Table of Contents
Key Points
- Jens Montanana increases his stake in Datatec to 17.16% with a $4.25 million share purchase, reinforcing confidence in the company’s future.
- News of Montanana’s latest share purchase lifted investor sentiment, pushing Datatec’s stock up over 4 percent at mid-day on the JSE.
- Montanana’s 17.16% stake in Datatec is now valued at over $100 million, while the company’s market cap stands at $663 million.
South African tech mogul Jens Montanana has strengthened his grip on Johannesburg-based multinational technology group Datatec Limited, spending $4.2 million to acquire additional shares. The move cements his position among the company’s top shareholders and reflects confidence in its future.
Montanana raises Datatec stake to 17.16%
A recent market update on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) shows that Montanana, who serves as Datatec’s CEO and is one of South Africa’s wealthiest tech entrepreneurs, purchased 1,591,566 shares in the company on Jan. 31 through one of his investment vehicles.
The transaction, carried out in line with JSE listing requirements, was executed at a purchase price of R49.99 per share, bringing the total transaction value to R79.56 million ($4.25 million). This raised Montanana’s stake in Datatec from 16.45 percent (37,005,480 shares) to 17.16 percent (38,597,046 shares), in line with JSE listing requirements.
Datatec cuts costs, boosts earnings
Founded in 1986, Datatec provides ICT solutions with a focus on cloud services and software, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). Under Montanana’s leadership, the company has expanded to more than 50 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Despite a 5.45 percent drop in revenue to $2.61 billion due to market challenges and currency fluctuations, Datatec posted a 91.75 percent surge in net profit, reaching $30.2 million in the first half of its 2025 fiscal year. The sharp increase was driven by strict cost controls and effective foreign exchange hedging.
Operating costs were cut by 1.87 percent to $322.3 million, leading to a 27 percent rise in EBITDA, which climbed from $80.6 million to $102.5 million. Total assets grew by 2.43 percent to $3.82 billion, reflecting ability to capitalize on opportunities across its global markets.
Montanana’s stake in Datatec tops $100 million
News of Montanana’s latest share purchase lifted investor sentiment, pushing Datatec’s stock up over 4 percent at mid-day on the JSE. The rally increased the company’s market capitalization to R12.38 billion ($663 million). Montanana’s 17.16-percent stake—now 38,597,046 shares—is valued at more than $100 million—R2.024 billion ($108.5 million).
