Former NTT boss Goodall admits hidden role in Campus sale
Former Dimension Data and NTT chief executive Jason Goodall
The admission adds a significant new development to a legal battle that has surrounded the sale of The Campus office park in Bryanston for several years.
In a statement signed on October 5, Goodall acknowledged that he had participated in the transaction from the buyer’s side while also advising NTT, then the seller, in his capacity as a senior executive.
He also identified former Dimension Data executives Jeremy Ord, Steven Nathan, Saki Missaikos and Grant Bodley as having been involved in the arrangement.
According to the statement, the interests were held through nominee structures that concealed the executives’ involvement. Goodall acknowledged that failing to disclose those interests constituted a breach of his duties to the company.
NTT has confirmed the authenticity of the statement. The document appears to form part of a settlement agreement between the parties.
The settlement is notable because it is the first public admission of wrongdoing by one of the former executives implicated in the transaction. The other executives named by Goodall have denied wrongdoing and are challenging an earlier high court judgment.
NTT’s legal representatives have indicated that proceedings against Ord, Nathan, Missaikos, Bodley, Bruce “Doc” Watson and property consultant Martin Epstein remain ongoing.
Disputed property transaction
The controversy relates to Dimension Data’s December 2019 disposal of The Campus, a large office development in Bryanston.
The property was acquired by Identity Property Fund, a consortium led by investment banker Sonja de Bruyn. Dimension Data subsequently remained at the premises as a tenant.
The transaction was reported to have been worth about R1.4bn and also improved Dimension Data’s B-BBEE rating, moving the company from level 4 to level 2.
Concerns about the transaction emerged after a whistle-blower raised questions about undisclosed interests held by executives involved in the deal.
NTT subsequently commissioned an independent forensic investigation. The findings triggered litigation and intensified scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the sale.
In November 2024, the Johannesburg High Court ruled that the transaction was unlawful and ordered that The Campus be returned to Dimension Data, now part of NTT Data.
The court also made an adverse costs order against the former executives and the property company involved in the transaction.
The judgment found that the executives had placed their personal financial interests in conflict with their responsibilities to the company.
Goodall’s settlement now represents a further step in resolving the claims against him, although the wider litigation involving the other former executives continues.
The latest development is likely to keep scrutiny focused on corporate governance, conflicts of interest and executive accountability in major property transactions.