Company: Murray and Roberts Holdings
Country: South Africa
Sector: Construction
CEO: Henry Laas (CEO prior to 2025 business rescue; leadership under business rescue practitioners thereafter)
Website: Not publicly listed
Careers Page: Not publicly listed
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: Bedfordview, Ekurhuleni, South Africa
Founded: 1902
Valuation/Revenue: R13.45bn revenue (2024); $1,422m revenue per African Business Top 250 (2025) — company provisionally liquidated in September 2025
Murray and Roberts Holdings was one of South Africa’s oldest and largest engineering and construction groups, founded in 1902, but as of 2025 it entered business rescue and was provisionally liquidated — a major status change that anyone researching the company today needs to understand before treating it as an ongoing going concern.
Is Murray and Roberts Still Operating in 2026?
No — not in its previous form. After reporting a loss of R1.38 billion by December 2024 and having its JSE share trading suspended in November 2024, Murray and Roberts entered formal business rescue proceedings. A business rescue plan was approved in April 2025, under which major subsidiaries were sold off to satisfy creditors, and the holding company itself was provisionally liquidated in September 2025. This means the entity that appears in African Business magazine’s 2025 Top 250 ranking (based on prior-year financial data) reflects a company that has since ceased to exist in its historical listed form. Researchers, job seekers and business partners should treat any information about Murray and Roberts as a going concern with significant caution and verify current status directly, since some of its operating businesses may continue under new ownership even though the parent holding company has been liquidated.
What Did Murray and Roberts Do?
Historically, Murray and Roberts was a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor serving the resources, energy, water and industrial sectors, with a track record stretching back well over a century and involvement in many of South Africa’s landmark infrastructure and mining projects. Its business model centred on large, complex contracting work — the kind of business that is especially vulnerable to cost overruns, contract disputes and cash-flow strain on fixed-price projects, risks that ultimately contributed to its financial collapse.
Who Owned Murray and Roberts?
Ownership evolved substantially over the company’s history. From the 1980s, South African financial services group Sanlam became a major shareholder through its subsidiary Sankorp, though Sanlam’s stake had fallen below 35% by 1995 as the shareholder base diversified. Following the 2025 business rescue process, Differential Capital emerged as the new owner of the reorganised/surviving assets, a dramatic shift from the company’s century-long history as a widely held, founder-linked industrial name.
Who Was the CEO of Murray and Roberts?
Henry Laas led the company as CEO through much of its final years as a listed entity, overseeing operations during the period leading up to the 2024–2025 financial crisis and restructuring. Given the business rescue and subsequent provisional liquidation, day-to-day control passed to appointed business rescue practitioners during the wind-down and sale process, and it is not clear from public information whether Laas or any successor retained an ongoing executive role once the liquidation process began.
How Big Was Murray and Roberts?
Murray and Roberts reported revenue of R13.45 billion for the 2024 financial year, and African Business magazine’s Top 250 companies in Africa for 2025 (using data from before the collapse became fully apparent) listed its revenue at approximately $1.42 billion. These figures represent the company’s scale shortly before its financial distress became terminal, rather than its current state.
What Happened to Murray and Roberts?
The proximate causes of the collapse were losses on major contracts, high debt levels, and a liquidity crisis that culminated in the November 2024 JSE trading suspension. Once trading was halted and the scale of losses (R1.38 billion by December 2024) became clear, the board pursued formal business rescue — a South African legal process similar to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US — rather than immediate liquidation, in an attempt to preserve value for creditors and potentially some operations. That process concluded with a rescue plan approved in April 2025 that saw key subsidiaries sold, followed by the provisional liquidation of the remaining holding company in September 2025.
Links
Website: Not found
Careers Page: Not found
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
Is Murray and Roberts still in business?
No, as a listed holding company it entered business rescue in 2024–2025 and was provisionally liquidated in September 2025; some subsidiary operations may continue under new owners.
Why did Murray and Roberts collapse?
It reported a R1.38 billion loss by December 2024 amid contract losses and high debt, leading to a JSE trading suspension, business rescue, and eventual provisional liquidation.
Who owned Murray and Roberts before liquidation?
It was a widely held JSE-listed company; Differential Capital emerged as the new owner of surviving assets following the 2025 business rescue.
Who was the CEO of Murray and Roberts?
Henry Laas led the company as CEO in its final years as a listed entity.
How old was Murray and Roberts?
It was founded in 1902, making it over 120 years old at the time of its 2025 liquidation.
Is Murray and Roberts publicly traded?
No longer — its JSE trading was suspended in November 2024 and the company was provisionally liquidated in September 2025.