Dis-Chem appoints former Murray & Roberts interim chairman
JOHANNESBURG — Dis-Chem has appointed Clifford Raphiri to its board, disclosing that he previously served as a director of Murray & Roberts Holdings when its operating company entered business rescue, while confirming that he passed the pharmacy retailer’s fit and proper assessment.
Raphiri’s appointment as an independent non-executive director took effect on 21 September. He also joined Dis-Chem’s Social and Ethics and Remuneration and Nomination subcommittees, placing him in governance roles covering matters such as corporate conduct, executive remuneration and board appointments.
The announcement, issued through the JSE’s Stock Exchange News Service on 15 September, sets out both his qualifications and a disclosure concerning his previous board service. Dis-Chem said its board had conducted the assessment required under the JSE Listings Requirements and was satisfied with the outcome.
The disclosed matter relates to Murray & Roberts Limited, the operating company that entered business rescue in November 2024. Raphiri was a director of the separately named listed parent, Murray & Roberts Holdings, and resigned from that board on 10 January 2025. Dis-Chem identified this history in the integrity information accompanying his appointment.
The disclosure does not establish wrongdoing by Raphiri or attribute the operating company’s financial difficulties to him. It gives shareholders information about his past directorship alongside the board’s assessment of his suitability. Neither the announcement nor the disclosed business rescue history provides a basis to conclude that he was disqualified from serving.
Murray & Roberts’ own interim results confirm that Raphiri briefly served as interim chairman before his January 2025 departure. The group’s business rescue reporting records that Murray & Roberts Limited voluntarily commenced proceedings on 22 November 2024.
Dis-Chem described Raphiri as a senior executive with extensive strategic and operational experience gained in executive and non-executive positions at listed companies. He holds a BSc in Engineering from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from Brunel University, and is a member of the Institute of Directors South Africa.
The retailer’s published board biography adds that he spent 24 years at SABMiller, including nine years as an executive director of SAB, where his responsibilities included strategy, performance and governance for brewery operations. That background brings experience in a large consumer-facing business to his new oversight role.
As a non-executive director, Raphiri joins the board’s oversight structure rather than Dis-Chem’s daily management. His committee appointments give shareholders particular reason to consider his governance experience: remuneration and nomination decisions influence leadership incentives and board composition, while social and ethics oversight concerns the company’s conduct and responsibilities.
Dis-Chem welcomed him to the board and said it looked forward to working with him. Its announcement makes the board’s position clear: it considered the disclosed history and remained satisfied with his appointment. Shareholders can assess that decision against his subsequent contribution to the retailer’s governance.
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