Summit Africa led by Gauteng-based private equity leader Tomi Amosun has cashed out of its stake in Custom Capital Finance, offloading its 51 percent interest to a buyer consortium led by SAAD Investment Holdings. The divestment closes a four-year run in the alternative lending market, leaving the Sandton-based asset financier under familiar operational leadership.

Brothers Chris and Pierre du Toit, who founded Custom Capital in 2001, will retain their 49 percent equity interest and steer the company through its next phase. Summit originally acquired its majority position in November 2022 through its flagship private equity vehicle, targeting rental finance and invoice discounting for overlooked small enterprises.

New capital takes control

SAAD Investment Holdings enters as the majority stakeholder, deploying long-term balance-sheet capital rather than a fixed-life fund structure. Established in 2006 as Tree of Life’s investment vehicle, the group targets financial services providers that supply liquidity to businesses shut out by traditional tier-one commercial banking channels across South Africa.

The exit delivers a verified track record for Summit Africa’s initial fund, which focused heavily on undersupplied social and economic infrastructure. Co-founded in 2016 by Tomi Amosun and Langa Madonko, Summit Africa has channeled institutional allocations into township healthcare clinics, technical colleges, and specialized non-bank credit platforms.

Expanding beyond credit lines

Amosun, an investment veteran who has steered more than R75 billion ($4.52 billion) in regional corporate deals, is shifting capital toward basic consumer sectors. Summit’s second fund, rolled out with institutional backing in 2025, broadened its mandate from financial inclusion and digital infrastructure into large-scale agricultural supply chains.

That pivot became concrete weeks ago when Summit picked up a 40 percent holding in Virtual Farmer, an agribusiness platform spanning South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, and Mauritius. The marketplace connects commercial growers with credit and raw inputs across a domestic farming sector generating over $30 billion in annual revenue.

Betting on basic staples

The redeployment into agricultural logistics reflects an institutional drive to capture non-cyclical food demand across Southern Africa. By liquidating credit holdings like Custom Capital, Summit frees dry powder for ventures that blend regional working capital solutions