Note 12: Financial risk management

Notes to the condensed consolidated provisional annual financial statements

for the year ended 31 March 2014

12. Financial risk management
Exposure to continuously changing market conditions has made management of financial risk critical for the Group. Treasury policies, risk limits and control procedures are continuously monitored by the Board of Directors through its Audit Committee and Risk Committee.

The condensed consolidated provisional annual financial statements do not include all financial risk management information and disclosures required in the annual financial statements, and should be read in conjunction with the Group's annual financial statements as at 31 March 2014. The Group enters into derivative transaction as hedging instruments from the current financial year.

12.1 Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due. The Group is exposed to liquidity risk as a result of uncertain cash flows as well as capital commitments of the Group.

Liquidity risk is managed by the Group's Treasury team in accordance with policies and guidelines formulated by the Group's executive committee. In terms of its borrowing requirements the Group ensures that sufficient facilities exist to meet its immediate obligations.

Compared to the 2013 financial year-end, there was no material change in the contractual undiscounted cash out flows for financial liabilities.

12.2 Fair Value of financial instruments
The carrying amount of financial instruments approximate fair value, with the exception of interest-bearing debt (at amortised cost) which has a fair value of R4,752 million (2013: R7 661 million) and a carrying amount of R4,096 million (2013: R6,657 million) (refer to note 13).

The estimated net fair values as at the reporting date, have been determined using available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies as outlined below. This value is not necessarily indicative of the amounts that the Group could realise in the normal course of business.

Derivatives are recognised at fair value. The fair values of derivatives are determined using quoted prices or, where such prices are not available, a discounted cash flow analysis is used. These amounts reflect the approximate values of the net derivative position at the reporting date. The fair values of listed investments are based on quoted market prices.

The fair values of the borrowings disclosed above are based on quoted prices or, where such prices are not available, the expected future payments discounted at market interest rates. As a result they differ from carrying values.

The fair value of receivables, bank balances, repurchase agreements and other liquid funds, payables and accruals, approximate their carrying amount due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.

12.3 Fair value hierarchy
The table below analyses financial instruments carried at fair value and amortised cost, by valuation method.

The different levels have been defined as follows:
a) Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1).
b) Inputs other than quoted prices, that are observable for the asset or liability (level 2).
c) Inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (level 3).

The following table presents the Group's assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value and amortised cost:

Financial risk management (continued)

Fair value hierarchy (continued)

The fair value of the financial assets and financial liabilities are sensitive to exchange rate and interest rate movements. The Rand depreciated against major currencies for the financial year resulting in unrealised fair value gains. The volatility of the exchange rates also had an impact on the fair values of these instruments.

close