Pinnacle - Pinnacle acquire remaining 50% sharehol14 Jun 2006
PNC
 PNC                                                                             
Pinnacle - Pinnacle acquire remaining 50% shareholding in Explix                
Pinnacle Technology Holdings Limited                                            
(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa)                                  
(Registration number 1986/000334/06)                                            
Share code: PNC & ISIN code: ZAE000022570                                       
("Pinnacle" or "the company")                                                   
PINNACLE ACQUIRE REMAINING 50% SHAREHOLDING IN EXPLIX                           
PINNACLE ACQUIRE REMAINING 50% SHAREHOLDING IN EXPLIX                           
1. Introduction                                                                 
Bishop Corporate Finance (Proprietary) Limited is authorised to announce that   
Pinnacle has reached agreement with:                                            
* Hendev (Proprietary) Limited ("Hendev") in terms of which Pinnacle will     
     acquire 35% of the issued share capital of Explix (Proprietary) Limited    
     ("Explix") and related shareholders claims for a total purchase            
     consideration of R 25 739 113 ("the Hendev acquisition"); and              
* ITCM Channel Management (Proprietary) Limited ("ITCM") in terms of which    
     Pinnacle will acquire 15% of the issued share capital of Explix and        
     related shareholders claims for a minimum purchase consideration of R 7    
     669 710 ("the ITCM acquisition"),                                          
(together referred to as "the acquisitions").                                   
The acquisition of the share capital from Hendev and ITCM as referred to        
above will be effective from 1 March 2006 ("the effective date"), subject to    
the fulfilment of certain conditions precedent. The acquisition of the          
respective shareholders claims will be effective from the completion date,      
being the second day following the fulfilment of the conditions precedent       
("the completion date").  Following the acquisitions, Explix will be a wholly   
owned subsidiary of Pinnacle.                                                   
2. Background to Explix                                                         
Explix is a focused value added Information Technology ("IT") distribution      
company operating through dedicated business units and taking various best of   
breed products to specific market segments. The software market is addressed    
through Explix"s Workgroup division ("Workgroup"). Workgroup, as a trading      
brand, is well established within the South and Southern African IT markets     
and has traded successfully for the last 16 years. Workgroup is regarded as     
the largest focused software distributor in South Africa servicing the IT       
channel from its national branch infrastructure situated in Johannesburg,       
Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, and it"s African presence in Angola,         
Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia. Other divisions within Explix        
include CREW, which focuses on the retail market, Merchandise IT ("MIT")        
which performs retail merchandising and marketing service functions on behalf   
of retail vendors and Horizon, which is the Channel Development Provider for    
Sun Microsystems in Sub Saharan Africa.                                         
 *  Explix has been driving it"s Black Economic Empowerment ("BEE") strategy    
through the balanced scorecard approach as formulated by the Department    
     of Trade and Industries" "Strategy for Broad Based Black Economic          
     Empowerment". As a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle, Explix has an      
     effective BEE shareholding of approximately 30%.                           
3. Rationale for the acquisitions                                               
Pinnacle continues its evolution to a fully diversified ICT group, striving     
to provide world-class goods and services to its client base with unsurpassed   
dedication and efficiency.  The acquisition of the remaining 50% of Explix      
will increase the number of agencies and opportunities available to clients     
and vendors, assist in the penetration of new markets and unlock operational    
synergies within the group. The solutions offered by the new Pinnacle group     
("the Group") will now provide the critical mass to cement the initiatives      
regarding further expansion in Africa                                           
The value of the existing brands of Workgroup, Horizon, CREW and MIT were       
recognised in the acquisitions.  The continuation of unsurpassed focus and      
service rendered to their respective vendors and suppliers is ensured through   
the long term employment agreements entered into between Explix and senior      
management, and is expected to materially contribute to the future success of   
the Group                                                                       
4. Terms of the Hendev acquisition                                              
Subject to the conditions precedent set out in paragraph 6 below, with effect   
from:                                                                           
  * the effective date, Pinnacle will acquire 35% of the issued share           
     capital of Explix ("the Hendev shares") for a total cash consideration     
of R15 343 123; and                                                        
  * the completion date, Pinnacle will take cession of all Hendev"s             
     shareholders claims against Explix ("the Hendev claims") as at the         
     completion date, for a total cash consideration of R10 395 990.            
The total purchase consideration of R 25 739 113 in respect of the Hendev       
shares and the Hendev claims, will be paid in three equal payments of R 8 579   
704 each. The first payment is payable on the completion date, the second       
payment on the first anniversary of the completion date, and third and final    
payment on the second anniversary of the completion date. Pinnacle has the      
option to settle the second and third payments on earlier dates in its sole     
and absolute discretion. The second and third payments shall bear interest at   
the rate of 10% per annum, payable monthly in arrears.                          
The Hendev acquisition is subject to warranties normal to a transaction of      
this nature. Furthermore, Hendev and its shareholder, Cyril Biddlecombe, have   
also agreed to the necessary restraint of trade provisions to protect the       
business interests of Explix and Pinnacle.                                      
5. Terms of the ITCM acquisition                                                
Subject to the conditions precedent set out in paragraph 6 below, with          
effect from:                                                                    
  * the effective date, Pinnacle will acquire 15% of the issued share           
capital of Explix  (`the ITCM shares") for a minimum consideration of R4   
     500 000; and                                                               
  * the completion date, Pinnacle will take cession of all ITCM"s               
     shareholders claims against Explix ("the ITCM claims") as at the           
completion date, for a total cash consideration of R 3 169 710.            
The purchase consideration of R 4 500 000 in respect of the ITCM shares,        
payable on the completion date, will be increased to a maximum consideration    
of R 6 428 780, if an agreed audited profit after tax target in respect of      
the financial year ending 30 June 2006 is achieved. The purchase                
consideration in respect of the ITCM shares will be satisfied by way of         
transferring existing Pinnacle shares (held in treasury) to ITCM valued at R    
1.80 per share (the Pinnacle share price used was based on ninety percent of    
the 30 day volume weighted average price on the JSE Limited ("JSE") as at 3     
April 2006). ITCM shall not be entitled to sell, or otherwise dispose of or     
encumber a minimum of fifty percent of the Pinnacle shares received from the    
ITCM acquisition, until 30 June 2007. The Pinnacle shares so restricted will    
be beneficially owned by Douglas Woolley and Vaughn Parkin, executive           
management of Explix. As security for ITCM"s obligation in this regard, they    
will pledge the appropriate number of Pinnacle shares back to Pinnacle.         
Tugendhaft Wapnick Banchetti and Partners will act as escrow agent in this      
regard. The payment in respect of the ITCM claims of R 3 169 710, is payable    
in cash on the completion date.                                                 
The ITCM acquisition is subject to warranties and indemnities normal to a       
transaction of this nature. Furthermore, ITCM, Douglas Woolley, Vaughn          
Parkin and Dave Lello, have also agreed to the necessary restraint of trade     
provisions to protect the business interests of Explix and Pinnacle. Douglas    
Woolley and Vaughn Parkin, the executive management of Explix, have further     
agreed to enter into standard employment agreements with Explix, the            
duration of which shall be three years from the completion date.                
6. Conditions precedent                                                         
The acquisitions are subject to the following conditions precedent:             
   *approval of the terms and conditions thereof by the shareholders of         
Pinnacle at a general meeting, and the passing of all necessary ordinary   
     resolutions in that regard,                                                
   *the conclusion of employment agreements between Explix and Douglas          
     Woolley, and between Explix and Vaughn Parkin;                             
*The ITCM agreement is subject to the procurement by ITCM of written         
     undertakings of certain product vendors not to terminate the vendor        
     agreements in place as a result of the transaction contemplated;           
   *The ITCM agreement is subject to the conclusion of the Hendev               
acquisition and the fulfilment of all conditions precedent to which such   
     transaction may be subject;                                                
   *The Hendev agreement is subject to the conclusion of the ITCM               
     acquisition and the fulfilment of all conditions precedent to which such   
transaction may be subject; and                                            
   *the procurement of all regulatory approvals, which may be required to       
     conclude the acquisitions, including approvals from the relevant           
     competition authority and the JSE.                                         
7. Pro forma financial effects                                                  
The unaudited pro forma financial effects provided are the responsibility of    
the directors of Pinnacle. The unaudited pro forma financial effects are to     
provide investors with information about the impact of the acquisitions. The    
unaudited pro forma financial effects has been prepared for illustrative        
purposes only and, because of its nature, may not fairly reflect the            
financial position of Pinnacle, changes in its equity or results of its         
operations or cash flows after implementation of the acquisitions.              
The unaudited pro forma financial effects of the acquisitions on the basic      
earnings, headline earnings, net asset value and net tangible asset value       
per share, before and after the acquisitions, are set out below. To present     
more meaningful information, the financial effects have been calculated also    
taking into account the recently concluded black economic empowerment           
transaction with Amabubesi Investments (Pty) Limited ("BEE transaction").       
                               Before  After BEE         After   Change         
Per ordinary share            (cents)    (cents)   Acquisition      (%)         
B       (cents)                  
                                    A                        C  (C-B)/B         
Basic and headline earnings                                                     
Basic earnings per ordinary          11.9       11.2          12.5     11.6     
share                                                                           
Headline earnings per ordinary       12.2       11.6          12.8     10.3     
share                                                                           
Net asset value and net                                                         
tangible asset value                                                            
Net asset value per ordinary         82.1       89.3          89.3        -     
share                                                                           
Net tangible asset value per         68.8       76.0          63.2   (16.8)     
ordinary share                                                                  
Weighted average number of    144 109    144 109       144 109        -         
ordinary shares in issue                                                        
(`000)                                                                          
Total number of ordinary      148 096    148 096       148 096        -         
shares in issue (`000)                                                          
Notes:                                                                          
     1. The amounts in the "Before" column are based on the headline earnings   
and earnings per share as reported in the interim financial results of     
     Pinnacle for the six month period ended 31 December 2005.  The amounts     
     in the "After-BEE" column represent the headline earnings and earnings     
     that would have accrued per share for the six month period ended 31        
December 2005 based on the assumptions in respect of the BEE transaction   
     as set out in the circular to shareholders dated 13 March 2006. The        
     amounts in the "After-Acquisition" column represent the headline           
     earnings and earnings that would have accrued per share for the six        
month period ended 31 December 2005 based on the following assumptions:    
       *    The acquisitions and BEE transaction were effective 1 July 2005;    
       * The unaudited financial results of Explix, a 100% subsidiary, for      
          the six months ended 31 December 2005;                                
* Interest earned on positive cash balances was reduced by the           
          equivalent of 6.5% p.a. calculated on the cash consideration of the   
          first Hendev payment, the cash requirement to provide treasury        
          shares to ITCM and the purchase consideration in respect of the       
ITCM claims; and                                                      
       * Interest charges were increased by the contractually agreed 10%        
          p.a. calculated on the 2nd and 3rd payments of the purchase           
          consideration due to Hendev.                                          
2. The amounts in the "Before" column are based on the net asset value     
     per share and net tangible asset value per share as reported in the        
     interim financial results of Pinnacle for the six month period ended 31    
     December 2005. The amounts in the "After-BEE" column represent the net     
asset value per share and net tangible asset value per share at 31         
     December 2005 based on the assumptions in respect of the BEE transaction   
     as set out in the circular to shareholders dated 13 March 2006. The        
     amounts in the "After-Acquisition" column represent the net asset value    
per share and net tangible asset value per share at 31 December 2005       
     based on the following assumptions:                                        
       * The acquisitions and BEE transaction were effective 31 December        
          2005;                                                                 
* The unaudited financial results of Explix, a 100% subsidiary, for      
          the six months ended 31 December 2005;                                
       * Available cash resources were reduced by the cash considerations       
          required to satisfy the first Hendev payment, the cash requirement    
to provide treasury shares to ITCM and the purchase consideration     
          in respect of the ITCM  claims;                                       
       * The 2nd and 3rd payments of the purchase consideration due to          
          Hendev remaining unpaid on 31 December 2005; and                      
*    The goodwill attributed to the acquisitions were R18,3 million.     
8. Related parties and independent financial advice                             
Hendev is owned and controlled by the chairman and large shareholder of         
Pinnacle, Cyril Biddlecombe. Furthermore, ITCM is owned by the family trusts    
of three directors of Explix (currently a 50% subsidiary of Pinnacle), Dave     
Lello, Douglas Woolley and Vaughn Parkin. In terms of the JSE Listings          
Requirements, Hendev and ITCM are deemed related parties to the acquisitions.   
The JSE has therefore requested the company to obtain independent financial     
advice regarding the acquisitions. The board of directors have appointed        
Arcay Corporate Services, a division of Arcay Client Support (Pty) Ltd, as      
the independent expert.                                                         
9. Amendment to the Pinnacle BEE Share Purchase Scheme and notice of general    
meeting                                                                         
A circular containing full details of the acquisitions, and a proposed          
amendment to the current Pinnacle BEE Share Purchase Scheme ("the Scheme        
amendment"), including a notice to shareholders convening a general meeting     
to be held to enable shareholders to consider and if deemed fit to approve,     
with or without modification, the resolutions required to implement the         
acquisitions and the Scheme amendment, will be posted to shareholders during    
July 2006.                                                                      
Midrand                                                                         
14 June 2006                                                                    
Corporate Adviser                                                               
Bishop Corporate Finance                                                        
Attorneys                                                                       
TWB                                                                             
Sponsor                                                                         
Deloitte&Touche Sponsor Services                                                
Independent Expert                                                              
Arcay Corporate Services                                                        
Reporting Accountants                                                           
BDO Simama Incorporated                                                         
Date: 14/06/2006 07:00:09 AM Produced by the JSE SENS Department