KHAYA SITHOLE: Telkom sale is a hot potato for Ramaphosa
Political elites linked to MTN and his brother-in-law’s ownership of Rain will create a political minefield
Twenty-five years ago the government opened up to the idea of privatising state assets by selling a 30% stake in Telkom to the Thintana group. The big idea was to illustrate the new ANC government’s embrace of big international capital, and also to secure a windfall from the sale of the stake.
At that stage the world of communications was still dominated by fixed-line operators like Telkom, even though the advance of mobile operators was slowly gathering steam across the globe. Since then the evolution of Telkom from a monolithic business to an agile operator able to compete with its bigger rivals — MTN and Vodacom — has been a story of steady progress...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.