South African Competition Tribunal clears the acquisition of AutoTrader by OLX

On the 2nd of November the Competition Tribunal of South Africa cleared the acquisition of Autotrader South Africa by OLX (part of Naspers), subject to a condition surrounding employment. The proposed transaction brought together OLX, one of the leading generalist online advertising portals in South Africa, with Autotrader, one of the leading automotive online advertising portals. The clearance followed the South African Competition Commission’s recommendation that the transaction be approved on the basis that OLX was not a close competitor to Autotrader and that the merging parties would continue to face a range of competitors post-transaction.