JOHANNESBURG - South Africa approved Wal-Mart's $2.4 billion bid for control of retailer Massmart with minimal conditions on Tuesday, giving the world's top retailer a big boost in its plan to expand in fast-growing Africa.
South Africa's Competition Tribunal told Wal-Mart not to cut jobs for two years, honor existing labor agreements and work to develop local suppliers, concessions the US firm had earlier proposed itself.
The deal gives Wal-Mart a 51 percent stake of Massmart, a discount retailer that sells everything from liquor to televisions and has a presence in at least a dozen African countries.
