The South African branch of DHL, the German logistics giant, has received approval from the country’s Competition Commission to acquire three local logistics companies, pending approval from the Competition Tribunal.
Who is DHL buying? The logistics giant is buying three companies that are part of the Vital Group, though they are being acquired as separate entities.
Vital Distribution handles the actual movement and storage of goods across industries like retail and manufacturing.
Vital Fleet owns and manages the vehicles, vans, and long-haul trucks, the physical infrastructure that keeps deliveries moving.
Staffing Logistics supplies the people who run these operations with a nationwide network that can deploy workers across different provinces with its 96 operations across the country. Altogether, DHL is buying a full logistics network in one clean swipe.
What this does for DHL: With this acquisition, DHL strengthens its on-the-ground movement of goods across industries like retail and manufacturing, adds more vehicles and transport capacity directly into its system, and gains access to an experienced workforce.
All of this folds into DHL’s existing network, giving it more control over how goods move within South Africa, also deepening its investment footprint in the company after previously investing R6 billion ($350 million) in its South African operations in October 2025. DHL can offer more end-to-end solutions without relying on third parties.
It changes the game for local logistics companies: The Competition Commission has noted that this acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen or prevent competition in the market, but the reality could feel different.
Logistics companies like Imperial Logistics, DSV South Africa, or BLG Logistics already compete across different parts of the logistics chain. What DHL is doing here is stitching those different parts together under its own roof. It raises the stakes for smaller operators who now have to match a player that can do what they do, but with global backing.