The group has adopted AC 140 "Business Combinations" ("AC 140"), AC 128
(revised) "Impairment of Assets" ("AC 128") and AC 129 (revised) "Intangible
Assets" ("AC 129"), the SA GAAP equivalents of IFRS 3, IAS 36 "Impairment of
Assets" ("IAS 36") and IAS 38 "Intangible Assets" ("IAS 38") on 1 April 2004.
As discussed previously the group elected to apply IFRS 3 with effect from 20
December 2002 in terms of the exemption provided under IFRS 1. Owing to this
application of IFRS 3, the group has also applied the principles of IAS 36 and
IAS 38 from that date.
The group has therefore ceased the amortisation of goodwill and intangible
assets with indefinite useful lives with effect from 20 December 2002 under
IFRS. The goodwill balances and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives
have been tested for impairment in terms of the principles of IAS 36 from the
same date.
(3) IFRS 3: Transactions with minority shareholders
As discussed above the group has elected to apply the principles of IFRS 3 to
all business combinations as from 20 December 2002. Under SA GAAP, before the
adoption of AC 140, the group accounted for transactions with minority
shareholders by allocating the cost of the transaction to identifiable tangible
and intangible assets at their fair values at the transaction date and
recognising goodwill relating to the excess of the cost over the acquirer's
interest in the net fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities.
After the adoption of AC 140 on 1 April 2004, the group applied the modified
parent company model and allocated the full excess of the cost of the
transaction with minority shareholders over the acquirer's interest in
previously recognised assets and liabilities to goodwill under SA GAAP.
In terms of IFRS 3, the group has elected to account for transactions with
minority shareholders as equity transactions in terms of the economic entity
model. Under this model, any excess of the cost of the transaction over the
acquirer's interest in previously recognised assets and liabilities is
allocated to a separate component of equity.
The impact of the adoption of IFRS 3 as from 20 December 2002 has led to the
derecognition of all intangible assets, all adjustments to the fair value of
tangible assets and all goodwill accounted for under SA GAAP that resulted from
transactions with minority shareholders since that date.
(4) IAS 38: Recognition of intangible assets
Before the adoption of AC 131 "Business Combinations" and AC 128 "Intangible
Assets" on 1 April 2000, the group accounted for all intangible assets
purchased and acquired in business combinations against shareholders' equity.
In terms of the requirements of IFRS 1, IAS 38 should be applied
retrospectively, therefore the group is required to recognise all intangible
assets that have previously been recognised in the group's financial statements
and that meet the recognition and measurement criteria of IAS 38. On
transition to IFRS the group has therefore re-instated all intangible assets
previously accounted for against shareholders' equity under SA GAAP that meet
the recognition and measurement requirements of IAS 38.
(5) IAS 16: Useful lives and residual values
IAS 16 "Property, plant and equipment" ("IAS 16") differs in certain respects
from the previous SA GAAP equivalent, AC 123 "Property, plant and equipment"
("AC 123"), applied by the group until 31 March 2005. IAS 16 states that an
entity is required to measure the residual value of an item of property, plant
and equipment as the amount the entity estimates it would receive currently for
the asset if the asset were already of the age and in the condition expected at
the end of its useful life. The group has previously under SA GAAP accounted
for residual values based on the requirement of AC 123 that regards residual
value as the net amount that the entity expected to obtain for the asset at the