividends.

This is part of the JSE’s Claim It campaign, which involves 19 companies that have unclaimed dividends.

The campaign aims to return unclaimed dividends to their rightful owners.

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How JSE aims to achieve this

The JSE says it has access to 19 issuer share registries and will endeavour to reunite nearly 375,000 former employees, shareholders, or beneficiaries of deceased estates with unclaimed funds.

“Various factors contribute to people not knowing that they have unclaimed dividends owed to them.

“These include people changing jobs, moving homes to a new address, or updating banking information without notifying listed companies. This, in turn, has made it difficult to verify beneficiaries, delaying the distribution of unclaimed funds.”

How the JSE will verify shareholders

The largest stock exchange in Africa adds that processes will be followed to verify if they are owed dividends.

“South Africans can visit the JSE website on www.jse.co.za/claimit and complete the online form, or they can contact the JSE Claim It call centre on 0861 401 105 to find out if they are entitled to unclaimed dividends.”

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What is required to check

According to the JSE, the documents that are required for the verification process are:

• A valid South African ID

• Current contact information, such as a cellphone and landline number as well as an email address
• Proof of address

“The JSE will then verify whether the details provided correlate with those of the shareholders in the registries.

Companies looking to reconnect people with their dividends

The 19 companies that are looking to reconnect people with unclaimed dividends are:

African Media Entertainment Ltd; Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon Ltd; Advtech Ltd; Super Group Ltd; Mpact Ltd; Reunert Ltd; Northam Platinum Holdings Ltd; Old Mutual Ltd; Sasol SA Ltd / Khanyisa; Quilter PLC; Finbond Group Ltd; YeboYethu; Cashbuild Ltd; Naspers Ltd; JSE Ltd; Merafe Resources Ltd; Growthpoint Properties Ltd; and Sasol Inzalo.

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