2012 Dimension Data Annual Business Review invested Documents/Annual Bu… · 46 corporate social responsibility ... Dimension Data is a recognised global leader ... unified communications

invested2012 Dimension Data Annual Business Review

contents

04 business overview

10 invested in opportunity

12 chairman’s letter

16 invested in execution

18 chief executive officer’s review

24 invested in our clients

26 chief financial officer’s review

40 invested in our people

42 sustainability made simple

44 invested in communities

46 corporate social responsibility

business overview

Businesses by revenue

n Systems Integration 77%n Cloud 1%n Internet Solutions 6%n Express Data 12%n Other* 4%

n Product 59%n Managed Services 68%n Professional Services 32%

Services 41%

04 Annual Business Review 2012

*Other: Merchants, DDAI, Learning Solutions and Plessey

Systems Integration Breakdown

Business Overview 05

Dimension Data is a recognised global leader in the provision and management of specialist IT infrastructure solutions and services. We differentiate through exceptional client service and our ability to accelerate the achievement of our clients’ business goals.

Systems Integration (SI)The SI business comprises 77% of the Group’s revenue. It provides solutions and services that support clients’ core IT infrastructures, including the network, voice and data communications (incorporating telephony and video), data centres, contact centres, security and Microsoft technologies.

With Dimension Data, clients enjoy an end-to-end IT service experience. We achieve this by drawing on the deep expertise embedded in our Network Integration, Security Solutions, Data Centre Solutions, Converged Communications, Customer Interactive Solutions and Microsoft Solutions businesses. Identifying opportunities to improve the performance of our clients’ IT infrastructures and making certain that solutions are structured to deliver real business benefits, today and into the future, represent core elements of our approach.

The SI business has a well-established multinational footprint, with a direct presence in 51 countries and an ability to extend its reach into a further 114 countries through a comprehensive network of preferred partners.


Lifecycle of services

Dimension Data offers a full lifecycle of services across six Lines of Business, which ensures the delivery of real business value at all levels within our clients’ operations. These services span professional, consulting, support, managed, procurement and supply chain, and IT outsourcing services.

Professional services are delivered by specialised teams of Solutions Architects and Project and Programme Managers. Here, Dimension Data adds value by minimising the impact a technology implementation has on a client’s business and IT operations throughout a project’s lifecycle. We provide implementation and integration services as well as testing and remediation. These capabilities, coupled with our honed project and programme management skills ensure that clients can rest assured that critical change initiatives will be delivered on time, on budget, within scope, and to quality standards.

Consulting services provide clients with strategic, architectural, operational, and technical expertise for on-premise, managed, hosted, and cloud-based IT and infrastructure solutions. Using proprietary consulting and project delivery methodologies and a broad range of pre-packaged consulting assessments, we provide clients with comprehensive advisory services, wherever in the world they may operate.

IT outsourcing engagements involve working with clients to understand the business outcomes they’d like to achieve through operational, management and outsourcing delivery. We assist clients to realise these aspirations by leveraging the substantial investments we’ve made in our IT service management and remote infrastructure management platforms, a standard service portfolio and teams of experts in the field, at client sites and in our Global Service Centres. Centrally-delivered services such as cloud and telecom expense management complete our portfolio of services.

Global procurement and supply chain services assist clients in overcoming their procurement and logistics challenges. By virtue of our long-standing relationships with leading vendors and advanced logistical capabilities, we’re uniquely positioned to procure and deliver integrated and multi-vendor products for clients across the globe.

Support services include maintenance services, which are delivered to pre-committed service level agreements, as well as support activities that proactively solve IT issues to prevent incidents from occurring. Clients also benefit from regular, scheduled preventative maintenance and technology reviews. Importantly, our support service capability delivers standard service levels across multiple technologies and all geographies.

Managed services cover the following areas of clients’ IT estates: networking, security, unified communications and collaboration, data centres and virtualisation. Managed services can be delivered within isolated disciplines, such as security and video, or as an aggregated service for the entire infrastructure. Clients that wish to hand over the management of their IT environment without compromising any of the complex functionality that exists within their organisation, can opt for our custom managed services, which are available across multiple technology areas.


Our SI Lines of Business

To pursue the market opportunity from a technology perspective, Dimension Data has six Lines of Business.

The Network Integration business aims to create secure and manageable infrastructures, across wired and wireless, for campus, data centre, branch, remote and mobile networks. These services are delivered in the enterprise, through service providers and on cloud platforms to enable improved end-user experience and network performance. For clients, this translates into enhanced innovation and return on investment and the ability to be more agile in response to changes in their markets, using the network as the platform.

The Converged Communications business focuses on unified communications and collaboration (UCC) and addresses the growing demands and individual needs of the users within our clients’ businesses. Our enduring vision is to enable these individuals to communicate and collaborate securely, using their chosen applications, on any device and from any location. In this area, our technical credentials and capabilities include the management of IP telephony, telepresence and video, collaborative workspaces and the use of the network as the UC platform.

The Microsoft Solutions business provides professional, managed, cloud and licensing services for Microsoft technologies. Our focus is on delivering solutions around client computing (infrastructure, applications and management), unified communications and collaboration, software asset management, data centres and cloud.

The Data Centre Solutions business addresses some of the biggest hurdles that today’s infrastructure owners are challenged to overcome. These include finding ways to derive more value from their data centre and technology investments and ascertaining the optimum approach to moving to the cloud. Solution focus areas include infrastructure-as-a-service, advanced virtualisation, data centre design and migration, optimised storage (including preparation for ‘big data’), converged infrastructures as well as backup and recovery.

The Customer Interactive Solutions business designs and builds contact centre solutions, drawing on the wealth of experience and skills resident in Merchants, the Group’s outsourced contact centre business.

The Security Solutions business helps clients develop and improve their own security capability by providing them with visibility of potential and active threats; awareness of how these threats can or are impacting the business and protection through a range of flexible solution options that safeguard the organisation’s most critical assets.


Cloud Solutions

Dimension Data’s Cloud Solutions Business Unit delivers tailored cloud solutions and services for every stage of our clients’ journey to the cloud, including enablement projects, building private cloud architectures, leveraging public cloud services and developing hybrid cloud models. Dimension Data is able to build and operate cloud infrastructures, providing services including operational and application management, platform automation and orchestration and managed hosting.

Lines of businesses by revenue

n Data Centre 17% •Hosting •Security •Applications

n Communications 15% •Mobile •Voice •Hotspots

n Carrier 13% •Satellite •TelcoServices

n Connectivity 55% •VPN •InternetAccess •Broadband

Internet Solutions

Internet Solutions is a pan-African communications service provider of IP-based connectivity, communications, data centre and carrier services. Its clients primarily consist of large and medium public and private sector organisations.

The needs of smaller organisations and consumers are met via wholesale offerings to channel partners which focus on these market segments. Internet Solutions’ connectivity solutions include corporate Internet access, virtual private networks, community-based connectivity services as well as fixed and mobile broadband. Its uses its IP-enabled network to facilitate person-to-person communications, with services including voice, messaging, facsimile, mobility, and unified communications services.

Internet Solutions’ data centre services provide both physical computing infrastructure and applications in the cloud, primarily through the use of hosted data centre services. Carrier offerings include self-provisioning of wireless, satellite and local loop services and participation in undersea, national and metropolitan fibre networks.


Plessey

With regional offices in seven African countries (South Africa, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Nigeria and Mauritius), Plessey is Africa’s leading telecoms infrastructure provider. It implements turnkey telecommunications solutions including optical solutions, wireless solutions, intelligent infrastructure solutions and managed services. Wireless solutions include site surveys, transmission planning, network and system design, supply chain management, project management, installation and commission, and maintenance and support. These solutions also provide applications for triple-play services that include high-speed data, toll-quality voice and multimedia services in licensed frequencies. For areas poorly served by wired infrastructure, Plessey enables service providers to reach new businesses and residential customers more efficiently and cost effectively.

Optical solutions include route surveys, network design, equipment specification, long-haul, metro and access fibre solutions, supply chain management, project management and maintenance and support. Plessey’s experience in optical solutions dates back to the inception of mobile networks in 1993. To date, it’s rolled out over 8,000km of optical fibre and, more recently, commenced rolling out access fibre solutions. Plessey also provides turnkey intelligent infrastructure solutions for telecommunications service providers in 24 countries across Africa.

All Plessey’s solutions are underpinned by sound managed services capabilities. Solid vendor and contractor relationships, coupled with professional project management capabilities, enable the successful delivery of turnkey communications infrastructure solutions across multiple technology platforms.

Express Data

Express Data is a distributor of ICT technologies from a range of leading vendors across Australia and New Zealand. For many of these vendors, Express Data represents their largest channel to market in the region. The company operates an advanced distribution system and is recognised as a leader in networking and collaboration, business productivity, data centre, video and design, security, mobility, cloud services, and business connectivity. Typically, the technologies represented by Express Data are relatively complex to implement and support. This allows Express Data to add value by managing the needs of the reseller channel at a lower cost than the vendors could achieve themselves. In addition, many resellers have migrated to a services-led model in recent years, outsourcing more product fulfilment tasks to Express Data.

The rationale for vendors selling through the channel is further strengthened by the market trend away from capital expenditure towards utility based models. Here, Express Data acts as an aggregator for the reseller channel, and provides billing, administration and collection services across multiple software and service providers.

invested in opportunityGlobal business is not for the faint-hearted. Every opportunity comes with risk. But with a clear vision of the future, solid market knowledge as a launching platform, trust in your skills and expertise, and a firm grip on your strategic partnerships, it’s a calculated risk. With these safeguards in place, Dimension Data has positioned itself within the strongest updrafts of opportunity, rising towards ever-greater success in our clients’ and our businesses.

One such opportunity is cloud computing, and this year we’ve significantly strengthened our position. Following the launch of our Cloud Solutions Business Unit in 2011, we introduced a comprehensive portfolio of cloud solutions and services. This means we now offer clients fully managed cloud solutions across private, public and hybrid cloud options, and support them through the various stages of their journey to cloud. Following the acquisition of OpSource in June 2011 and the buy-out of the remaining shares of BlueFire in December 2011, we also re-branded both of these organisations to Dimension Data in October 2012. The alignment of these brands has further strengthened our brand equity in the cloud market.

It’s bold moves such as these that we believe have contributed to exceptional results in the cloud domain: Gartner positioned us in the Leaders quadrant of the 2012 Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service1. For us, this is the crowning glory of an epic journey we’ve travelled in establishing and operationalising our cloud business over the past year.

1 Gartner, “Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure as a Service” by Lydia Leong, Doug Toombs, Gregor Petri, Tiny Haynes, and Bob Gill. 18 October 2012.

Another opportunity in which we’ve invested is telecom expense management (TEM) to create a rounded managed communication service. To achieve this, we acquired Xigo, a cloud-based TEM service provider, in February. TEM helps our clients understand and manage their total telecommunication costs. Since the Xigo acquisition, our focus has been to introduce Xigo’s services to our clients across the Americas region, and to our global client base in the near term, with a measured expansion to additional countries thereafter. TEM is also the key enabler for Dimension Data to become a managed communication services provider, while Xigo’s suite of solutions and services offers strategic differentiation across many of our Lines of Business.

For Dimension Data, success is no reckless flight of fancy. With carefully considered, strategic investments in market opportunities, we create ideal conditions in which to help our clients soar to new heights.

chairman’s letterJeremy Ord | Executive Chairman


PerformanceEven in the context of a global recession, the economic meltdown in Europe during 2012 has been particularly severe. Notwithstanding that fact, our European operations have had an incredible year. They’ve grown revenues, margin and bottom line, and have taken market share at the expense of other players. It’s very gratifying that Dimension Data Europe is increasingly seen as a leading player in the ICT industry and many of the major telecommunication operators and large multinational businesses are using the services of our Group.

Asia had a solid year and we see good opportunities in the environment as we make further inroads into large multinational corporations, operators and ever expanding local companies.

Australia has been characterised by continuing good performance from the Network Integration business, with both new outsourcing contracts and steady renewals throughout the period. Conversely, Express Data, our distribution business, has had a tough year, due to a decline in product sales.

I believe that when it comes to assessing the mettle of a company, it’s not the easy times that define us, but rather how we perform under pressure. I feel that the Group’s progress, tenacity and innovation in one of the toughest economic periods of the past century, are testament to the quality and character of Dimension Data.

Charmain’s Letter 13

The economic slow-down has been severe in South Africa and across the continent. Equally, government and parastatal spend has diminished significantly. On a more positive note, our IT Outsourcing business performed exceptionally well, with several large long-term contracts signed. We expect the Group to start reaping the benefits of these wins in the next financial year.

Although the Americas had a difficult period, we have completed significant restructuring within the business which should deliver real progress within the region during the next financial year.

OpportunityOne of the milestones of the 2012 financial year was the Group’s acquisition of OpSource to augment our own existing cloud offerings and the formation of a dedicated Cloud Solutions Business Unit to spearhead new cloud initiatives on a global basis for our clients. The past twelve months have seen aggressive consolidation; we’ve focused primarily on rolling out Managed Cloud Platforms around the globe and building up the business in terms of marketing, personnel and technical skills.

The Group achieved a tremendous honour at the close of this financial year when we were positioned in the Leaders quadrant of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service2. Given the infancy of our Cloud Solutions Business Unit, we consider this level of recognition is nothing short of outstanding. Not only do we consider this a testament of our strategy, investments, and the progress we’ve made on our journey to accelerate our cloud business, we feel it demonstrates that when Dimension Data employees set their minds to reaching a goal − anything is possible.

Suffice to say, we’re incredibly excited about the market opportunities and where we are vis-à-vis our competition.

2 Gartner “Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service” by Lydia Leong, Lydia Leong, Douglas Toombs, Bob Gill, Gregor Petri, and Tiny Haynes. 18 October 2012.


TransformationDimension Data is a proudly South African company that has remained headquartered in South Africa, while building a dominant global business and leadership position in the worldwide ICT industry. We believe that transformation isn’t a point-in-time transaction, but an ongoing strategic journey. As an organisation that looks to differentiate through the quality of its people, we believe that accelerating transformation in the economy and investing in the development of the South African workforce are key enablers of success for both our business and our country.

On 1 September 2004, I was immensely proud to address a gathering of Dimension Data employees with Andile Ngcaba and Allan Cawood, and announce that Andile would join Dimension Data South Africa – now Dimension Data Middle East & Africa (MEA) – in an executive capacity. In addition, Andile would lead a BEE Consortium that would acquire 25.01% of Dimension Data South Africa. At the time, not only was Dimension Data the first company in South Africa to participate in a deal of this kind, we also became the largest empowered IT organisation in South Africa.

In September 2012, this seven-year transformation transaction concluded, and we released details of the ZAR 1.26 billion (USD 151 million) payout. Within Dimension Data, transformation has opened up a multitude of opportunities during the period, with revenues in the public sector and across the rest of Africa growing over 750% and 110% respectively. Employees have not only benefitted financially from the Employee Empowerment Trust which touched 2,177 employees, but also through extensive training and career development opportunities.

I’m delighted that Andile, through Convergence Partners – our largest shareholder – has re-invested his full stake back into the business and that we will retain his valuable leadership as Chairman of Dimension Data MEA. My sincere thanks to Andile for his help in both concluding the deal and his continued commitment to the business. The broad-based groups – up to 35 from the initial nine in 2004 – which reach over 45,000 individuals through their support and care, have also elected to remain invested and, together, we will continue to help them improve the lives of needy members of our communities.

Charmain’s Letter 15

RelationshipsDimension Data has always been a business founded on enduring relationships and there are many relationships − some older and others more recent − that I feel warrant particular mention.

Firstly, our commitment to our relationship with the NTT Group is as solid as ever, and we continue to grow the business and harness market opportunity together. I’d like to congratulate Miura-san on his appointment as Chairman, Unoura-san on his appointment as President and CEO, and Okuno-san on his appointment as main Board Director of NTT.

In May 2012, Allan Cawood stepped down as CEO of Dimension Data MEA after serving the company since 2001. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him for his leadership in driving the development and success of the Group’s MEA business. He remains a good friend to all at Dimension Data, and we wish him all the best in his pursuit of other personal and professional interests. In line with the Group’s long-standing commitment to promote from within, Derek Wilcocks moved into the CEO position from being Managing Director of Internet Solutions, while Saki Missaikos, previously Sales Director for Dimension Data MEA, took up the reins from Derek. Both Derek and Saki have been with the Group since 1995; the fact that we’re able to retain such expertise and experience in the business is immensely gratifying for me personally and invaluable for the Group as a whole.

In what I hope will form the springboard for many future long-term relationships such as these, I’m very excited to announce the launch of Dimension Data’s first formal graduate programme in January 2013. We will be taking hand-picked young graduates through a two-year programme, where they’ll be exposed to a vast amount of knowledge across many different divisions of the business. This programme is being piloted in South Africa and we plan to roll this initiative out to the other regions in the coming year.

ThanksThe current market affords both challenges and tremendous opportunities, and I’m confident that we are ideally placed to rise to the former and harness the latter. The management team has recently outlined the Group’s strategy for the next five years, and we’re very excited about continuing to grow Dimension Data in line with our internal management goals – backed by the full support of the NTT Group.

In the year under review, the Board remained unchanged and I’d like to express my appreciation for each member’s continued commitment and contribution to the Group.

I’d also like to thank each and every employee for their commitment and dedication to Dimension Data, and our clients in what continue to be challenging trading conditions. Our strategy to stay close to our clients’ needs and provide solutions and services that accelerate their business ambitions is more relevant now than ever.

To our partners and clients, thank you for your ongoing support; the fact that we’ve been able to deliver a solid financial performance is no small way due to your loyalty. We look forward to continuing to collaborate and innovate with you to harness technology that drives business – yours and ours – forward.

invested in executionPrecision. Speed. Agility. Simplicity. These are the hallmarks of every well-executed action. At Dimension Data, we strive towards these standards in everything we do. In fact, we’ve made streamlined execution an organisation-wide strategic imperative, called ‘Simplify to Accelerate’.

As always, our clients form the gravitational centre around which our strategy revolves. The simplification of our global processes and applications helps remove costly complexity, and increases our speed and agility to respond to market needs, improving our clients’ experience. By standardising our architecture to create a common platform, we deliver consistent global services and enable an improved operations and execution environment for our people to exceed client expectations. We’re also leveraging centres of excellence within our organisation to automate both commoditised and highly skilled services, in order to keep offering our clients competitive rates. However, our multinational and IT outsourcing clients, in particular, have sophisticated and bespoke needs, so we need to balance simplification, standardisation and automation with a degree of flexibility to meet client-specific requirements.

In the last year, we’ve come a long way in making these operational principles a reality. Through our global systems and data structures we’ve centralised information and processes for our clients. Our Central Delivery Model now includes cloud infrastructure-as-a-service offerings, and we’re planning to integrate service management systems with Xigo, following our recent acquisition. Our Centre of Excellence Model, which also supports global delivery, now delivers our Managed Secure Infrastructure Service, while our Client-specific Delivery Model provides tailor-made capabilities for large clients, leveraging common service elements from our shared systems, processes and organisation.

Our service delivery platform, the Global Services Operating Architecture, has also been improved further. The aim was to streamline our global delivery; integrate the capabilities of our acquisitions efficiently, and on a global scale; create an integrated service desk for joint services with NTT Communications; and enhance our e-commerce platform, Dimension Data Direct, for Uptime multi-vendor services quoting.

Overall, our efforts have paid off. Today, our services strategy is recognised by analysts, clients and the broader market alike as being both sure-footed and well-balanced.

Brett Dawson | CEO

chief executive officer’s review


The Group posted a solid financial performance over the past financial year, growing revenues by 6.1% to USD 5.84 billion, up from USD 5.79 billion in 2011. While there were many financial successes to celebrate across the world, overall, our operating profit was down 5.1%. This decline may be attributed to a handful of underperforming businesses as well as our aggressive investment strategy over the period. Our strategic progress during the period, however, was exceptional.

The Systems Integration business was the powerhouse of growth in the Group, with year-on-year operating profit growth of 12%. Managed services saw strong revenue growth and our managed services annual contract value increased by 14.2%. By region, Europe delivered excellent results, growing its operating profit by 6.4% despite difficult economic conditions and Asia achieved solid double digit growth. Profit improved in the Americas, driven by good growth in Canada, Chile and Mexico, although Middle East & Africa and Australia experienced tough trading conditions. Within our Lines of Business, Network Integration, Microsoft Solutions, Security Solutions, and Converged Communications all saw growth in FY12. Our Data Centre Solutions business, in particular, recorded a phenomenal growth of 17.9%.

Internet Solutions performed strongly, growing its revenue by 7.9% and operating profit by 7.1%. Merchants and Dimension Data Learning Solutions delivered particularly strong results, growing their operating profits by 10.8% and 16.9% respectively. We doubled our cloud revenues and increased our client base for cloud services to over 2,000. Express Data had a tough H1, but the implementation of a focused turnaround plan saw it finish the year strongly. Plessey also had a difficult year, and is currently executing a turnaround plan.

Chief Executive Officer’s Review 19

Invested in opportunityAgainst a backdrop of constrained IT budgets and a client need to get ever more value from technology investments, the ICT market is evolving at an unprecedented rate. IT-as-a-service (ITaaS), cloud computing, mobility, social media, big data, a proliferation of applications and the ‘consumerisation of IT’ are just some of the dominant market trends.

In particular, organisations – under pressure to decrease costs, improve operational efficiencies and be more competitive – are increasingly attracted by innovative consumption models like ITaaS and cloud computing and the sharper competitive edge promised by enterprise mobility.

FY12 has been a year characterised by investment, positioning and preparation, with Dimension Data making a number of strategic moves to build the foundation we need to maintain our leadership position in the IT services market. Looking ahead, I believe we’re at the dawn of a major market transition and I’m confident that we’re exactly where we need to be to really accelerate both our clients’ and our own business ambitions.

Harnessing new marketsOne of the most pivotal investments of the period was the establishment of our Cloud Solutions Business Unit to drive our cloud strategy. We rolled out five Managed Cloud Platforms (MCPs) across the globe, and launched our Compute-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering, providing clients with public, private, or hybrid cloud options, as well as our OneCloud Partner Programme which accelerates the time-to-market for cloud services offered by partners.

In October, we rebranded our key cloud assets, OpSource and BlueFire, to Dimension Data. This alignment allows clients to engage with one partner for all their requirements, not just in cloud, but across the full breadth of our solutions and services. We also launched Dimension Data’s Cloud Services for Microsoft – which comprise Cloud Services for Exchange, Cloud Services for SharePoint and Cloud Services for Lync – in the Middle East & Africa. We will be rolling these services out to the rest of the world during FY13.

Capitalising on the increasing demand for new commercial models in the contact centre, Merchants deployed its contact-centre-as-a-service platform, which is enjoying excellent traction in the market.


Managed communications servicesManaged communications and telecom expense management (TEM) are more relevant than ever to clients looking to drive down telecommunication costs, and simplify complex communication environments and operations. Our investment during FY12 in Xigo, a world-class TEM business, and the development of strong enterprise mobility execution capability, has accelerated Dimension Data’s ability to offer innovative solutions that address the entire spectrum of our clients’ managed communications service needs.

Within the African communications market, we’re excited about Internet Solutions’ current growth and future opportunities. Its ability to run a complete communications service for clients is increasingly relevant in the current market, as IT and communications continue to converge.

Invested in our foundations Our six Lines of Business provide the strong foundation on which we create solutions and services that address the market trends impacting our clients today. Ensuring that we remain world leaders in our existing core business is fundamental to securing future growth, and continues to be the focus of significant investment.

We believe that the network is the platform for all forms of IT and communication, both established and emerging, as well as for the mission-critical business processes on which enterprises rely. In FY12, we invested significantly in the next generation of our Technology Lifecycle Management Assessment to move client conversations, and value, from simple end-of-life discussions to architectural and sustainability conversations that look at current and future needs.

Data Centre Solutions was our fastest-growing Line of Business, driven by solid client demand for server consolidation and virtualisation solutions as they move towards the cloud. We also enjoyed good traction within our Converged Communications business, particularly as clients look to use visual communications to improve collaboration and productivity, while driving down their travel costs and carbon footprint.

Security continues to be top of mind for CIOs and CSOs the world over, particularly as enterprise mobility and cloud computing redefine traditional security models. To help clients harness the potential of mobility, we engage with them on a consultative basis to ensure we understand their requirements and implement the right policy, process and technology.

Similarly, we’ve developed an assessment-led approach to determining the needs of clients moving their operations to the cloud, implementing best practice cloud security and managing security on our clients’ behalf.


A services businessHowever our clients choose to consume technology, they will always require local execution – and that’s a key differentiator for Dimension Data. Our global scale, footprint and reach are the result of decades of investment and commitment. Our ability to offer our clients a complete suite of global services, from consulting services, procurement services, professional services, support services, IT outsourcing (ITO) and now managed ICT services, is unmatched in the marketplace. I believe that our positioning during the period in the Leaders quadrant in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Communications, Outsourcing and Professional Services 20113 is testament to our focus on being an end-to-end ICT partner of choice for our clients.

We continue to make important progress in growing our core capabilities, with the fundamental objective of improving the client experience and delivering more client value. We have further differentiated our support services through enhancements to Uptime – a proactive, multi-vendor service that has no equal and will keep us winning in the IT support market.

Our annual ITO contract value has grown 15% during the period, as our focus on professionalising and standardising our ITO offering pays dividends. ITO is more relevant than ever to both Dimension Data and our clients. For our clients, it alleviates pressures around cost and risk and improves agility; for us, it provides an opportunity to build client relationships that last and positions us as a trusted partner.

Within our call centre business, business process outsourcing grew significantly as clients look to leverage commercially attractive contact centre and back office outsourcing solutions that deliver efficient and effective customer experiences.

Simplifying to accelerateIn the current market particularly, our clients are looking to us for globally standard services. They want the same service elements, delivered in the same way, with one price book – wherever they are in the world. What’s more, they expect us to continue to innovate with a consistently high quality but at a lower cost.

Because of this, we’ve made substantial investments in making it as easy as possible for our clients to do business with us. We kicked off our ‘Simplify to Accelerate’ programme, which aims to simplify, streamline and standardise our processes and systems. In this way, we can improve our clients’ experience, accelerate our execution, bring new services to market more quickly and be even more cost competitive.

The first phase of this programme focuses on simplifying and aligning our business processes across the world. By streamlining the way we work, we aim to provide an end-to-end approach for the client, no matter where it’s located. We want to operate globally and consistently with clients, vendors as well as internally, removing any resource inefficiencies or duplication of efforts that we currently find in our business. However, this journey is not just about aligning our systems and our processes; it’s about enabling our people to support clients in the most effective and efficient way possible, exceeding expectations every step of the way. I believe that’s the only way to stay on top.


3 Gartner “Magic Quadrant for Communications Outsourcing and Professional Services” by Eric Goodness and Christine Tenneson. 15 December 2011.

The heart of it The heart of growth in the Group remains the quality, skill and commitment of our 20,411 people. In a market as fast moving and competitive as this, it’s only through our people that we’re able to recognise and respond so quickly to clients’ needs and deliver the level of execution and service of which we’re so proud. I believe the calibre of our people has never been higher; we have 11,553 industry certifications and unrivalled technical expertise and domain knowledge.

We work hard to create an environment in which our employees feel motivated to give their very best and are recognised and rewarded for their efforts. During the year, we received a number of employer awards, including Best Employer’s Accreditation in the Middle East & Africa (including Merchants) and Top Employer’s Accreditation in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. In the Americas, we won the Helios HR Apollo Award for promoting a culture of learning and development. In Singapore, we were a finalist in two HRM Award categories: Best Use of Technology, Best Environmental Practices. Express Data won the Aon Hewitt Best Employers Award in Australia.

Dimension Data’s systems, people and processes are also subject to annual audits to secure various levels of vendor certification. Our sustained success with respect to these certifications is further testament to the quality of our service. During the period we achieved over 30 vendor awards, including Fortinet’s Global Partner of the Year, Microsoft’s Enterprise Partner of the Year, Cisco’s Architecture Partner of the Year, and Microsoft’s Private Cloud Partner of the Year.

OutlookAlthough the global macro-economic outlook is uncertain and we expect conditions in the IT market to remain tough, we’re confident that we’ll continue to achieve revenue growth. I believe this market affords its own set of exciting dynamics and that we’re optimally placed to capitalise on them.

In FY13, our focus will remain on executing with excellence while ensuring we remain closer than ever to our clients’ needs and support them as they look to innovate, hone their competitive edge and drive down costs. We’ll continue to differentiate through the quality of our service and our client-centricity, leveraging our unrivalled execution capabilities, our global footprint and the expertise of our people to expand our market share.

In the current market particularly, our financial strength and our backing by the NTT Group – the largest telco in the world in terms of revenue – is a further differentiator for the Group and sets us in enviable stead going forward. We continue on our aggressive investment strategy to both harness the opportunities in new markets, such as cloud computing, ITaaS and enterprise mobility, as well as maximise opportunities in our core business.

Finally, the formidable energy and enthusiasm of our people, the strength of our brand, our market leading positioning and the breadth of our offerings leave me in no doubt that Dimension Data is fully, wholeheartedly, invested in success.


invested in our clientsBusiness is not just a numbers game. It’s also about building relationships by understanding the hopes, dreams and ambitions of those you serve. That’s why Dimension Data thinks about its clients as having both commercial and human goals in which we’re invested. Our clients’ success is inextricably bound to ours.

But staying ahead of customer service demands is not easy in an increasingly mobile world. Facing this particular challenge was the Unversidad San Sebastián in Concepción, Chile. It’s geographically dispersed, with campuses in several locations, so maintaining connectivity is crucial. But the university also wanted to offer advanced, free technology services to its students, lecturers and administrative staff, including Internet access, e-mail, telephony and cloud storage.

Dimension Data helped the university deploy an ultra-modern Wi-Fi network swiftly and effectively, supporting a voice and data communications system across all its campuses. The technology enables significant cost-savings, allowing voice, data and / or video transmission over IP. Today, the university’s users can utilise their computers to make phone calls, or use their mobile phones as computers at any of its campuses.

Dispersed communities have also benefited from Dimension Data’s solutions. The Nama Khoi Municipality in South Africa’s Northern Cape province stretches across a vast 15,000km2 with a population of only 64,000 people divided into tiny, poor communities. The town of Springbok serves as the commercial and administrative centre. Eager to improve its service delivery capabilities, the municipality needed to upgrade its back-end servers and applications, which would place additional pressure on its already unreliable connectivity. A traditional telecom solution was out of the question as this type of infrastructure was notoriously poor in these areas.

Dimension Data took great pride in helping the determined municipality overcome the constraints of delivering a better service to the vulnerable communities under its wing. We developed and implemented a platform to meet immediate internal

network requirements cost-effectively, with the ability to scale for the future. Stable, reliable connectivity is delivered by a robust wireless broadband solution, able to withstand the extreme weather conditions of the region. The municipality can now also provide voice and data connectivity to the community itself, paving the way for social upliftment programmes that are connectivity-dependent.

We’ve invested not only our time and expertise in many similar clients over the last year, but also our hearts and minds. It gives us great peace of mind, for example, to know that patients in the 69 hospitals and clinics run by Ramsay Healthcare in Australia are receiving better care thanks to the medical staff’s faster, more reliable access to critical information. That’s thanks to our newly deployed storage area network, backup and recovery solution. At Dimension Data, providing ICT solutions and services is what we do. Relationships are what we are about.

chief financial officer’s reviewDavid Sheriffs | CFO


• Grouprevenueup6.1%• Groupoperatingprofit190.2 million• GroupoperatingprofitbeforeExcludedItems259.7 million, down 5.1%• SystemsIntegrationrevenueup5.1%

(product 4.5%, managed services 8.0%)• SystemsIntegrationoperatingprofit225.8 million up 12.0%

(operating margin 5.0%)• FormationoftheCloud Solutions Business Unit• WeakperformancesfromExpressDataandPlessey• ConclusionofBroad-BasedBlackEconomicEmpowermenttransaction

in South Africa

Chief Financial Officer’s Review 27

Financial summary2012 2011

Revenue 5,842,558 5,791,549

Operating profit 190,169 208,540

Operating profit (before Excluded Items) 259,662 288,366

Operating margin (before Excluded Items) 4.4% 5.0%

Earnings per ordinary share (US cents) (before Excluded Items) 9.9 12.1

Earnings per ordinary share (US cents) 7.1 9.0

Notes:(1) Before Excluded Items. Please refer to the notes to the condensed financial statements.(2) Before eliminating intercompany revenue and adjusted for the impact of currency movements.


Review of FY12 Results

Operating profit before Excluded Items (see below) was 259.7 million, down 5.1% on FY11, while operating margin before Excluded Items was 4.4% (FY11 5.0%). After Excluded Items, operating profit was 190.2 million, and operating margin 3.3%.

The share of results from associates for the year was 8.0 million (2011:7.4 million). Britehouse was the most significant contributor, although it recorded a relatively weak performance for the year. Nihilent results were equity accounted for the first time.

Interest income was 5.6 million for the year (FY11: 7.7 million), impacted by the reduction in cash holdings in India following our investment in six data centres.

Finance costs were 38.7 million (FY11 36.1 million), of which 21.4 million related to the Campus loan. Other finance costs related to:• Bankloans;• Hedgingcostsonintercompanyloans;• Financecostsembeddedinforward;

exchange contracts; and • Loansfromvendors.

The revaluation of the investment property portion of the Campus resulted in a gain of 4.8 million. Other gains and losses amounted to a net loss of 6.6 million, of which the most significant were the impairment of goodwill in Brazil, Nigeria and Plessey (8.4 million loss) and the release of foreign currency translation reserves (2.3 million gain).

The effective tax rate before excluded items was 27.6% (FY11: 22.6%), where the Group benefited from the prescription of certain tax exposures during the period. The statutory effective tax rate was 28.0%.

EPS was 7.1 cents compared to 9.0 cents in the prior year. The reduction was exaggerated by the stronger average US dollar against the Group’s major trading currencies for the period.

In this review, growth rates are, unless otherwise indicated, (1) in relation to FY11 (2) calculated after eliminating intercompany revenue (3) constant currency i.e. adjusted for the impact of currency movements (4) before the impact of Excluded Items. Numbers, unless otherwise indicated, are in USD’000.

Revenue for the year was up 6.1% (2.6% excluding acquisitions) to 5.84 billion. Across the Group portfolio, the Systems Integration business (the Dimension Data brand), Internet Solutions and Merchants grew by 5.1%, 7.9% and 17.7% respectively, while Express Data and Plessey’s revenues were down by 13.5% (excluding acquisitions) and 12.1% respectively.

By revenue stream, product revenues were up by 6.5%, managed services were up 9.4% and professional services were down 2.2%.

Gross margin was 21.7%, 0.1% lower than FY11. This reflected a combination of better product margins, offset by weaker managed services and professional services margins.


Balance sheet and cash flowExcluded itemsGroup management is incentivised on trading results before certain Excluded Items, some of which are expenses resulting from the Group’s acquisition by NTT. These items are summarised below. • 49.7millionemployeeincentivepayments• 16.2millionamortisationofintangible

assets • 3.6millionother

Accordingly, the Group’s results are explained both before and after such Excluded Items.

AcquisitionsThe Group acquired Xigo during the year for 39.9 million and concluded the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment transaction for a consideration of 52.4 million.

Net working capital increased by 128 million for the year, with the biggest contributor being a three day increase in the Group’s days sales outstanding (DSOs) for billed and unbilled receivables from 55 days to 58 days. In particular, • DSOsinEmergingAfricaandMiddleEast

remained high at 117 days and 114 days respectively. Collections remain very slow in Morocco and Dubai in particular.

• Plessey’sDSOsremainedhighat145.Significant delays persist with certain key clients, although this situation should improve once the NLD contract is concluded.

• DSOsinSouthAfricaandEuropewerehigher than expected but this is mainly attributable to some one-off conditions at year end.

Group cash, net of overdrafts, was 357 million at 30 September 2012 (FY11: 487 million). Major cash flow items included an increase in working capital of 128 million, capex of 160 million, acquisitions and changes in minority interests of 87 million, employee incentive payments of 113 million and a dividend payment of 34 million.

Net debt (i.e. interest bearing liabilities less cash) was 94 million at the year end. Total interest bearing liabilities at year end were 495 million, including the Campus loan of 119 million, loans from NTT Finance of 225 million, bank loans of 74 million and vendor loans of 15 million.

Capex was 160 million compared to last year’s 200 million. The Systems Integration business spent 63 million, the Cloud Solutions Business Unit spent 28 million and Internet Solutions spent 55 million.

Review of FY12 trading

Trading results

Systems Integration Cloud

Internet Solutions

Express Data Other Property Group Total

Revenue 4,478.9 56.1 348.0 682.4 277.2 - - 5,842.6

Growth 5.1% 51.1% 7.9% 15.9% (5.4%) - - 6.1%

Operating Profit 225.8 (15.9) 47.7 16.6 2.8 16.7 (34.0) 259.7

Growth 12.0% - 7.1% (24.9%) (84.6%) 4.7% (19.0%) (5.1%)


Systems Integration (SI)The SI business had a successful year, recording revenue and operating profit growth despite difficult global trading conditions. Revenue for the year grew by 5.1% to 4.48 billion. By region, Asia, Americas and Europe recorded solid growth of 9.8%, 6.5% and 7.1% respectively. MEA was flat while Australia declined by 1.7%.

Gross margin for the year was 22.3%, up 0.7%, mainly as a result of stronger product margins (up 1.6%). Services margins were down 1.2%. Professional services margins were down as a result of lower volumes and some project write-offs (particularly in Australia), while managed services margins remain a concern as orginal equipment manufacturers increased their service costs and promoted their own offerings, especially into large global accounts.

Overheads for the year were up by 6.5%, and operating profit increased by 12.0% to 225.8 million.

Revenue streams

Product revenues grew by 4.5%. Australian volumes were under pressure throughout the year, while Asia, Americas and Europe all reported growth (10.4%, 9.5% and 3.3% respectively). Product margins were significantly improved on the prior year, helped in particular by an improved vendor rebate agreement.

Managed services revenues grew by 8.0% to 1.26 billion, and managed services annual contract value grew to 1.27 billion. IT outsourcing (ITO) was the fastest growing segment of managed services, with revenues for the year of 226 million. However, competition, and margin erosion, in the Group’s core support service business continues to represent risk. In response, we concluded a number of enhancements to our branded Uptime offering. We also embarked on an extensive training programme for the regional sales teams. Our multivendor service programme, ongoing investment in ITO and cloud services are all critical to future managed services growth. At an operational level, standardising and industrialising our service delivery models, process and systems remained a priority.

Professional services grew by 2.1%. In South Africa and in Australia, performance was soft where declines in product sales – particularly in networking and converged communications – led to fewer installations and projects for the year. Weak performances in Nigeria and Brazil were also a factor.

Lines of Business

Network Integration grew by 4.4%, supported by solid managed services revenues. While overall product growth was soft, wireless, performance optimisation and data centre switching performed well. Growth was derived mainly from the multinational and high-end enterprise segments.

Microsoft Solutions grew by 7.0%, supported by software licensing and managed services, where we saw traction in ITO – where we support the business productivity products (Microsoft® Exchange, Microsoft® Lync, Microsoft® Sharepoint) as well as the Microsoft infrastructure products. We launched our Cloud Services for Microsoft offering during the period.

Security Solutions grew by 15.0%, with good results from both product and managed services. The Group’s broad managed services offering, combined with our multi-vendor support capabilities, positioned us well to meet the needs of organisations looking to consolidate a complex array of security vendor technologies and relationships.

Converged Communications was up 7.6%. Managed services in particular benefited from the industrialisation and launchofourManagedServiceforVisualCommunications offering. During the year, we also acquired Xigo, a telecom expense management business.

Data Centre Solutions grew by 17.9%, with growth in product and managed services driven by solid demand for server consolidation and virtualisation solutions. Cisco’s UCS product set performed well. The business was also assisted by the launch of our Compute-as-a-Service cloud offering, which enhances our value proposition in the data centre.

Customer Interactive Solutions declined by 1.0%, as a result of lower product volumes. In response, we launched our global contact centre business, which will focus on meeting the demand for new consumption models and capitalising on the trend to outsourcing.


Americas Asia

• 6.5%revenuegrowthintheUSdespitesluggisheconomicconditions and a competitive market

• Goodcollaborationandsell-throughopportunitieswithNTT

• StrongperformancesfromCanada,MexicoandChile

• SubstantiallossesinBrazil,althoughsignsofoperationalstabilityand growth towards the end of the period

• Revenuegrowth9.8%;buoyantregionalconditions (GDP growth 6.1%)

• Operatingprofitgrowth10.8%

• MarketsharegainsinIndia,Thailand,Philippines,Vietnam.Asia-Pacific market share gains with Cisco

• LossesincurredonestablishmentofBSNLdatacentresinIndia

Revenue

USD 772.5mNumber of employees

1,061Operating countriesBrazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico and United States

Revenue

USD 1,088.1mNumber of employees

2,145Operating countriesChina, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand andVietnam

Growth 2012 2011

Revenue 6.5% 772,477 734,187

Product 9.5% 567,614 524,740

Services (0.9%) 204,863 209,447

Gross margin 18.2% 17.7%


Operating margin 1.2% 0.3%

Growth 2012 2011

Revenue 9.8% 1,088,081 1,036,004

Product 10.4% 678,051 654,335

Services 8.8% 410,030 381,669




Our Systems Integration revenue spread across geography


Middle East & Africa

• DifficulttradingconditionsinSouthAfrica,withconstrainedspending in the Public Sector

• ExcellentITOwins,particularlyinFinancialServicessector

• SubstantiallossesinNigeria,althoughresolutiontoshareholderconflict subsequent to year end

• ConclusionofBroad-BasedBlackEconomicEmpowermenttransaction during the year

Revenue


3,325Operating countriesAlgeria, Angola, Botswana, Congo, DRC, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirates and Zambia

Australia

• Constrainedmacroeconomicconditionsandintensecompetition

• Infrastructure-as-a-serviceandcloudcomputinghighontheagenda of our client base

• Revenuedeclinedby1.7%,withweakproductandprofessionalservices volumes

• Professionalservicesprojectwrite-offs,technologyrelated

• GoodmarginsongrowingITOcontractbase

• Goodpipelineandearlywinsincloudsolutions

Revenue


1,461Operating countriesAustralia and New Zealand

Growth 2012 2011

Revenue (1.7%) 807,609 853,346

Product (3.7%) 444,708 464,305

Services 1.0% 362,901 389,041




Growth 2012 2011

Revenue (0.2%) 654,077 737,525

Product (1.5%) 279,625 313,746

Services 0.8% 374,452 423,779




* New Zealand’s revenue is included in the Asia Pacific regional analysis


Europe

• Revenueandoperatingprofitgrowthdespiteeconomicuncertainty

• Cloudsourcingmodelbecomingarealityinourclientbase

• ManagedserviceschurnintheUKoffsetbygoodwinsinBelgium and Germany

• Goodgrowthinprofessionalservices,despitemarginpressuresfrom some project losses

• Ongoinginvestmentinmanagedservicesandprofessionalservices delivery methodology

Revenue

USD 1,146.4mNumber of employees

2,175Operating countriesBelgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and United Kingdom

Growth 2012 2011

Revenue 7.1% 1,146,410 1,136,212

Product 3.3% 671,054 690,710

Services 13.1% 475,356 445,502





Central• Xigorecordedasofterthananticipated

performance, partly due to the loss of a key client. However, some good wins were delivered during the period which led to an improved annual contract value

• Delaysinregionalsalesadoptionledtoa disappointing performance from the central visual communications business

• AnimprovedGrouprebateprogrammeled to a significant increase in rebates received

• TheSIbusinesscontinuedtoinvestin central delivery capability. Most notable was the ongoing investment in the Group’s ‘Simplify to Accelerate’ programme, which involves the cross-regional standardisation of ERP and other operating systems

CloudFY12 saw the establishment of the Cloud Solutions Business Unit (CBU), including the integration of the BlueFire and OpSource operations. The CBU launched and operationalised several products, including Compute-as-a-Service (CaaS) incorporating public, private, hosted private and hybrid CaaS offerings. Our OneCloud partner programme was launched in July and after year end we launched Cloud Services for Microsoft in South Africa. Furthermore, at the end of the year Dimension Data was positioned as a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service4.

From a trading perspective, the pipeline of opportunities in the CBU continues to grow. The CBU incurred start-up costs of 9.0 million for the year.

OpSource grew revenues to 34.5 million, with the key driver being cloud hosting – up by 172% to 9.2 million. Managed hosting revenue stayed flat, after some client downgrades / departures and relatively weak bookings in the prior year. Gross margin improved to 31.4% for the year (16.8% FY11), reflecting the leverage potential in the cloud business. The operating loss for the period was 1.8 million (1.6 million FY11).

BlueFire’s revenues were 32.9% down to 21.4 million, reflecting a drop in upfront enablement fees. This in turn impacted gross margins (9.7%) and led to an operating loss of 5.1 million for the year. As a result, the business was restructured, with a corresponding reduction in headcount.

Internet SolutionsInternet Solutions revenues were up 7.9%. In South Africa, the Carrier line of business was up 29%, driven mostly by the Internet Solutions fibre product set. Communications was up 19%, with the support of the VoISrevenuestream.Cloudrevenueswere up only 7%, impacted by delays in commissioning the Randview data centre. Finally, Connectivity – the largest line of business – was up 2% as price alignments continue to be a feature of the access product market.

West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana) revenues were up 14%, as the benefits of a restructuring during the period started to take effect. Revenues in Kenya were up 96%.

Gross margin increased by 1.1% to 35.3%. An important contributor was the reduction of international and national bandwidth costs in the Connectivity line of business. In Communications, we also benefited from the reduction in regulated interconnect call rates. The Cloud and Carrier lines of business saw margin declines on the back of investment in the Randview data centre and the Wiband product set.

Operating profit was 7.1% up on the prior year.

Capital expenditure was 55 million (FY11: 120 million), a return to more normal levels after the investments in international bandwidth in the prior year.

4 Gartner “Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service” by Lydia Leong, Lydia Leong, Douglas Toombs, Bob Gill, Gregor Petri, and Tiny Haynes. 18 October 2012.


Express DataExpress Data had a challenging FY12, with difficult economic conditions and a competitive market environment. Revenue was down 13.5% with a corresponding decline of 29.7% in operating profit. The conditions in H2 improved markedly compared to H1, with H2 revenues flat year-on-year. Margins continued to be a challenge, due to intense competition.

The Express Online business (which acquired Simms last year) faced a number of challenges, including the insolvency of its largest client, the appointment of a third Apple distributor and difficult trading conditions in the Australian market. Revenue for the financial year was 223.1 million.

Other

Merchants

Merchants delivered a year of growth, investing at the same time in the long term robustness of the business. The BPO business successfully renewed several key contracts, and secured some important new contracts. Headcount grew to 3,603 at year end (3,404 FY11).

The IT Managed Services division also had a strong year, deploying its Contact Centre-as-a-Service (CCaaS) platform to the market, following the successful roll-out across a number of Merchants operations.

Plessey

Plessey had a poor FY12; revenues were down by 12.1% and the business recorded an operating loss of 5.7 million. This followed sluggish activity in Plessey’s international operations, where mobile operators in Africa continued to hold back on infrastructure rollouts. In South Africa, Plessey experienced inefficiencies and delays in respect of certain fibre optic cable rollouts. In particular, it incurred severe losses on the NLD project, which is materially behind schedule and now expected to be complete in the first half of 2013.

Learning Solutions (DDLS)

DDLS grew its operating profit by 16.9%, and produced another year of solid profitability, evidence of its established position in the Australian ICT training market. The business was also able to renew a key training contract for a further three years.

Advanced Infrastructure (DDAI)

FY12 saw a disappointing result in which revenues declined by 34.0% to 27.6 million. This, together with continued margin pressures and unutilised services capacity led to a loss for the year (after redundancy costs) of 2.8 million.

Property

Net rental at the Campus building in Johannesburg grew by 4.7%. At year end, of the 81,000m2 of rentable space, the Group occupied approximately 50.2%, with third party tenants and common space accounting for 47.0% and vacancies for 2.8%. Property yields improved slightly during the year, and at year end the Campus was valued, using a yield of 9.1% (FY11: 9.2%), at 182 million.


Condensed consolidated income statement

2012 2011

$’000 $’000

Revenue 5,842,558 5,791,549

Cost of sales (4,574,809) (4,528,555)

Gross profit 1,267,749 1,262,994

Overheads (1,077,580) (1,054,454)


Share of results of associates 8,045 7,410

Interest and investment income 5,557 7,672

Finance costs (38,732) (36,076)

Property revaluation and other (losses) / gains (1,814) 14,402

Profit before tax 163,225 201,948

Tax (45,774) (39,930)

Profit for the year 117,451 162,018

Attributable to:

– Equity shareholders of the parent 125,758 157,844

– Minority interest (8,307) 4,174

117,451 162,018

Earnings per ordinary share: 7.1 US cents 9.0 US cents

As at 30 September 2012


Condensed consolidated balance sheet

2012 2011

$’000 $’000

Non-current assets

Property, plant and equipment 304,817 239,452

Investment property 92,642 92,876

Goodwill 450,774 457,917

Other intangible assets 174,705 141,885

Investments in associates 51,408 43,953

Other investments 2,211 1,786

Deferred tax assets 71,841 68,526

Trade and other receivables 113,991 76,241

1,262,389 1,122,636

Current assets

Inventories 235,055 226,930

Trade and other receivables 1,645,648 1,444,730

Cash and cash equivalents 362,455 491,802

2,243,158 2,163,462

Total assets 3,505,547 3,286,098

Equity

Equity attributable to equity shareholders of the parent 925,724 909,447

Minority interest 27,854 56,486

Total equity 953,578 965,933

Non-current liabilities

Bank loans 110,666 123,781

Shareholder and vendor loans 180,731 131,602

Other long term liabilities 98,652 101,747

Obligations under finance leases 2,155 2,536

Deferred tax liabilities 16,398 997

Provisions 7,690 7,740

416,292 368,403

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables 1,963,339 1,878,743

Bank loans 98,590 29,429

Shareholder and vendor loans 59,870 29,875

Bank overdrafts 5,516 5,222

Provisions 8,362 8,493

2,135,677 1,951,762

Total liabilities 2,551,969 2,320,165

Total equity and liabilities 3,505,547 3,286,098


Condensed consolidated cash flow

2012 2011

$’000 $’000

Cash flows from operating activities


Adjustments for:

– Depreciation and amortisation 105,039 80,518

– Movement in provisions 2,885 4,420

– Employee benefits costs 68,165 94,103

– Other non-cash items 23,208 (13,487)

Cash generated before movements in working capital 389,466 374,094

(Increase) / decrease in inventories (6,787) 56,551

Increase in trade and other receivables (215,266) (182,650)

Increase in trade and other payables 93,941 55,810

Cash generated from operations 261,354 303,805

Settlement of employee benefits schemes (112,892) (66,358)

Income taxes paid (42,343) (69,178)

Interest paid (47,184) (36,061)

Net cash from operating activities 58,935 132,208

Cash flows from investing activities

Interest received 5,557 7,672

Net investment in business interests and other investments (39,434) (142,957)

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment, net of proceeds on disposal (143,190) (104,676)

Acquisition of intangibles, net of proceeds on disposal (15,827) (94,623)

Deferred consideration paid (666) (1,238)

Net cash used in investing activities (193,560) (335,822)

Cash flows from financing activities

Proceeds on issue of new shares net of expenses - 29,942

Repayment of borrowings (66,250) (110,111)

New bank loans and finance leases raised 196,649 236,597

Dividends paid to ordinary shareholders (34,174) (32,483)

Changes in holdings of subsidiaries (46,895) (27,499)

Payments to non-controlling shareholders (36,822) (499)

Net cash from financing activities 12,508 95,947

Net movement in cash and cash equivalents (122,117) (107,667)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year 486,580 610,728

Exchange differences on cash and cash equivalents (7,524) (16,481)

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year 356,939 486,580

Cash and cash equivalents is made up as follows:

Cash and cash equivalents 362,455 491,802

Bank overdrafts (5,516) (5,222)

356,939 486,580



Notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements

2012 2011

$’000 $’000

Excluded operating costs

Employee incentive costs 49,662 72,501

Amortisation of acquired intangible assets 16,193 4,075

Compliance costs 3,035 3,250

Deferred consideration on acquisition of subsidiary 603 -

Total excluded operating costs 69,493 79,826

Tax on excluded items (18,459) (23,777)

Excluded items after tax 51,034 56,049

Minorities’ share (1,628) (996)

Net impact of excluded items 49,406 55,053

Reconciliation of reported amounts to adjusted amounts

Statutory operating profit 190,169 208,540

– Excluded operating costs 69,493 79,826

Adjusted operating profit 259,662 288,366

Statutory attributable profit after tax 125,758 157,844

– Excluded operating costs 69,493 79,826

– Tax on excluded items (18,459) (23,777)

– Minorities’ share (1,628) (996)

Adjusted attributable profit after tax 175,164 212,897



invested in our peoplePeople are the driving force behind any services business. With the right skills and expertise on board, a team’s chances of success are multiplied. That’s why attracting, developing, and retaining quality employees are key focus areas for Dimension Data.

For us, it’s about creating a continuous ‘pipeline’ of new talent and potential leadership. That’s why our Graduate Accelerate Programme focuses on selecting and rotating top graduates across the business, while our Emerging Talent Programme grows the talent of employees that show leadership potential early in their careers.

Our recruitment efforts involve our existing employees. We believe colleagues already part of the Dimension Data ‘family’ are much better positioned to recommend peers from their social groups who might be the right fit for our organisation. Over the last year, 23% of the 3,098 people we’ve recruited were internally referred.

An ongoing investment in skills development is the Dimension Data University (DDU). This blended-learning facility now offers nine different ‘faculties’ focusing on leadership, business and technical skills. We recognise that, in the new mobile workplace, the way people learn has changed, and we’ve introduced DDU Mobile, offering ‘learning on the go’ via smartphones and tablets.

As a services-driven organisation, our employees’ industry qualifications are a key differentiator. We’ve invested in keeping track of technical certifications via an up-to-date database that provides information on when certifications were acquired and how long they’ve been held. The database also issues notifications to stakeholders regarding when certifications need to be refreshed or upgraded.

Higher qualifications lead to new career opportunities in Dimension Data. Our integrated Dimension Data Job Framework defines all roles and their requirements across our operations. It categorises jobs into frameworks within each functional area. Employees rate their own competencies against job profiles, and map their careers by providing visibility of what’s required for current and future roles. The Framework is visible via an interactive portal, which allows employees to explore career opportunities. This component forms part of a larger career portal with tools and self-awareness exercises that help staff make wise career choices and populate their own personal development plans.

Ensuring that we’re able to retain our well-qualified resources is equally important to us. To this end, several initiatives provide our employees with a stimulating and rewarding work environment. We continue to drive our high performance culture through the implementation of robust performance management processes. In addition, our recognition programmes reward our people’s outstanding performance and their commitment to living our corporate values, with a particular focus on technical excellence. This, together with our focus on effective recruitment and skills development, has ensured that our team’s oars remain in the water to meet our own and our clients’ business objectives.

A key focus for Dimension Data during the last year was to simplify and streamline our sustainability strategy. In doing so, we considered the key areas that can be addressed by IT to make a positive impact on the environment, economy and society.

Dimension Data’s sustainability vision is to reduce travel, energy and waste for our business, our employees and our clients. By targeting these three areas, we aim to ensure the longevity of our own operations, add value to our employees’ personal and professional lives, and improve our clients’ businesses. We’re proud to report that we’ve had much success in FY 2012 in executing against this strategy.

Carbon reporting For a fifth consecutive year, Dimension Data voluntarily reported its greenhouse gas emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Though we’re no longer publicly listed and required to report to the CDP, we submit of our own accord, as we support the mission and aims of the programme. Our CDP score from 2011 was 75, much higher than the average IT sector score of 63.

We set a target to reduce our global air travel emissions by 10% per full-time employee by 2012, based on 2007 numbers. Thanks to the use of visual communications and collaboration tools we’ve been able to reduce this figure by 75%.

sustainability made simple

Ensuring the accuracy of our reporting is one of our primary concerns. As a result, we implemented a new Sustainability Management System to track our progress and engaged an external third-party to verify our data. As a first step, we undertook an audit of our carbon accounting business processes at our UK head office. This step helps us move towards full external verification of all our global greenhouse gas assertions, while at the same time demonstrating our transparency to our stakeholders and clients. The result of the audit exceeded expectations with a ‘reasonable assurance’ designation – the highest level granted.

CertificationsOur corporate headquarters in Johannesburg – The Campus – received ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system. This is a remarkable achievement for a facility of this size and complexity, and a testament to the hard work and passion of the team involved. Dimension Data Japan as well as our Melbourne offices in Australia, were also certified in this way. We now hold this certification in four of our five regions, covering 23% of our total office space.


Engaging employeesOur employees, also concerned about sustainability, have actively worked to reduce their impact on the environment throughout the year. Highlights included Sustainability Weeks in Australia and the UK, a Grow Your Own Dinner competition in Australia, a tree-planting ceremony for World Environment Day at our Middle East & Africa offices, and an Earth Hour competition in South Africa. Through a grant programme, we provided regions with the ability to fund initiatives to engage their employees. In Australia we sponsored an island, a project which allowed employees to help remove non-indigenous plant species while learning about environmental conservation.

In Indonesia, employees donated out-dated marketing collateral and stationery for recycling to a group of street artists who help children become economically independent through environment entrepreneurship workshops. In Thailand, employees planted 199 trees to bring attention to deforestation. In the Americas, all new employees participating in a Starting Blocks training programme helped renovate a park in Raleigh, North Carolina, and, in the UK, employees helped upgrade a footpath at a pond behind their head office.

Thought leadershipWe published three white papers on sustainability this year, one for each of our key focus areas.

The white paper, ‘Today’s Top Talent Demands Mobility and Sustainability’, delves deeper into the benefits of collaboration tools in helping companies reduce travel and attract and retain talent.

When building and managing a data centre, energy supply costs and security are a major concern. Our white paper, ‘Sustainable Data Centre: Tackling the Ever-rising Data Centre Energy Costs – Why Only Do Half the Job?’, offers a holistic view of the solutions available.

To further explore waste reduction we published a white paper entitled ‘Building Sustainability into Your Supply Chain Through e-Procurement’.

Sustainable solutionsDimension Data’s suite of sustainable solutions was launched in FY12 and brings innovative offerings, such as Managed ServicesforVisualCommunications,toourclients. Our sustainable solutions target the reduction of travel, energy and waste, to improve our clients’ businesses.

We also launched the global e-waste component of our Technology Lifecycle Management (TLM) Assessment, rounding out our lifecycle management tool. Rather than only thinking about e-waste at the point of disposal, adding e-waste removal capabilities to our TLM Assessment allows clients to catalogue their installed base and better plan for how to dispose of unused equipment. Our ‘four zeros’ approach aims for zero e-waste in landfill sites; zero exploitation, promoting safe and ethical employment; zero compromised data; and friendly, ethical, and secure e-waste removal at zero cost.

We’ve engaged with over 22 clients this year and even exclusively provided IT to the United Nations conference on climate change (COP17) in Durban, South Africa – sustainability successes of which we’re particularly proud.

Sustainability made Simple 43

One of a growing fleet of electric vehicles adopted by Dimension Data in Europe to reduce its carbon emissions.

Annual Business Review 2012

invested in communitiesA strong team is hard to challenge on its home turf. These young soccer enthusiasts from the Tshwarangano Primary School in the underprivileged Thokoza township, South Africa, would wholeheartedly agree. The same counts for Dimension Data. While our global reach expands, we make sure that our South African roots grow deeper. That’s why we remain committed to supporting the communities of our home country – both financially and practically – through ongoing social investment and transformation.

In 2004, when we embarked on our transformation journey, we created what was at the time, one of the first transformation strategies that focused on empowering grass-roots, community organisations based in rural and developing areas within all nine provinces. Through the Dimension Data Community Development Trust (previously called the Broad-Based Empowerment Trust), we have empowered 35 broad-based community groups that provide support and care to over 45,000 vulnerable individuals. These groups align with the government’s nationalprioritiesofhealth,HIV/AIDs,education, women and children, job creation, and rural development.

Advancing education has been another key focus area for Dimension Data. Some 27,500 learners have benefited from its e-learning programmes across 53 schools in seven provinces. Annually, Dimension Data’s Saturday School programme provides intensive support for 100 learners in reaching matric and preparing for higher education. Successes include a 100% matric pass rate, and 95% university entrance. In 2011, 50 of our learners notched up a total of 68 distinctions. The company’s University Bursary Programme funded 16 Saturday school learners to attend a university of their choice, complete an undergraduate degree, and have the potential to join Dimension Data after graduation.

Dimension Data also provided one-year internships for some 150 previously disadvantaged learners in a programme run annually in partnership with the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) and key vendors. More than 70% of these learners secured permanent employment with Dimension Data after their internship year.

At Dimension Data, we believe that you reap what you sow. By investing in our communities and driving education, innovation and entrepreneurship, we’re securing the most important sustainable advantage we have – our people.

Since 2004, Dimension Data’s contributions to the economic viability and strength of South Africa have been substantial. One of our greatest successes is the creation of some 3,500 new jobs for previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs). Dimension Data also founded an entrepreneurship programme, whereby entrepreneurs wishing to participate in the ICT industry are incubated over a 12-24 month period. This programme has 75% participation by PDIs and PDI women entrepreneurs. Over 57 entrepreneurs have already benefited from this programme including 12 Broad-Based Empowerment Trust beneficiaries who initiated start-up co-operatives including bakeries, sewing and other rural developmental business initiatives across all nine provinces.

The common goal of all corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes is to create the opportunity for businesses to help make the world – in some big or small way – a better place in which to live and work. It’s also the overall aim of Dimension Data’s CSR programme. We embrace the passion, empathy and initiative of our employees to help make a difference in their communities, from pre-school education to caring for the environment. As the name of our CSR programme suggests, our people are our Heads, Hearts and Hands. By enabling them to choose which causes and initiatives they’d like to support, we have our eyes open and our ears to the ground. This inclusive approach ensures that we touch not only the lives of community members who need it most, but also the hearts of our colleagues, by engaging with the organisations and causes closest to them.

corporate social responsibility


Judging by the difference we’ve been able to make across all regions in FY12, our people are an inexhaustible source of inspiration and goodwill for those around them. Asia-Pacific, for example, took part in around 30 locally inspired Heads, Hearts and Hands activities across 13 countries. Our continued partnership with World Visionhelpedsponsor156childrenacrossAsia and Africa. The Americas supported Habitat for Humanity with hands-on construction projects in Framingham, Charlotte and Atlanta. This region also collected and donated food, blankets, school supplies and toys to families in local communities, and raised over USD 70,000 for medical research through various sporting events. Australia’s annual ball in the Australian Capital Territory raised approximately AUD 30,000 (USD

30,700)forWorldVisionAustraliathisyear, while the national Jumpstart Festival for Starlight Children’s Foundation raised AUD 13,300 (USD 13,600) from the Sydney City to Surf fun run, involving over 100 employees. The highly successful Saturday School programme in the Middle East & Africa again stood out in delivering great results: a 100% pass rate, 68 distinctions in total and university exemptions for 95% of the students. Activities in Europe have been as diverse as the region itself, ranging from intense physical endurance to student mentoring, interview skills training and using our IT expertise to assist non-profit organisations. Individuals and groups participated in marathons, hosted car washes, bake-offs, blood drives, and supported independently run nursery and primary schools.

With our inclusive and eclectic approach to CSR in mind, we’d like to share with you a few inspirational accounts of particular initiatives that stood out in each of our regions and at Group Head Office in 2012. These programmes – by no means the only CSR initiatives in each region – have brought tears of appreciation to the eyes of the people whose lives were touched, as well as smiles of fulfilment on the faces of the individuals who made it all happen: our Dimension Data colleagues around the world.

Corporate Social Responsibility 47

Group Head OfficeWhile grand gestures are good in their own right, it’s often the quality – rather than the scale – of the initiative that makes a lasting impression. In fact, just 67 minutes can make a real difference. To celebrate Mandela Day 2012, colleagues from Group Head Office spent an inspiring afternoon with the children of the ‘Hearts of Hope’ children’s home in Wendywood, Johannesburg. In honour of Nelson Mandela and the 67 years he spent fighting for a free society in his country, South Africans were encouraged to spend 67 minutes of 18 July – his birthday – giving something back to their communities.

The ‘Hearts of Hope’ home looks after 14 children between the ages of 18 months and 16 years, and its vision is to provide a platform of family-based care for vulnerable children who are either affected by, and / or infectedby,HIV/AIDS.TheDimensionDatateam shared lunch with the children and staff of the home, and spent the remainder of the afternoon face painting and playing ‘pass the parcel’.

Nick Efstathiou from our Group Finance office expressed what it meant for him to be part of this short, yet heart-warming visit. “It’s the small things in life that make a difference, and sometimes we get so consumed by our everyday lives, that we forget about what really matters. Yesterday put things back into perspective for me, and a small gesture like the one we made will go a long way in changing those little ones’ lives. Thanks to all who arranged it, and count me in next time when we do this again.”

AmericasIt’s always encouraging when Dimension Data employees collaborate to uplift and enrich their communities, but even more so when we get our partners involved, too. In the Americas, this came about with our yearly regional flagship CSR project, organised in collaboration with City Year in New York. For the last four years, a community service day has been held involving Dimension Data, City Year and Blue Coat, but this year we also invited NTT Americas to partner with us for the first time. Over 70 employees from both organisations participated in the day’s activities.

City Year is an education-focused non-profit organisation that partners with public schools to provide full-time, targeted intervention for at-risk students. The school is located in New York City’s fifth school district, with 886 students, from pre-kindergarten through to seventh grade. Together, volunteers and students painted murals for the courtyard walls, built bookcases, and constructed and painted nearly 30 bright flower boxes, which were filled with hundreds of seasonal flowers. While painting and building, we had the opportunity to connect with the students and talk about the books they’re reading, their favourite classes, and which sports they play. Solutions Manager Ralph Roberts, who has participated in four such events, said, “I had a great time, and each year I come, it’s fulfilling. Working side by side with the kids this year was a real bonus”. NTT Americas CEO, Kazu Gomi, felt inspired by the activities: “This is a great event for me and my team. I look forward to making this an annual event.”

Asia-Pacific In order to make a meaningful contribution to a worthy cause, it’s often a good idea to choose activities in which you’re already interested, or excel at, and combine them with a fundraising effort. Melissa Keong, a Sales Specialist from our Singapore office is a fine example of this approach. Melissa set herself the target of raising SGD 10,000 (approximately USD 8,000) in donations for the Singapore Cheshire Home by participating in the Ironman triathlon hosted in Frankfurt, Germany, in July. This annual event involves a 3.8km swim, a 180km mountainous bike ride and a 42km marathon. As an athlete who’s participated in similar gruelling events before, Melissa felt this presented her with an ideal opportunity to combine her passion for sport with a chance to do something impactful for her community.

As a non-profit establishment, Singapore Cheshire Home is a residence for the seriously disabled. The home provides nursing care and related therapy treatment for 67 people suffering from illnesses and injuries such as muscular dystrophy or atrophy, cerebral palsy, and spinal or head injuries – a cause which Melissa felt deserved her personal attention.


She set up a special website that tracked her activities leading up to, and including, the event, which also helped garner donations for her charity of choice. After months of intensive training, the lead-up to the big event – as well as elements of the race itself – was by no means plain sailing. From frantically ‘begging’ fellow passengers to help cover her excess baggage at the airport, to finding a last-minute alloy rim replacement for her bicycle and missing the race briefing, to suffering a fall from her bike in the pouring rain... the experience proved to be challenging on both a physical and mental level. Says Melissa: “Seven months of training, 12 sessions per week, paid off and brought the closure to my plan, which started a year ago. It wasn’t easy going to bed early on Friday nights when everyone else was partying and relaxing after a week of work. But I chose this race to finish it, and not for giving up.” Melissa completed the race in a personal record time, and managed to exceed her initial target by raising SGD 15,000 (approximately USD 12,000).

Corporate Social Responsibility 49

AustraliaAs a technology services organisation, it’s particularly satisfying when our technology works to enrich and enable the lives of individuals who might need it more than most. From New South Wales, Australia, comes the story of Jack Edge, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in November last year. In the same class as Jack was Arabella Barr – daughter of Solutions Architect Paul Barr. Arabella asked her father if they could use his webcam to help Jack connect with his classmates while away from school. But after Paul had liaised with the teacher, he discovered that a simple PC and attached camera weren’t going to do the job.

That’s when he went the extra mile and used his connections in the IT industry to garner sponsorships for a videoconferencing solution. Dimension Data, Polycom and Plantronics subsequently joined forces to provide what became known as the ‘Jack Edge’s Classroom Connection’. Polycom donated the classroom and home units; Plantronic provided wireless speakers and a microphone allowing Jack to use his iPad when he wasn’t at home. “Videoconferencingalreadyexistsinsomeschools,” says Paul. “But this connection between home and school is unique. It allowed Jack to join in lessons from home as if he was in the classroom and, most importantly, provided a connection with his classmates.”

Another student, Levi McCormack, was also unable to attend school and maintain contact due to illness. Due to his absence from school, Levi fell behind on his reading. Thanks to a similar ‘Classroom Connection’ as Jack, Levi achieved the highest reading level in his class after just a few months. Dimension Data and Polycom also utilised the Classroom Connection so that Levi could meet with his favourite judge from Master Chef Australia, George Calombaris. The Master Chef connected to the classroom from the Polycom office in Melbourne. At first, he was hidden from the screen, but suddenly appeared when the class asked Levi who his favourite chef was. It was a big surprise, and neither Levi nor his classmates could believe it was really happening. Dimension Data’s People and Culture team in Australia is currently investigating opportunities to donate additional classroom kits to those in need.

EuropeInspiring CSR initiatives can sometimes have quite humble beginnings – even starting off as a light-hearted ‘dare’ among colleagues socialising in a pub. This was the case for Europe’s second Three Peaks challenge, which took place in the UK.

The three tallest mountain peaks in Britain are Scotland’s Ben Nevis, England’s Scafell Pike and Snowdon in Wales. The Three Peaks Challenge involves a race to climb all three, plus travel in-between each, within a period of 24 hours. It’s both a logistical and physical tour-de-force, but the intention was also to raise money for a range of charities of the participants’ and the UK CSR committee’s choice. The first attempt at the Three Peaks Challenge some years ago was unsuccessful, as the group of colleagues that attempted the race couldn’t complete the three ascents in time. The second attempt, however, was to be more successful, when Jeremy Spiers, Services Support Manager at Dimension Data UK, took the action of organising this daredevil adventure after he had challenged a group of his colleagues to join him in tackling the challenge.

The initiative attracted 18 Dimension Data colleagues from all areas of the business. Kevin Stavers, Solutions Sales Director in the UK, explains that the UK business covered the cost of the challenge – from the flight to Scotland to start with Ben Nevis, to the vehicles used to drive between peaks. Funds were also raised to benefit assigned and personally nominated charities. “The charity I chose was the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK, which not only has tremendous personal significance for me, but also for my family and friends,” said Kevin. “It’s a privilege to have been given the chance to support them in this way. I did find the challenge tough, but for me it was about getting a result that would support our cause.”

Rebecca Dixon, Service Delivery Manager in the UK, chose the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, a respite in the Surrey and North East Hampshire region. The hospice cares for seriously ill people and their families both at the facility and out in the community. Said Rebecca, “The physical training I did beforehand didn’t really prepare me for the sheer physical and mental effort this challenge required. It was a low point for me, standing at the foot of Ben Nevis in the pouring rain, doubting whether I could even start the challenge, let alone finish it. But, for me personally, it was a matter of digging deep and seeing it through for the sake of those who needed me to do it. In the end, I managed to conquer my self-doubt and complete the challenge successfully, which gave me a tremendous sense of achievement and satisfaction.” The Three Peaks Challenge managed to raise a total of GBP 13,000 (approximately USD 20,000), which exceeded the group’s target of at least GBP 500 (USD 800) per participant.

Middle East & AfricaContinuing the strong educational theme that runs through many of our CSR activities, is the Middle East & Africa’s Saturday School initiative, which again proved to be an enormous success this year. The programme benefits 100 grade 11 and 12 pupils from 21 disadvantaged public high schools in the Gauteng province each year through the provision of weekly supplemental tutoring on Saturdays. Learners in the programme attend classes in Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Sciences, English, Computer Studies and Soft Skills. Furthermore, the grade 12 learners are placed on a one-year mentorship programme which assists them in preparing for tertiary studies.

This year brought a truly outstanding result for one star pupil in particular. After attending 90 Saturday classes over the past two years, Eric Mubai emerged as the overall top performer in all subjects. Besides scoring the highest overall mark (80%), Eric achieved an astonishing 96% for Science and 100% for Mathematics, which earned him a personal word of congratulations from the South African Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande. Eric is currently studying towards a BSc Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Transformation Executive Director Zandile Mbele said, “Education is a top priority for Dimension Data and, so far, the Saturday School programme has yielded 100% pass rates over the past 16 years, and has reached over 850 learners. We’re honoured to have played a part in the success of these inspiring people.”


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