PC-Ware, an international large account reseller for Microsoft and other software vendors, has sold a 26% stake of its local operations to a black IT partner, Unishe, as a result of client pressure.
"Many of our existing customers, government, as well as private businesses, requested us to consider increasing our BEE [black economic empowerment] status in order to justify their relationship with us," says PC-Ware country CEO Maurice Staal.
PC-Ware entered the local market in 2003 as a Microsoft EMEA large account reseller, focusing on multi-vendor software sales and licensing, and software asset management with a variety of services.
The ICT industry does not yet have a promulgated BEE charter - it is said to be held up at the Department of Trade and Industry. However, many other industries have BEE criteria in place and government is obliged by law to procure affirmatively.
"Given that private companies and government departments are also measured on their BEE-spend, the partnership forged with Unishe means that PC-Ware has a new rating and becomes a `value-adding supplier`. As a result, customers procuring from PC-Ware add an additional 25 percentage points when calculating their BEE spend reported to government," adds Staal.
The companies say the deal - for an undisclosed amount - was signed by PC-Ware Group CEO Knut Loeschke and Unishe chairman Cheslyn Mostert at PC-Ware`s head office in Leipzig, Germany.
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Lefatshe Technologies and Unicus Business Solutions jointly own Unishe. Lefatshe Technologies focuses on security solutions, while Unicus provides general services and solutions to clients in both government and the private sector.
Newly-appointed Lefatshe CEO Noedine Isaacs-Mpulo says the value of the deal is confidential "as it is based on the net asset value of PC-Ware SA and we paid a premium for it. This is, therefore, competitive information that we cannot disclose. However, what I can tell you is that we paid 26% of the net asset value, with a premium in cash."
She adds that the deal "is a clear and unqualified demonstration of PC-Ware`s commitment to BEE, as not many international IT companies take this step to show commitment to the country`s empowerment objectives".
Isaacs-Mpulo notes that "the partnership means Unishe will have access to the know-how and expertise from PC-Ware resources worldwide, enabling them to provide comprehensive solutions, specifically in the area of security, licensing and software asset management".
In August, Lefatshe was a Government Technology Conference silver sponsor. Isaacs-Mpulo joined the company from the State IT Agency this month.
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