Our communities

Ensuring positive socio-economic impact by unlocking shared prosperity through supporting inclusive education is core to Datatec's purpose.

We are advocates for education and lifelong learning. Over our 38-year history, we have maintained the belief that education is the most transformative force in building a competitive economy and resilient societies. Primarily through the work of our subsidiaries and through the Datatec Educational and Technology Foundation ("the foundation"), we actively work towards ensuring that education is more inclusive and socially relevant by investing in eliminating barriers to education and actively driving access to quality learning opportunities.

Datatec has committed to work and partner with organisations that align with its Responsible Business philosophy and that offer programmes which support education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics ("STEM") to empower disadvantaged communities, and which facilitate interventions to increase the number of women and minority groups in the technology industry.

Datatec Group

The transition toward the fourth industrial revolution is drastically changing the workforce landscape. STEM-related careers are a significant force behind innovation and economic growth, and there is increased emphasis on a tech-driven and tech-enabled workforce. To ensure that South African youth has access to quality education, regardless of their background or economic status, the foundation follows a future-led approach to fund educational organisations whose purpose is to empower and equip young people with the skills needed to participate more inclusively in our economy.

Overview of the foundation

The foundation funds organisations to improve education within underprivileged communities in South Africa, specifically in STEM subjects. As a competitive global market leader in ICT, Datatec regards it as imperative to address the needs of its founding country's people and make a meaningful difference where it is needed most – education in South Africa.

Our programmes

Kutlwanong Centre for maths, science and technology – Promaths

Promaths provides after-school and holiday mathematics and physical sciences tuition for Grades 10 – 12 learners (240 in FY22, 270 in FY23, 300 in FY24 and 330 in FY25) in the Eastern Cape's Mdantsane township.

OLICO Maths education

OLICO provides a blended use of extracurricular mathematics tutoring, custom-built online mathematics programmes for Grade 7 – 12 learners, and mathematics clubs aimed at primary school learners (Grades R – 6). The mathematics clubs offer fun games and activities to build basic core number fluency and enjoyment of the subjects.

PROTEC Pietermaritzburg

PROTEC Pietermaritzburg Academy provides enrichment education for disadvantaged children in Grades 9 – 12. The aim is to provide learners with tuition in core mathematics, the sciences, coding and English, and to empower them to pursue technological careers of their choice.

Tomorrow Trust

The Tomorrow Trust provides integrated academic and psychosocial support to orphaned and vulnerable children. Datatec supports the Saturday and holiday school programme and the tertiary programme, providing academic support and bursary funding for disadvantaged children. Learners receive comprehensive academic lessons in mathematics, English and natural sciences, as well as providing career guidance support, leadership workshops and psychosocial support.

The Vula Programme at Hilton College

The Vula Programme is an educational outreach initiative at Hilton College in KwaZulu-Natal, which services more than 100 under-resourced schools from previously disadvantaged communities. Datatec contributes towards the running of the project.

Afrika Tikkun

Afrika Tikkun provides sustainable care and educational development for vulnerable and orphaned children from birth until age 25.

Maharishi Institute

The Maharishi Institute offers virtually free university access opportunities to unemployed youth and increased employability after completing their degree courses.

Belgium Campus iTversity

The Belgium Campus is an IT university offering IT degrees, diplomas and certificates to graduates.

The following are approximate numbers of individuals who have benefited from the ZAR8.9 million funding provided by the foundation in FY24:

Teacher and learner development at a secondary school level

	FY24 targets as published in the Datatec FY23 integrated report		Progress against FY24 targets	FY25 targets
	Project – Kutlwanong Promaths
	45 distinctions in mathematics and physical sciences		48 distinctions achieved, 26 in mathematics and 22 in physical sciences, respectively	50 distinctions in mathematics and physical sciences 100% pass rate 90% bachelor pass rate Provide career guidance to all learners Use the online platform as a support tool for recorded lessons, remedial tutoring, teacher development and support for other subjects
	100% pass rate		90 Grade 12 learners achieved a 100% pass
	90% Bachelor pass rate		90% of Grade 12 learners achieved a Bachelor's pass, which qualifies them to pursue further tertiary studies at a university or FET college
	Provide career guidance to all learners		Career guidance offered to all 300 learners
	Utilise online platforms to deliver blended learning and provide recorded lessons and support on other subjects		The use of online platforms to deliver live lessons has proved challenging given the energy crisis and other socio-economic factors, however the use of recorded sessions and the provision of online support for other subjects continues to support face-to-face teaching sessions
	Replace/repair 27 lost or damaged devices		No devices were replaced or repaired due to the limited use of online platform for live sessions

• Achieved

• Partially achieved

• Not achieved

	FY24 targets as published in the Datatec FY23 integrated report		Progress against FY24 targets	FY25 targets
	Project – The Tomorrow Trust Grade 11 targets
	90% pass rate		All the learners have passed and will progress to the next grade	Grade 10 targets (New cohort) 30 Grade 10 learners 95% pass rate 90% in-person attendance 85% virtual attendance Grade 12 targets 100% pass rate 90% bachelor pass rate 85% in-person attendance 85% virtual attendance Three distinctions in mathematics Three distinctions in English Three distinctions in life sciences Three distinctions in physical sciences
	90% in-person attendance		87% in-person attendance
	80% virtual attendance		87% virtual attendance
	Grade 12 targets
	100% pass rate		The 30 learners in Grade 12 achieved a 100% pass
	90% Bachelor pass rate		99% of the Grade 12 learners achieved a Bachelor's pass
	Nine distinctions in mathematics		Four distinctions in mathematics from the 2023 Grade 12 cohort
	Nine distinctions in physical sciences		Two distinctions achieved in physical sciences
	12 distinctions in life sciences		Four distinctions achieved in life sciences
	18 distinctions in English		Five distinctions achieved in English
	Provide Sunday classes focusing on mathematics and physical sciences		The Grade 12 cohort received additional support through online classes on Sundays focusing on mathematics and physical sciences
	90% in-person attendance		92% in-person attendance rate
	80% virtual attendance		86% virtual attendance rate

	FY24 targets as published in the Datatec FY23 integrated report		Progress against FY24 targets	FY25 targets
	Project – OLICO Maths Education
	70 matric learners for 2023		72 matric learners in 202	200 matric learners for 2024 90% matric pass rate 85% mathematics pass rate 60% of Grade 12 learners achieve 50% or higher in mathematics 70% post-secondary acceptance 1750 learners in the high school programme in 2024 3100 learners in the primary school programme in 2024 30 000 learners to have access to the WhatsApp hotline in 2024
	90% matric pass rate		The 2023 matric class achieved a 97% matric pass rate
	85% pure mathematics pass rate		92% mathematics pass rate
	60% of Grade 12 learners to achieve 50% or higher in mathematics		63% of Grade 12 learners to achieved 50% or higher in mathematics
	70% post-secondary acceptance		79% of the class of 2023 have confirmed enrolment in post-secondary studies or youth employment programmes
	1 658 learners in the high school programme in 2023		1 623 learners in the high school programme in 2023 completed with attendance above 75%
	2 652 learners in the primary school programme in 2023		2515 learners in the primary school programme in 2023 completed with attendance rate of above 85%
	25 000 learners to have access to the WhatsApp hotline in 2023		29,039 total users on the WhatsApp Mathematics Hotline. Engaged in over 6 million messages

• Achieved

• Partially achieved

• Not achieved

	FY24 targets as published in the Datatec FY23 integrated report		Progress against FY24 targets	FY25 targets
	Project – The Vula Programme
	Mathematics training for an additional 100 teachers		137 teachers trained	Mathematics teacher training for an additional 100 teachers Provide ongoing support to 300 Mathematics teachers from training intakes of previous years Provide ongoing physical sciences training and support for up to 100 teachers Assist up to 2 000 learners in mathematics and physical sciences Provide careers guidance for 500 Grade 12 learners at the annual Vula Careers Day
	Provide ongoing support for 300 mathematics teachers from training intakes of previous years		339 teachers supported from training intakes of previous years
	Provide ongoing science training and support for up to 100 teachers		152 teachers received ongoing physical sciences training
	Directly assist up to 2 000 learners in mathematics and science		6 297 learners were directly assisted in the contact sessions in 2023
	Provide career guidance to 500 Grade 12 learners at the annual Vula careers day		440 Grade 12 learners attended the Vula Careers Day

• Achieved

• Partially achieved

• Not achieved

	FY24 targets as published in the Datatec FY23 integrated report		Progress against FY24 targets	FY25 targets
	Project – PROTEC Pietermaritzburg Grade 12 targets
	90% attendance rate on all sessions including 30 days of Saturday school and 15 days of vacation school annually		91% attendance for the Saturday School and 91.5% attendance for the Vacation School	Grade 12 targets 90% attendance rate on all sessions including 30 days of Saturday School and 15 days of vacation School annually 90 to 100% matric pass rate 55 to 65% Bachelor pass rate 3 to 5 Distinctions per subject in mathematics, physical sciences, and English Provide career guidance to ensure that 80% of postsecondary learners are still registered for their original course choice at university Grade 9 to 11 targets 70% of learners to achieve 60% or above to qualify to remain on the programme
	90% to 100% matric pass rate		The matric class of 2023 achieved a 100% pass rate
	55% to 65% Bachelor pass rate		100% of matric class of 2023 achieved a bachelor pass
	Three to five distinctions per subject in mathematics, physical sciences, and English		The matric class of 2023 achieved the following distinctions: Four in mathematics Two in physical sciences Seven in life sciences Three in English
	Provide career guidance to ensure that 80% of postsecondary learners are still registered for their original course choice at university		One student changed courses from a BSc to a MBChB
	Grade 9 to 11 targets
	70% of learners to achieve 60% or above		60% of the leaners in Grades 9 – 11 achieved 60% and above, to remain in the programme.

Improving technology infrastructure and access to computers

	FY24 targets as published in the Datatec FY23 integrated report		Progress against FY24 targets	FY25 targets
	Project – Afrika Tikkun
	Reach 2 670 youth through the Child and Youth Development Programme		2 780 young people reached through the programme	N/A
	Project – Maharishi Institute
	Establishing three new computer labs from FY24 – FY25		The computer labs will be completed in quarter 2 of 2024	Purchase computers and peripheral devices to build up to 300 additional computers for three large labs Network Infrastructure – purchasing of routers, switches and servers, to create a robust and reliable network across the campus Firewall and Security Measures – protect network and data from cyber threats Software licences and subscriptions for the educational needs of the students, such as operating systems, productivity software and specialised applications

ICT skills development for the unemployed

	FY24 targets as published in the Datatec FY23 integrated report		Progress against FY24 targets	FY25 targets
	Project – Maharishi Institute
	Finalise the project and reach the target of training 530 unemployed youth by end of 2023		534 unemployed youth received certified and accredited training	N/A

Bursaries for disadvantaged learners

	FY24 targets as published in the Datatec FY23 integrated report		Progress against FY24 targets	FY25 targets
	Belgium Campus iTversity
	Successful completion of the IT degree for the learner who is repeating one module in 2023		Remaining student has completed	N/A

• Achieved

• Partially achieved

• Not achieved

Datatec flagship project

In FY24, Datatec partnered with Concern Worldwide to promote access to STEM education in the Marsabit County, Kenya. The initiative promotes access to STEM education, supporting primary schools to enhance their capacity to deliver STEM subjects by providing the essential equipment required to meet their learning needs. Datatec has invested US$50 000 in the project, providing eight mobile laboratories, 12 science kits and training resources. Overall, 646 learners from eight primary schools in Marsabit are benefiting from an improved learning environment. This partnership will continue in FY25, targeting an additional eight primary schools in the Marsabit County.

Concern Worldwide promoting access to STEM education – students during a science class at Maikona primary school.

Datatec's emergency response

Datatec responded to the Sudan/Chad emergency appeal in FY24 by donating US$25 000 to Concern Worldwide to assist in providing vital supplies, including non-food items kits, shelter and life-saving nutrition services. Further to this, Datatec donated US$25 000 to Concern Worldwide to support refugee families with winter survival kits and emergency cash assistance through the Lebanon appeal.

In April 2022, Datatec responded to the severe flooding and landslides caused by heavy rainfall in KZN, South Africa. The catastrophic event resulted in deaths, displaced people, destroyed houses and schooling infrastructure. In addition to the FY23 initial response, Datatec donated a further ZAR770 000 to Gift of the Givers to install two mathematics and science laboratories at two primary schools that suffered damages during the April 2022 floods in KZN and the September 2023 floods in the Western Cape.

Mandela Day

Datatec head office partnered with Afrika Tikkun at the Wings of Life Centre in Diepsloot on Mandela Day – an annual celebration in South Africa to mark Nelson Mandela's birthday to commemorate his legacy – preparing nutritious meals and dignity packs for the Early Childhood Development Centre children.

Westcon International

Below are some community initiatives from its operations across the world.

North America

Westcon International North America continues to support the community by donating to local charitable not for profit organisations such as Toys for Tots and Meals on Wheels.

Europe

Across our European region, Westcon International has focused on a blend of health and wellbeing, environmental and societal initiatives.

In the UK, money was raised for MacMillan Cancer research as part of the 'MacMillan Coffee Morning.' This was also an opportunity to raise awareness of the support on offer to employees living with cancer or caring for loved ones with cancer. During December, fundraising activities took place for two charities; a Christmas Jumper Day with donations to Save the Children, and a 'Giving Tree' for Sebastian's Action Trust. Our Bracknell office partners with Bracknell BID to provide employment opportunities in the local area and to participate in local community support events, including charity collections and recruitment events.

Westcon-Comstor Iberia collaborates with non-profit organisations whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social wellbeing. One of the projects supported helps children with health problems through a bottle caps recycling initiative to help cover some of their needs. The initiative has raised over €1 300 000 to date.

Other charities that were supported during the year included:

• The Fundación Juan XXIII (Roncalli), a charity dedicated to the socio-labour inclusion of people in situations of psychosocial vulnerability.
• RECYCLIA raises awareness in society about the importance of recycling, promoting the culture of responsible recycling of WEEEs, batteries and luminaires used in Spain.

The central region donated 110 oak trees following the IT Security Fair it-sa in November 2023 and also donated €1 500 towards a charity bike ride for various Children's Charities. Two riders from the Westcon International team participated in a 110km charity event.

Middle East and Africa

Westcon International’s Middle East team is passionate about supporting disadvantaged communities. Among the initiatives that Westcon International’s Middle East supported in FY24 were:

• Participated in a charity walk in Dubai to raise awareness and funds for people affected by diabetes and donated hygiene packs to 150 less fortunate woman in Dubai.
• Toy donation to Al Jalilah Children’s Specialty Hospital, the first dedicated children’s hospital in the United Arab Emirates built on the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity for success in life and that the treatment of children suffering from illness or disease should not be subject to geographical chance.

WestconGroup SA continues to support the JB Marks Education Trust Fund by providing bursaries to study information technology at tertiary level for the dependants of the National Union of Mineworkers members. Its disabled learnership programme also continued, providing learnership for four disabled individuals run by Action for The Blind, including accommodation, sourcing and assessment, and a stipend. It also offered a schooling assistance programme to support employees’ children through bursaries that will fund primary and secondary education. In addition, bursaries have been provided for three African females to study information technology as part of Afrika Tikkun. Fifteen candidates were offered a 12-month level 4 Technical Support learnership programme. Eleven learners completed their learnership programme and they all secured permanent employment subsequently.

Westcon Africa partnered with Rising Above the Storms (“RAS”), a global non-profit organisation providing aid in Rwanda. RAS is dedicated to advocating for at-risk and vulnerable youth. A donation was made to cover the cost of education for two learners and to support young mothers with access to occupational training and seed money to start their own business.

In Kenya, a donation drive was held to support mothers and children at T21, a families support organization, whose mission is to advocate, educate, and create awareness around Down Syndrome.

Asia-Pacific

Westcon International New Zealand supported several community charities during FY24 including:

• Employees raised funds to support Breast Cancer awareness as well as Daffodil day, a yearly morning tea to raise funds for the cancer council.
• Westcon International New Zealand continues to be a corporate partner to the Starship Foundation, supporting the Starship Children’s Hospital. For a second year in a row, employees donated Christmas gifts to children spending their Christmas at the children’s hospital.
• Some of the volunteer hours Westcon International NZ makes available to its employees were spent on Christmas box packing. Employees volunteered their time to support the packing of 27,000 food boxes ahead of Christmas.

The team in Australia contributed to a number of charities during FY24, including:

• Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea. This community event raises vital funds to make a big difference for those impacted by cancer.
• Participating for another year in STEPtember to help raise funds for cerebral palsy research. This year several teams joined in, raising over AU$2000.
• Funds were also raised for Movember, to help raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide.

Many community service events were held by Westcon International employees across Asia:

• In Singapore, continuing the success of previous years, Westcon International organised another “Walk for Charity” with an outstanding turnout raising $28,630 for Rainbow Centre's Building Good Lives Campaign.
• Our Philippines employees participated in various outreach programmes, positively impacting our community, they:
  • Joined the Relief Goods Repacking Drive, packaging essential supplies for distribution to those in need.
  • Dedicated their efforts to the Anawim Lay Missions Foundation, Inc., aiming to improve the lives of those in need.
  • Visited the Home for the Aged, dedicating their time and compassion to bringing joy and support to elderly residents.
• Our Indonesia team showed their kindness in action, joining the "Service to Mankind" campaign, to help others in need. During another event, a large group of 86 team members donated blood together with the Indonesia Red Cross, saving lives and promoting health.

Westcon Middle East - Diabetes charity walk.

Logicalis

Logicalis continued to support future Architects of Change™ through education in FY24, implementing 24 community initiatives across the Group in the US, EMEA, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Logicalis’ goal is to continue to deepen our impact through the implementation of strategic education projects across the world, while working to ensure that a minimum of 50% of the project beneficiaries are women and/or represent regional ethnic minority groups.

Below are some community initiatives from its operations across the world.

Logicalis International

North America

Logicalis United States (“LUS”) awarded a US$5 000 scholarship through the Empower Women Employee Resource Group (formerly Women’s Initiative Network) Scholarship Programme to continue supporting one of the FY23 recipients who performed well. This programme seeks to empower females, transgender women, or individuals who identify as non-binary, either already enrolled in a two- or four-year university programme or in their senior year of high school and are applying to a two- or four-year higher level education programme. This programme assists these candidates to understand the impact technology has on the world, and to pursue a career in the technology industry.

EMEA

Logicalis UK continued to support the Reading Family Aids “Toys and Teens Appeal” over Christmas, with £1 000 raised towards creating a joyful Christmas period for close to 50 children.

Logicalis Channel Islands held “The Big Logicalis Volunteer Day”, which was spent cleaning up the Jersey and Guernsey beach sites.

Logicalis Germany donated €1 250 to each of the social initiatives at its German branch offices, including the Hacker School, Tierhilfeverein Kellerranch e.V., Kinderprojekt Arche and Stiftung Schmetterling. The strengthening partnership with the Hacker School plays a vital role in spreading awareness on the importance of equal opportunities and inspiring young people, especially girls, to consider careers in ICT. Logicalis Germany employees actively volunteer their time to deliver online courses on ICT-related topics to the young people.

Logicalis Portugal donated food, non-perishable items and made a financial contribution to Casa, a homeless support centre organisation, and Chão dos Meninos, an organisation supporting at-risk children and young people with their families.

Among Logicalis Spain’s community initiatives in FY24 was the support to the Cercle Technologic. Through this programme, Logicalis Spain provided scholarships and mentorships for students in STEM qualifications at risk of exclusion from universities in Catalonia. Logicalis Spain continued to support the “Logicalis Innovation Challenge”, targeting students in Spanish universities with a particular focus on women in STEM degrees to come up with innovative solutions that have the greatest environmental and social impact.

Logicalis South Africa (“LSA”) continued to support the Youth Employment Services (“YES”) programme, providing young people from previously disadvantaged communities training and opportunities to gain work experience. LSA also provided financial support and investments to its suppliers to help them grow and expand their businesses and offerings, as well as bursaries for learners in previously disadvantaged communities.

Asia-Pacific

Logicalis Australia partnered with the University of Technology Sydney on the Lucy Mentoring Programme, supporting feminine-identifying students studying engineering and information technology. The students are eligible to sign up for the programme from the second year of their undergraduate degree at the university to gain access to one-on-one mentoring from industry professionals for a period of six months. In addition to the AUD$5 500 donation, five Logicalis employees volunteered at least 20 hours each, providing mentorship to the programme mentees. This mentorship opportunity has assisted the students to attain relevant industry insights and have been exposed to paid internship positions within the ICT sector.

Logicalis Singapore hosted upcycling and robotics workshops for the children at Club Rainbow, with the organisation supporting children with chronic illnesses and their families through compassionate relevant services. It also supported Vivita Singapore with site survey, installation, support services and sponsorship of the licensing costs for over two years for the listed Meraki equipment at their premises. Once again, Logicalis Australia executives participated in the annual CEO sleepout event, raising funds to support Australians experiencing homelessness or those at the risk of homelessness.

Logicalis Malaysia and Logicalis Hong Kong donated food through employee food drives for Food Aid Foundation, Kechara Soup Kitchen and Food Angel, with volunteers getting involved to distribute the food to those in need.

Packet Systems Indonesia (“PSI”), in collaboration with Optik Timur and the Rotary Club, carried out a donation activity with the theme "Read for Better Life" at SDN Kebon Besar 2, Daan Mogot. In this event, children with visual impairments underwent examinations and PSI provided free spectacles to all the children in need of them.

Logicalis China collaborated with the IVT College Career Center to deliver an immersing session on careers in ICT and complimentary company tour, aimed at shaping the students' knowledge the ICT sector.

Logicalis Taiwan collaborated with Cisco to run a Time2Give Charity Hiking, which raised US$1550 towards five disadvantaged groups, including Taipei Municipal School of Special Education and the Chuang Foo Foundation.

Logicalis Latin America

In FY24, Logicalis Latin America supported several education-focused initiatives, which included:

• University of São Paulo Diversa: Sponsorship of two female students each year from economic and socially vulnerable backgrounds with their student housing, food assistance and book assistance to ensure that deserving female students are provided with the best opportunities to complete their qualifications and pursue careers in the ICT sector.
• Women Rock IT (Cisco): A free online programme developed by Cisco, to train girls and women (cisgender and transgender) in support of business operations and small retailers. It covers building simple local area networks, IP addressing schemes, basic network security, and basic configurations for routers and switches. The goal is to enable them to access more career opportunities, increase their employability and ensure they can decide their economic future. The course runs for approximately six months and is part of a global movement to motivate girls and women to dedicate themselves to technology, including pursuing certification in networking.
• Technovation Summer School for Girls: Logicalis Latin America sponsored this event for the fourth time in FY24, the event is organised by the University of São Paulo‑São Carlos, allowing girls between 8 and 18 years old to learn how to create mobile applications with training in computing and entrepreneurship.
• Chess for All: An initiative of the Association for the Development of Chess, supports 200 children between the ages of 7 and 12 years old with physical disabilities, visual disabilities, mild Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Down Syndrome. The project uses chess as an educational tool to stimulate and develop social and emotional skills in the children, including memory, concentration, logical reasoning and analytical ability, helping to promote their inclusion.