Gathoo brothers: Silent African millionaires building an FMCG empire through Devland 

From a South African cash-and-carry operation to a growing national grocery network and a property portfolio supporting its expansion, Gathoo Brothers, Mahomed Gathoo and Shiraz Gathoo have built a business partnership around one of the continent’s most competitive consumer markets.

The brothers jointly control Devland Cash & Carry, a South African fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) wholesaler and grocery retailer that supplies food and general merchandise in bulk to independent traders and commercial users. South Africa’s Competition Tribunal records that Mahomed and Shiraz each hold a 50% controlling interest in Devland in their personal capacities.

Their strategy has increasingly centred on scale. By 2024, Devland operated 43 stores across South Africa, according to the Competition Commission, while pursuing acquisitions that expanded its footprint in markets previously occupied by larger retail groups.

The Gathoo brothers’ rise through FMCG

The brothers’ business interests extend beyond conventional grocery retail. Their history includes operations in wholesale, distribution, property and cross-border FMCG.

One of the clearest examples came in Namibia, where Mahomed and Shiraz were associated with Metro Cash & Carry Namibia, a grocery and consumer-goods distribution business. In 2013, Sefalana agreed to acquire businesses operated by Metcash Namibia, Metcash Trading Africa, Mahomed Gathoo and Shiraz Gathoo, covering 12 stores in Namibia. The proposed transaction was valued at approximately BWP15 million for the net assets.

The transaction gave Sefalana an entry into Namibia while marking an important chapter in the Gathoo brothers’ expansion and subsequent restructuring of their FMCG interests. Their South African operations, meanwhile, continued to develop around Devland.

Devland emerges as the brothers’ growth engine

Devland has become the central vehicle through which the brothers have expanded their presence in South Africa’s grocery and wholesale market.

In 2021, the Competition Tribunal approved Devland’s acquisition of nine Masscash stores, including Cambridge Food outlets in Kempton Park, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg CBD, as well as QwaQwa Cash and Carry, several Rhino Cash and Carry stores and Klerksdorp Cash and Carry. The transaction was designed to expand Devland’s national footprint in grocery retail. The expansion continued several years later.

In 2024, Devland moved to acquire 10 additional stores from Massmart, comprising eight Cambridge Foods stores and two Rhino cash-and-carry outlets. The Competition Commission described Devland as an FMCG wholesaler and grocery retailer operating 43 stores across South Africa at the time of the transaction.

The acquisition was particularly significant because the stores formed part of Massmart’s divestiture programme following competition concerns surrounding its proposed sale of stores to Shoprite. South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition described Devland as a black-owned supermarket operator selected to acquire the 10 stores.

Building a property business alongside retail

The Gathoo brothers’ strategy also extends beyond the shelves of their supermarkets. Through Barakaat Property Investments, the Devland group has developed a property-holding component that supports its retail operations. The Competition Commission states that Barakaat is wholly owned and controlled by Devland and owns properties across South Africa, primarily used by the group for its wholesale and retail operations while also leasing property to third parties.

In November 2023, Barakaat received approval to acquire Hillfox Trade Centre in Weltevreden Park, Johannesburg, together with the associated letting business. The transaction illustrated the group’s interest not only in operating stores but also in controlling commercial property connected to its retail activities. That combination gives the Gathoo business a broader footprint across the FMCG value chain: wholesale distribution, grocery retail and commercial property.

A business network extending beyond Devland

The Gathoo Brothers’ corporate footprint is broader than Devland itself. Court records and corporate databases connect Mahomed and Shiraz with several entities operating across trading, property and FMCG-related activities.

A 2022 Gauteng High Court judgment, for example, identified the Gathoo Brothers as the directors of two related cash-and-carry businesses involved in litigation with G4S.

More recently, a 2026 High Court judgment identified Devland, Metcash Trading Africa, ANE Western Cape and Barakaat Property Investments alongside Mahomed and Shiraz as sureties in a dispute involving guarantees issued by Hollard Insurance. 

The judgment establishes the parties’ involvement in the matter but does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing by the Gathoos. The wider corporate network therefore needs to be distinguished carefully from the businesses that can be definitively established as owned by the brothers.

The Gathoo Brothers’ expanding FMCG footprint

What began as a family business partnership has evolved into a sizeable South African FMCG platform. Devland’s acquisition history shows a deliberate push toward national scale, while the group’s property arm provides an additional layer of control over strategically important commercial locations. The Gathoo Brothers have also demonstrated an ability to operate across borders, most notably through their former Namibian Metro business.

Today, the Gathoo Brothers’ business story is therefore less about a single supermarket chain and more about the construction of an integrated FMCG enterprise.

With Mahomed and Shiraz retaining equal control of Devland, the brothers have positioned the company at the intersection of wholesale distribution, grocery retail and commercial property, sectors that place their businesses close to one of Southern Africa’s largest consumer markets.