DATATEC LIMITED - Unaudited results for the six months ended 31 August 2015 declaration of scrip distribution with cash alternative
21 October 2015 8:00
DTC 201510210002A
Unaudited results for the six months ended 31 August 2015, declaration of scrip distribution with cash alternative

Datatec Limited: Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa
Registration number 1994/005004/06
Share code JSE and LSE: DTC
ISIN: ZAE000017745 


Datatec Limited (“Datatec” or the “Group”, JSE and LSE: DTC), the international information and communications

technology (ICT) group, is today publishing its unaudited results for the six months ended 31 August 2015 

(“the Period” or “H1 FY16”).





UNAUDITED RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 AUGUST 2015, DECLARATION OF SCRIP DISTRIBUTION 

WITH CASH ALTERNATIVE 



Financial Results

• Group revenue up 10.1% to $3.3 billion (H1 FY15: $3.0 billion)

• EBITDA at $80.6 million (H1 FY15: $90.1 million)

• Underlying* earnings per share 16.6 US cents (H1 FY15: 18.2 US cents)

• Interim distribution maintained at 8 US cents per share (H1 FY15: 8 US cents)



Group performance

• Good revenue growth driven by Westcon North America

• Decline in contribution from emerging markets 

• Profitability impacted by foreign exchange losses, reorganisation and BPO project



Current trading and prospects

• Continued revenue growth

• On-going reorganisation at Logicalis UK and BPO transformation in Westcon EMEA
• Expecting second half sequential improvement in EBITDA (excluding foreign exchange)
• Targeted acquisitions in strategic markets



Jens Montanana, Chief Executive of Datatec, commented:

“We continue to deliver revenue growth from a sound base of diversified businesses and geographies. North America 

was the primary contributor to this growth in H1 FY16.



“The strong US dollar impacted the revenue and earnings contribution of emerging markets. The impact of foreign

exchange losses at Westcon Angola was particularly disappointing.



“The restructuring of Westcon’s EMEA region through business process outsourcing and the reorganisation of 

Logicalis’ UK business are important internal initiatives that will affect profitability in FY16 but position these 

units for better performance in the future.



“We remain confident of our positioning in the ICT market and are pleased with the continued development of the

Datatec Financial Services division in our portfolio.”



    

OVERVIEW

Datatec is an international ICT solutions and services group operating in more than 60 countries across North America, 

Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific. The Group’s service offering spans the technology, 

integration and consulting sectors of the ICT market.


Datatec’s strategy is to deliver long-term, sustainable and above average returns to shareholders through portfolio 

management and the development of its principal subsidiaries in technology solutions and services to targeted customers 

in identified markets.


Datatec operates through three core divisions:

Technology - Westcon: distribution of networking, security, unified communications and data centre products; Integration 

- Logicalis: ICT infrastructure solutions and services; and Consulting: strategic and technical consulting.



A fourth division, Datatec Financial Services, is continuing its development through proof of concept to business model 

and growth prospects.  For FY16 it will remain included in the “Corporate” sector of the business which encompasses the 

costs of the Group’s head office entities.



The Group’s businesses are managed on a standalone basis, able to respond quickly to technology changes and focused on 

collective strategic initiatives based on a shared strategy. 





GROUP RESULTS

For the six months ended 31 August 2015, Datatec delivered good revenue growth, offset by a reduction in gross margins 

and foreign exchange losses, particularly in Angola. As a result, underlying earnings per share decreased by 8.8% to 16.6 

US cents compared to 18.2 US cents in the prior financial period (“H1 FY15”).



Westcon performed strongly throughout H1 FY16 and delivered good revenue growth, notably 31.5% in North America. The 

division’s profitability was affected by emerging market currency weakness, lower gross margins, foreign exchange losses 

and restructuring and BPO transformation of Westcon’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations, offset by savings 

in operating costs. 



Logicalis’ growth in revenue in H1 FY16 was driven by a strong performance in the US and the impact of the acquisition
in H2 FY15 of inforsacom Holding GmbH (“Inforsacom”) in Germany. Lower annuity services revenue contribution and reduced 
product margins led to lower gross margins.  Logicalis continues its evolution into a services-orientated business as it
responds to growing cloud adoption of “Infrastructure as a Service” (IaaS) solutions. A reorganisation of its UK business
is underway post the completion of the long-term Welsh Assembly Government ("WAG") contract.





Revenue % contribution by division                 

                                   H1 FY16     H1 FY15 

Westcon                                76%         75% 

Logicalis                              23%         24% 

Consulting                              1%          1% 

                                      100%        100%  



Revenue % contribution by geography                 

                                    H1 FY16    H1 FY15 

North America                           35%        30% 

Latin America                           14%        16% 

Europe                                  32%        33% 

Asia-Pacific                            10%        11% 

Africa & Middle East (AME)               9%        10% 

                                       100%       100%  



Gross profit % contribution by geography                  

                                   H1 FY16  H1 FY15(1) 

North America                          28%         24% 

Latin America                          22%         25% 

Europe                                 32%         32% 

Asia-Pacific                           10%         11% 

Africa & Middle East (AME)              8%          8% 

                                      100%        100%  

(1) adjusted representation of Westcon freight out costs (see further below)



Group revenues increased 10.1% to $3.3 billion (H1 FY15: $3.0 billion) reflecting a 12.0% increase in Westcon revenues and 

a 5.2% increase in Logicalis revenues. Organic revenue growth was 8.5% overall.



North America generated 35% of Datatec’s revenues (H1 FY15: 30%) and 28% of gross profits (H1 FY15: 24%) mainly due to the 

strong performance of Westcon North America.  



Group gross margins were 13.1% (H1 FY15: 15.0%). Group gross margins were impacted by: the increased contribution of 
Westcon to overall revenues; changes in the mix of geographic contribution; and lower annuity services revenues at 
Logicalis. From FY16 onwards, Westcon is disclosing outbound freight as part of cost of sales rather than operating costs
as this more appropriately matches the expense with corresponding revenues. Gross profit decreased by 3.6% to $430.2 million
(H1 FY15: $446.2 million). Adjusted for the reclassification of outbound freight costs, gross profit increased by 
0.5% (adjusted H1 FY15: $428.0 million). 





Contribution to Group EBITDA                  

                              H1 FY16 H1 FY15 

Westcon                           60%     57% 

Logicalis                         40%     42% 

Consulting                         0%      1% 

                                 100%    100%  



Overall operating costs were $349.6 million (H1 FY15: $356.1 million). This reduction reflects the reclassification of 

outbound freight costs and various cost saving initiatives offset by a $10.0 million increase in foreign exchange losses to 

$10.6 million (H1 FY15: $0.6 million). Included in operating costs are total restructuring costs of $5.3 million, the 

majority of which relates to Westcon EMEA’s BPO transformation.



EBITDA was $80.6 million (H1 FY15: $90.1 million) and the EBITDA margin of 2.5% was down (H1 FY15: 3.0%) reflecting the 

lower gross margins, foreign exchange losses and restructuring costs. 



Depreciation and amortisation were similar to the prior period and operating profit was 14.3% lower at $56.3 million 

(H1 FY15: $65.7 million). 



The net interest charge increased to $11.3 million (H1 FY15: $8.9 million) mainly as a result of increased net debt in 

PromonLogicalis Brazil.  



Profit before tax was $44.9 million (H1 FY15: $57.5 million).



The Group’s reported effective tax rate for H1 FY16 is 37.5% (H1 FY15: 33.5%). This is higher than the South African rate 

of 28% due to the profits arising in jurisdictions with higher tax rates, in particular North and Latin America. The 

increase from H1 FY15 reflects the increased proportion of profits earned in North America and unrecognised tax losses 

in Angola. 



Underlying* earnings per share (“UEPS”) were down 8.8% to 16.6 US cents (H1 FY15: 18.2 US cents). Headline earnings per 

share (“HEPS”) were 12.0 US cents (H1 FY15: 16.0 US cents). 



The Group generated $21.6 million cash from operations during H1 FY16 (H1 FY15: $204.5 million) and ended the period with 

net debt of $145.8 million (H1 FY15: net cash $48.9 million) as a result of revenue growth and reduction in days payable 

outstanding. The Group continues to enjoy comfortable headroom in its working capital facilities.



On 6 May 2015, Logicalis acquired 100% of the shares and voting rights of Trovus, a UK Business Intelligence consultancy, 

which provides business insight solutions, professional services and managed services to large enterprise clients. The 

acquisition will strengthen Logicalis’ Business Analytics and Information Management offering. The fair value of Trovus 

was $2.2 million, with an initial cash consideration of $1.6 million and deferred cash consideration up to a maximum of 

$0.6 million, split into three payments over three years. As a result of the acquisition, goodwill and intangible assets 

increased by $1.4 million and $0.8 million respectively. The revenue and EBITDA included from this acquisition in H1 

FY16 was $0.2 million and a loss of $0.1 million, respectively. Had the acquisition dates been 1 March 2015, revenue 

attributable to this acquisition would have been approximately $0.4 million for H1 FY16. The acquisition had a negligible

effect on H1 FY16 earnings. The fair value assessment of assets and liabilities acquired and the amounts recognised as 

goodwill and intangible assets in respect of the Trovus acquisition have only been determined provisionally due to the 

timing of the acquisition and future amendments may impact classification in these asset categories. 



There is both a put and call option (level 2 financial instruments) for Datatec to purchase all the shares held by the 

management shareholders in Comztek Holdings (Pty) Ltd at a defined strike price. This was valued using a discounted cash 

flow valuation as at 28 February 2015. During H1 FY16, a foreign exchange movement of $0.2 million was recorded in the 

statement of comprehensive income and the closing balance included in amounts due to vendors is $1.6 million.  



During the period, the Group paid a final scrip distribution with cash dividend alternative in respect of FY15. The total 

value returned to shareholders in the FY15 final distribution was $17.7 million of which $9.0 million (51.1%) was 

distributed to shareholders in the form of scrip (1.7 million new shares issued) and $8.7 million (48.9%) was settled in 

cash to those shareholders who had elected the cash dividend alternative.  



The Board has maintained an interim scrip distribution with cash dividend alternative at 8 US cents (H1 FY15: 8 US cents) 

details of which are set out below. 



Losses of $44.7 million (H1 FY15: gain of $9.5 million) arising on translation to presentation currency are included in 

total comprehensive loss of $16.8 million (H1 FY15: income of $46.7 million).





DIVISIONAL REVIEWS

Westcon 

Westcon is a value added distributor of category-leading unified communications, network infrastructure, data centre and 

security solutions with a global network of specialty resellers. The division goes to market under the Comstor and Westcon 

brands. 



Westcon operates in more than 60 countries and creates unique programmes and provides support to accelerate the business of 

its global partners. Westcon’s portfolio of market-leading vendors includes: Cisco, Avaya, Polycom, Juniper, Check Point, 

F5, Palo Alto and Blue Coat. 



Westcon revenue % by geography                 

                                H1 FY16    H1 FY15 

North America                       37%        31% 

Latin America                        9%        12% 

Europe                              33%        33% 

Asia-Pacific                        10%        11% 

AME                                 11%        13% 

                                   100%       100%  



Westcon revenue % by product category                  

                                H1 FY16    H1 FY15 

Cisco                               45%        44% 

Unified Communications              19%        22% 

Security                            29%        25% 

Data centre and Other                7%         9% 

                                   100%       100%  

   

Westcon’s revenues increased by 12.0% to $2.5 billion (H1 FY15: $2.2 billion) with revenue growth across all regions 

except Latin America where local currency growth was achieved but did not translate into US dollar growth.   



Gross margins were 10.1% (H1 FY15: 11.5%) with the decrease in margin partly attributable to the reclassification of 

outbound freight costs from operating expenses to cost of sales in H1 FY16 (discussed above).  Adjusting H1 FY15 in a 

similar manner results in a comparable H1 FY15 margin of 10.7% with the remaining year-on-year decrease attributable 

to an unfavourable product and geographic mix as well as challenging trading conditions. Gross profit decreased by 

1.5% to $253.7 million (H1 FY15: $257.5 million). 



Adjusting H1 FY15 for the outbound freight cost reclassification results in a gross profit increase of 6.0% (adjusted 

H1 FY15: $239.3 million). 



Operating expenses were $201.4 million (H1 FY15: $201.8 million).  Adjusting H1 FY15 for the impact of the freight 

reclassification in a similar manner results in an adjusted H1 FY15 operating expense total of $183.6 million. The 

underlying 10% increase in operating expenditure is due to a combination of higher headcount, $5.0 million of costs 

associated with the EMEA transformation and $8.9 million of foreign exchange losses associated with the devaluation 

of the Angolan Kwanza.  Operating expenses as a proportion of revenue decreased to 8.0% (H1 FY15: 9.0%).  



EBITDA decreased 6.1% to $52.3 million (H1 FY15: $55.7 million) with lower results in Latin America, Europe and AME 

while EBITDA margins were 2.1% (H1 FY15: 2.5%), with lower margins in the same three regions. Operating profit was 

$39.5 million (H1 FY15: $42.9 million). 



Net working capital days increased to 28 days (H1 FY15: 21 days) driven by lower payable days.  The combination of 

increasing sales volumes and lower payable days resulted in an increase of $124.5 million in net debt to $158.6 

million.



Of the $8.2 million capitalised development expenditure in H1 FY16, the majority is attributable to the SAP ERP 

system transition.



Angola in recent years has been an important contributor to the AME region within Westcon. In FY15, revenue in the 

country totalled $61.1 million. The weakened economic outlook for Angola mainly as a consequence of the fall in the 

price of crude oil has led to a decline in the exchange rate of the Kwanza to the US Dollar. The National Bank of 
Angola has instituted capital controls that render the timing and quantum of conversion from Kwanza to US Dollar 
unpredictable. This has resulted in foreign exchange losses of $8.9 million in H1 FY16, of which $8.1 million has 
been classified as realised. Management has instituted a series of actions to control the exposure and seek to 
reduce further losses. Total current assets in Angola at 31 August 2015 were $43.2 million. The classification of 
these losses as realised/unrealised will be re-evaluated at the end of the financial year. This reclassification 
may have a positive effect on reported UEPS which excludes unrealised foreign exchange losses but will 
have no effect on EPS and HEPS. 



Westcon is in the process of implementing a restructuring and BPO transformation of its EMEA operations aimed at 

delivering future improvements in operational efficiency. The scope of this project has now been finalised and will 

include elements of the finance and operations functions, affecting approximately 300 full time employees. Total 
costs in FY16 are expected to be approximately $13 million of which $5.0 million was incurred in H1 FY16. This 
project will serve as a blueprint for scale and efficiency within the whole of Westcon going forward and is 
expected to deliver a payback within three years.



The roll-out of SAP across Westcon Asia-Pacific has progressed well. The remaining few countries in Asia are 

expected to go live in H1 FY17, with the EMEA roll-out planned for H2 FY17 which will now follow the BPO transformation.





Logicalis 

Logicalis is an international IT solutions and managed services provider with a breadth of knowledge and expertise 

in IT infrastructure and networking solutions, communications and collaboration, data centre, cloud solutions and 

managed services.



Logicalis revenue % geographic split                  

                                      H1 FY16    H1 FY15 

North America                             32%        27% 

Latin America                             29%        32% 

Europe                                    31%        32% 

Asia-Pacific                               8%         9% 

                                         100%       100%  



Revenue was $751.4 million (H1 FY15: $714.4 million), including $0.2 million of revenue from the acquisition made 

during the Period, and $49.3 million of revenue from acquisitions made in H2 of FY15. Organic revenue was down 2%. 

Product sales were up 11% with strong growth in the Cisco and HP vendor categories.  Oracle revenue was also up due 

to the Inforsacom acquisition in H2 FY15.



Revenue growth for H1 FY16 was mixed across the regions with strong increases in continental Europe and North America 

offset by Latin America and Asia-Pacific, which were adversely impacted by difficult trading conditions in Brazil 

and Australia respectively and a weakening in the macroeconomic environment. In Europe, the UK results were impacted 

by the loss of the long-term WAG contract and the continuing reorganisation of the business. 



Revenues from services were down 5%, with decreases in both professional and annuity services revenues due to the 

completion of the WAG contract, weakening demand in Brazil and the strength of the impact of translation into
US Dollar reporting currency.



Gross margins were 22.5% (H1 FY15: 25.1%), impacted by a lower services contribution and lower product margins. Gross 

profit was down 5.8% to $169.2 million (H1 FY15: $179.6 million) and operating expenses decreased by 3%. 



EBITDA was $35.5 million (H1 FY15: $41.6 million), with a corresponding EBITDA margin of 4.7% (H1 FY15: 5.8%). 

Operating profit was down 20.0% to $24.4 million (H1 FY15: $30.5 million).



Logicalis continues to have a contingent liability in respect of a possible tax liability at its PromonLogicalis 

subsidiary in Brazil.



The ICT market is adjusting to a transition to cloud-based infrastructure solutions. Logicalis continues to adapt 

its go-to-market model and develop its services to address this change.  



Consulting 

The Consulting division comprises: Analysys Mason, a provider of strategic, trusted advisory, modelling and market 

intelligence services to the telecoms, media and technology industries; Mason Advisory (“Mason”), an independent and 

impartial IT consultancy providing related strategic, technical and operational advice to the public and private 

sectors; and The Via Group (“Via”), a specialist professional services organisation providing unified communications 

and voice solutions.



The division experienced a decline in revenues due to delayed projects and currency weakness. Operating profits have 

fallen due to reduced revenues and the fixed cost base. 



Divisional revenues were $23.7 million (H1 FY15: $27.8 million). EBITDA is negative at $(0.5) million (H1 FY15: $1.4 

million). Analysys Mason and Mason have maintained a break-even EBITDA whilst Via has reported an EBITDA loss.  



The division is focused on increasing sales and utilisation of its resources in order to improve operating margins. 





Corporate

Corporate encompasses the net operating costs of the Datatec head office entities of $8.8 million (H1 FY15: $8.3 

million), including share based payments, and a net foreign exchange gain of $2.0 million (H1 FY15: $0.3 million 

loss). Included in Corporate operating costs is expenditure of $1.1 million associated with Datatec Financial Services 

which is developing financing/leasing solutions for ICT customers. 





SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

In September 2015, Logicalis completed the acquisition of Advanced Technology Integration Group, a solution provider 

offering system integration and professional services to enterprise and commercial customers across the Midwest region 

of the United States.  The acquisition will consolidate Logicalis’ presence in the key Midwest region and present 

significant cross-selling opportunities for its services offering.  Its offering is highly complementary to Logicalis’. 



The acquisition consideration of up to $42 million was settled with $18.5 million cash and the issue of 3.7 million new 

Datatec shares worth $18.5 million as a vendor consideration placing with the remainder being deferred consideration 

payable in cash on the achievement of certain gross margin targets.



On 5 October 2015, Logicalis acquired Lekscom Limited, a Channel Islands based provider of networking and collaboration 

services to large enterprise and commercial clients.





CURRENT TRADING AND PROSPECTS

The Group remains well positioned to support its vendors and customers through its scale and broad international 

coverage. Technology innovation remains high in the sectors in which the Group operates as ICT infrastructure migrates 

to cloud-based delivery, often requiring increased managed services. This creates demand for networking, security and 

unified communications solutions. 



Westcon North America is expected to continue its good revenue and earnings growth through the second half of the year. 

Overall profitability will, however, continue to be impacted by restructuring in Westcon EMEA and reorganisation at 

Logicalis UK as well as the continued weakness of emerging market currencies relative to the US Dollar. 

Excluding the effect of foreign exchange, EBITDA is expected to show a sequential improvement in H2 FY16 compared to 
H1 FY16.





SCRIP DISTRIBUTION AND CASH DIVIDEND ALTERNATIVE 

1. Introduction

   Notice is hereby given that the Board has declared an interim distribution for the six months ended 31 August 2015, 

   by way of the issue of fully paid Datatec ordinary shares of one cent each (“the Scrip Distribution”) payable to 

   ordinary shareholders (“Shareholders”) recorded in the register of Datatec Limited ("the Company") at the close of
   business on the record date, being Friday, 27 November 2015. 

   Shareholders will be entitled, in respect of all or part of their shareholding, to elect to receive a gross cash

   dividend of 105 RSA cents per ordinary share in lieu of the Scrip Distribution, which will be paid only to those 

   Shareholders who elect to receive the cash dividend, in respect of all or part of their shareholding, on or before 

   12:00 on Friday, 27 November 2015 (“the Cash Dividend”). The Cash Dividend has been declared from income reserves. 

   A dividend withholding tax of 15% will be applicable to all Shareholders not exempt therefrom after deduction of 

   which the net Cash Dividend is 89.25 RSA cents per share. 

   The new ordinary shares will, pursuant to the Scrip Distribution, be settled by way of capitalisation of the 

   Company’s distributable retained profits.

   The Company’s total number of issued ordinary shares as at 19 October 2015 is 208 983 794. Datatec’s income tax

   reference number is 9999/493/71/2.

2. Terms of the Scrip Distribution

   The number of Scrip Distribution shares to which each of the Shareholders will become entitled pursuant to the 

   Scrip Distribution (to the extent that such Shareholders have not elected to receive the Cash Dividend) will be 

   determined by reference to such Shareholder’s ordinary shareholding in Datatec (at the close of business on the 

   record date, being Friday, 27 November 2015) in relation to the ratio that 105 RSA cents bears to the volume 

   weighted average price (“VWAP”) of an ordinary Datatec share traded on the JSE during the 30-day trading period 

   ending on Thursday, 12 November 2015. Where the application of this ratio gives rise to a fraction of an ordinary 

   share, the number of shares will be rounded up to the nearest whole number if the fraction is 0.5 or more and 

   rounded down to the nearest whole number if the fraction is less than 0.5.

   Details of the ratio will be announced on the Stock Exchange News Service (“SENS”) of the JSE in accordance with 

   the timetable below.

3. Circular and salient dates

   A circular providing Shareholders with full information on the Scrip Distribution and the Cash Dividend 

   alternative including a Form of Election to elect to receive the Cash Dividend alternative will be posted to 

   Shareholders on or about Thursday, 5 November 2015. The salient dates of events thereafter are as follows:



EVENT                                                                                                      2015 

Announcement released on SENS in respect of the ratio applicable to the 

Scrip Distribution, based on the 30-day volume weighted average price ending on 

Thursday, 12 November 2015                                                                  Friday, 13 November 



Announcement published in the press of the ratio applicable to the Scrip 

Distribution as above                                                                       Monday, 16 November

 

Last day to trade in order to be eligible for the Scrip Distribution and the 

Cash Dividend alternative                                                                   Friday, 20 November 



Ordinary shares trade “ex” the Scrip Distribution and the Cash Dividend 

alternative                                                                                 Monday, 23 November 



Maximum number of shares listed on the JSE                                                  Monday, 23 November 

Last day to elect to receive the Cash Dividend alternative instead of the 

Scrip Distribution, Forms of Election to reach the Transfer Secretaries 

by 12:00 noon (10:00 UK time)                                                               Friday, 27 November

 

Record date in respect of the Scrip Distribution and the Cash Dividend 

alternative                                                                                 Friday, 27 November 

Cash Dividend payments made and Scrip Distribution shares issued to 

Shareholders on the South African register and Scrip Distribution, 

certificates posted and CSDP/broker accounts credited/updated, as 

applicable                                                                                  Monday, 30 November 



Cash Dividend payments made by BACS (direct credit) to shareholders on 

the Jersey register, Scrip Distribution shares and depositary interests 

issued to Shareholders on the Jersey register, CREST accounts credited with 

the new Scrip Distribution shares and depositary interests, as applicable.                  Monday, 30 November 



Announcement relating to the results of the Scrip Distribution and the Cash 

Dividend alternative released on SENS                                                       Monday, 30 November

 

Announcement relating to the results of the Scrip Distribution and the 

Cash Dividend alternative published in the press                                            Tuesday, 1 December 



JSE listing of ordinary shares in respect of the Scrip Distribution adjusted 

to reflect the actual number of ordinary shares issued in terms of the Scrip 

Distribution and AIM listing of the actual number of ordinary shares issued 

in terms of the Scrip Distribution; at the commencement of business on or about             Wednesday, 2 December 



All times provided are South African local times. The above dates and times are subject to change. Any change will 

be announced on SENS. 



Share certificates may not be dematerialised or rematerialised, nor may transfers between registers take place,

between Monday, 23 November 2015 and Friday, 27 November 2015, both days inclusive.





REPORTING 

The condensed consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared under the supervision of Jurgens Myburgh,

Chief Financial Officer, and in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, IAS 34 Interim Financial

Reporting, the SAICA Financial Reporting Guides as issued by the Accounting Practices Committee, Financial 

Pronouncements as issued by Financial Reporting Standards Council, the JSE Listing Requirements, the AIM Rules for 

Companies, and the requirements of the South African Companies Act No 71 of 2008.



The accounting policies and methods of computation applied in the preparation of these interim financial statements

are in terms of International Financial Reporting Standards and are consistent with those accounting policies applied 

in the preparation of the previous consolidated annual financial statements. The adoption of certain amendments to 

existing standards did not have an impact on the accounting policies of the Group.





DISCLAIMER 

This announcement may contain statements regarding the future financial performance of the Group which may be

considered to be forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty, 

and although the Group has taken reasonable care to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, no assurance 

can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. 





The Group has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ

materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events 

or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. It is important to note, that:

(i)   unless otherwise indicated, forward-looking statements indicate the Group’s expectations and have not been

      reviewed or reported on by the Group’s external auditors; 

(ii)  actual results may differ materially from the Group’s expectations if known and unknown risks or uncertainties

      affect its business, or if estimates or assumptions prove inaccurate; 

(iii) the Group cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialise and, accordingly, readers are

      cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements; and 

(iv)  the Group disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement

      even if new information becomes available, as a result of future events or for any other reason, other than

      as required by the JSE Limited Listings Requirements and/or the AIM Rules. 

  

On behalf of the Board:

SJ Davidson

Chairman





JP Montanana

Chief Executive Officer





PJ Myburgh

Chief Financial Officer





21 October 2015





* Excluding impairment and write-off of goodwill and intangible assets, profit or loss on sale of investments 

  and assets, amortisation of acquired intangible assets, unrealised foreign exchange movements, 

  acquisition-related adjustments, fair value movements on acquisition-related financial instruments, 

  restructuring costs and the taxation effect on all of the aforementioned.



  

  

Condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive income 

for the six months to 31 August 2015

US$’000                                                            Unaudited       Unaudited       Audited 

                                                               Six months to   Six months to    Year ended 

                                                                   31 August       31 August   28 February  

                                                                        2015            2014          2015 

Revenue                                                            3 285 932       2 983 592     6 443 536 

Existing operations                                                3 285 688       2 983 592     6 421 646 

Acquisitions                                                             244               -        21 890 

Cost of sales                                                     (2 855 719)     (2 537 362)   (5 510 605)

Gross profit                                                         430 213         446 230       932 931 

Operating costs                                                     (340 295)       (350 731)     (716 454)

Restructuring costs                                                   (5 261)              -             - 

Share-based payments                                                  (4 087)         (5 400)      (10 084)

Operating profit before interest, tax, depreciation and 

amortisation (“EBITDA”)                                               80 570          90 099       206 393 

Depreciation                                                         (13 672)        (12 855)      (26 256)

Amortisation of capitalised software development expenditure          (3 534)         (4 076)       (7 216)

Amortisation of acquired intangible assets and software               (6 942)         (7 465)      (15 163)

Goodwill adjustment                                                      (81)              -             - 

Operating profit                                                      56 341          65 703       157 758 

Interest income                                                        2 088           2 422         4 324 

Finance costs                                                        (13 349)        (11 283)      (21 930)

Share of equity-accounted investment earnings                           (150)            421           450 

Acquisition-related fair value adjustments                               (14)             81          (317)

Fair value movements on put option liabilities                             -              81          (317)

Fair value adjustment on deferred purchase consideration                 (14)              -             - 

Other income                                                              13             106            14 

Loss on disposal of investments                                            -               -          (137)

Profit before taxation                                                44 929          57 450       140 162 

Taxation                                                             (16 827)        (19 246)      (51 534)

Profit for the period                                                 28 102          38 204        88 628 

Other comprehensive income                                                                                 

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit and loss                                                    

Exchange differences arising on translation to 

presentation currency                                                (44 674)          9 548       (67 757)

Translation difference on equity loans                                (1 758)           (347)       (5 279)

Tax effect of equity loans translation                                 1 328            (150)        1 480 

Transfers and other items                                                244            (513)           41 

Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year                       (16 758)         46 742        17 113 

Profit attributable to:                                                                                    

Owners of the parent                                                  24 384          31 476        73 772 

Non-controlling interests                                              3 718           6 728        14 856 

                                                                      28 102          38 204        88 628 

Total comprehensive (loss)/income attributable to:                                                         

Owners of the parent                                                 (13 975)         40 599        11 014 

Non-controlling interests                                             (2 783)          6 143         6 099 

                                                                     (16 758)         46 742        17 113 

Number of shares issued (millions)                                                                         

Issued                                                                   205             198           204 

Weighted average                                                         204             197           199 

Diluted weighted average                                                 206             198           200 

Earnings per share (“EPS”) (US cents)                                                                      

Basic                                                                   12.0            16.0          37.1 

Diluted basic                                                           11.9            15.9          36.9 





SALIENT FINANCIAL FEATURES                                                                                 

Headline earnings                                                     24 394          31 481        73 674 

Headline earnings per share (US cents)                                                                     

Headline                                                                12.0            16.0          37.0 

Diluted headline                                                        11.9            15.9          36.9 

Underlying earnings                                                   33 877          35 816        83 131 

Underlying earnings per share (US cents)                                                                   

Underlying                                                              16.6            18.2          41.8 

Diluted underlying                                                      16.5            18.1          41.6 

Net asset value per share (US cents)                                   413.4           459.1         427.8 

KEY RATIOS                                                                                                 

Gross margin (%)                                                        13.1            15.0          14.5 

EBITDA (%)                                                               2.5             3.0           3.2 

Effective tax rate (%)                                                  37.5            33.5          36.8 

Exchange rates                                                                                             

Average Rand/US$ exchange rate                                          12.4            10.6          11.0 

Closing Rand/US$ exchange rate                                          13.3            10.6          11.7  





Condensed consolidated statement of financial position

as at 31 August 2015

US$’000                                                             Unaudited      Unaudited      Audited 

                                                                Six months to  Six months to   Year ended  

                                                                    31 August      31 August  28 February 

                                                                         2015           2014         2015 

ASSETS                                                                                                    

Non-current assets                                                    705 165        680 680      701 809 

Property, plant and equipment                                          73 317         68 803       73 328 

Goodwill                                                              447 269        450 214      450 884 

Capitalised software development expenditure                           53 195         44 058       49 573 

Acquired intangible assets and software                                40 222         46 666       45 854 

Investments                                                             6 412          7 475        6 342 

Deferred tax assets                                                    52 243         53 793       54 555 

Other receivables                                                      32 507          9 671       21 273 

Current assets                                                      2 526 313      2 503 050    2 572 773 

Inventories                                                           419 234        490 188      442 612 

Trade receivables                                                   1 478 930      1 404 600    1 532 820 

Current tax asset                                                      13 197         17 591       15 626 

Prepaid expenses and other receivables                                244 898        213 821      215 585 

Cash and cash equivalents                                             370 054        376 850      366 130 

Total assets                                                        3 231 478      3 183 730    3 274 582 

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES                                                                                    

Equity attributable to equity holders                     

of the parent                                                         848 731        906 980      870 850 

Share capital and premium                                             119 592        108 487      126 886 

Non-distributable reserves                                             66 759         57 737       50 179 

Foreign currency translation reserve                                 (143 969)       (31 340)    (105 307)

Share-based payment reserve                                             1 325            295          739 

Distributable reserves                                                805 024        771 801      798 353 

Non-controlling interests                                              38 816         56 699       41 599 

Total equity                                                          887 547        963 679      912 449 

Non-current liabilities                                               118 563        121 077      103 710 

Long-term liabilities                                                  37 661         43 441       21 555 

Liability for share-based payments                                      6 235          8 750        9 848 

Amounts owing to vendors                                                2 023          2 793        1 842 

Deferred tax liabilities                                               72 196         65 931       69 833 

Other liabilities                                                         448            162          632 

Current liabilities                                                 2 225 368      2 098 974    2 258 423 

Trade and other payables                                            1 726 986      1 782 603    1 795 783 

Short-term interest-bearing liabilities                                66 643         12 322       43 468 

Provisions                                                             12 416         14 636       13 979 

Amounts owing to vendors                                                2 955          1 750        2 750 

Current tax liabilities                                                 4 832         15 507       14 212 

Bank overdrafts                                                       411 536        272 156      388 231 

                                                                                                          

Total equity and liabilities                                        3 231 478      3 183 730    3 274 582 

Capital expenditure incurred in the current               

year (including capitalised development expenditure)                   24 790         19 747       51 104 

Capital commitments at the end of the period                           37 408         29 790       33 909 

Lease commitments at the end of the period                            140 106        132 962      153 258 

Payable within one year                                                32 943         31 140       34 348 

Payable after one year                                                107 163        101 822      118 910 

                                                                                                           

                             

                             

Condensed consolidated statement of cash flows

for the six months to 31 August 2015

US$’000                                                        Unaudited        Unaudited        Audited 

                                                           Six months to    Six months to     Year ended  

                                                               31 August        31 August    28 February 

                                                                    2015             2014           2015 

Operating profit before working capital changes                   84 670           96 817        215 346 

Working capital changes                                          (40 566)         107 653        (29 147)

Decrease/(increase) in inventories                                 7 229          (56 979)       (32 038)

Increase in receivables                                          (42 927)        (113 749)      (324 540)

(Decrease)/increase in payables                                   (4 868)         278 381        327 431 

Prepaid maintenance                                              (22 505)               -              - 

Cash generated from operations                                    21 599          204 470        186 199 

Net finance costs paid                                           (11 261)          (8 861)       (17 606)

Taxation paid                                                    (24 286)         (20 675)       (53 193)

Net cash (outflows)/inflows from operating activities            (13 948)         174 934        115 400 

Cash outflows for acquisitions                                    (1 342)               -         (1 979)

Net cash outflows from other investing activities                (24 763)         (18 694)       (49 498)

Net cash inflows from other financing activities                  38 672            5 930         13 500 

Capital distributions and dividends paid to shareholders          (8 662)         (17 162)       (23 459)

Capital distributions and dividends paid to                            -           (1 800)       (26 066)

non-controlling interests                                                                                

Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents             (10 043)         143 208         27 898 

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning                       (22 101)         (41 770)       (41 770)

of the year                                                                                              

Translation differences on net cash                               (9 338)           3 256         (8 229)

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period*              (41 482)         104 694        (22 101) 

*Comprises cash resources, net of bank overdrafts and trade finance advances.







Condensed consolidated statement of changes in total equity

for the six months to 31 August 2015

US$’000                                                           Unaudited       Unaudited       Audited 

                                                              Six months to   Six months to    Year ended  

                                                                  31 August       31 August   28 February 

                                                                       2015            2014          2015  

Balance at the beginning of the period                              912 449         924 485       924 485 

Transactions with equity holders of the parent                                                            

Comprehensive (loss)/income                                         (13 975)         40 599        11 014 

New share issues                                                          -           1 894        31 076 

Capital distributions                                                     -         (17 162)      (17 226)

Dividends                                                            (8 672)              -       (16 060)

Equity-settled deferred purchase consideration                            -          10 280             - 

Share-based payments                                                    528             659         1 855 

Acquisitions of additional interests from                                                     

non-controlling interests                                                 -            (907)      (10 623)

Disposals of additional interests from                                                        

non-controlling interests                                                 -               -          (803)

Transactions with non-controlling interests                                                                

Comprehensive (loss)/income                                          (2 783)          6 143         6 099 

Acquisitions of additional interests from                                                       

non-controlling interests                                                 -               -         9 210 

Disposals of additional interests from                                                        

non-controlling interests                                                 -            (512)         (512)

Dividends                                                                 -          (1 800)      (26 066)

Balance at the end of the period                                    887 547         963 679       912 449  





Determination of headline and underlying earnings

for the six months to 31 August 2015

US$’000                                                         Unaudited        Unaudited        Audited 

                                                            Six months to    Six months to     Year ended  

                                                                31 August        31 August    28 February 

                                                                     2015             2014           2015 

Profit attributable to the equity holders of the parent            24 384           31 476         73 772 

Headline earnings adjustments                                          10                6            (88)

Loss on disposal of investment                                          -                -           (106)

Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment                      15               10             36 

Tax effect                                                             (5)              (4)           (18)

Non-controlling interests                                               -               (1)           (10)

Headline earnings                                                  24 394           31 481         73 674 

DETERMINATION OF UNDERLYING EARNINGS                                                                      

Underlying earnings adjustments                                    13 401            6 389         13 009 

Unrealised foreign exchange losses/(gains)                          1 665             (237)        (1 012)

Acquisition-related fair value adjustments                             14              (81)           317 

Goodwill adjustment                                                    81                -              - 

Restructuring costs                                                 5 261                -              - 

Amortisation of acquired intangible assets                          6 380            6 707         13 704 

Tax effect                                                         (3 690)          (2 166)        (3 546)

Non-controlling interests                                            (228)             112             (6)

Underlying earnings                                                33 877           35 816         83 131  

                                                                            



Condensed Segmental analysis for the six months to 31 August 2015

US$’000                         Unaudited           Unaudited            Audited 

                            Six months to       Six months to         Year ended  

                                31 August           31 August        28 February 

                                     2015                2014               2015 

Revenue                                                                          

Westcon                         2 510 597           2 241 380          4 854 507 

Logicalis                         751 446             714 378          1 533 777 

Consulting                         23 697              27 834             55 242 

Corporate                             192                   -                 10 

Revenue                         3 285 932           2 983 592          6 443 536 

                                                                    

EBITDA                                                                           

Westcon                            52 257              55 743            125 141 

Logicalis                          35 485              41 575             97 039 

Consulting                           (543)              1 356              3 158 

Corporate                          (6 629)             (8 575)           (18 945)

EBITDA                             80 570              90 099            206 393 

                                                                    

Operating profit                                                                 

Westcon                            39 516              42 847            100 207 

Logicalis                          24 347              30 491             74 165 

Consulting                           (881)                956              2 362 

Corporate                          (6 641)             (8 591)           (18 976)

Operating profit                   56 341              65 703            157 758 

                                                                    

Total assets                                                                     

Westcon                         2 277 558           2 236 026          2 289 764 

Logicalis                         864 092             894 094            920 295 

Consulting                         37 354              40 938             39 694 

Corporate                          52 474              12 672             24 829 

Total assets                    3 231 478           3 183 730          3 274 582 

                                                                    

Total liabilities                                                                

Westcon                        (1 700 742)         (1 602 993)        (1 690 252)

Logicalis                        (595 849)           (590 607)          (641 932)

Consulting                        (11 340)            (10 720)           (12 702)

Corporate                         (36 000)            (15 731)           (17 247)

Total liabilities              (2 343 931)         (2 220 051)        (2 362 133) 

  







Physical address

Datatec Limited

Ground Floor

Sandown Chambers

Sandown Village

16 Maude Street

Sandown

South Africa

2146





Postal address

Datatec Limited

P.O. Box 76226

Wendywood

South Africa

2144





Contact numbers

Telephone: +27 (0)11 233 1000 

Fax: +27 (0)11 233 3300

E-mail: info@datatec.co.za



Enquiries:

Datatec Limited  (www.datatec.com)



Jens Montanana - Chief Executive Officer                             +44 (0) 1753 797 118 

Jurgens Myburgh - Chief Financial Officer                             +27 (0) 11 233 3301 

Wilna de Villiers - Group Investor Relations Manager                  +27 (0) 11 233 1013 

Jefferies International Limited - Nominated Advisor and Broker                            

Nick Adams/Alex Collins                                              +44 (0) 20 7029 8000 

finnCap Limited - Broker                                                                  

Stewart Andrews                                                                           

                                                                     +44 (0) 20 7220 0500 

Instinctif Partners                                                                       

Adrian Duffield/Chantal Woolcock (UK)                                +44 (0) 20 7457 2020 

Frederic Cornet (SA)                                                  +27 (0) 11 447 3030 



Directors 

SJ Davidson#* (Chairman), JP Montanana* (CEO), PJ Myburgh (CFO), O Ighodaro#^, JF McCartney#+, 

LW Nkuhlu#, CS Seabrooke#, NJ Temple#* 

#Non-executive  *British  +American  ^Nigerian



www.datatec.com

www.westcongroup.com

www.logicalis.com

www.analysysmason.com

www.theviagroup.com

www.masonadvisory.com

Sponsor: 
Rand Merchant Bank (a division of FirstRand Bank Limited), 
1 Merchant Place, Corner Fredman Drive
and Rivonia Road, Sandton

21 October 2015
Date: 21/10/2015 08:00:00 Produced by the JSE SENS Department. The SENS service is an information dissemination service administered by the JSE Limited ('JSE'). 
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