EXCLUSIVE: MTN vs Vodacom over ‘rigged’ Transnet tender
Court documents shed light on MTN’s bid to overturn Transnet’s decision to award a contract to rival Vodacom
Transnet’s tender process for mobile voice and data services was "marred with irregularities" and the rail operator’s procurement team clearly intended that Vodacom should win the contract, mobile operator MTN says in court papers.MTN has provided these services to Transnet for years, and is refusing to hand them over to its rival after Vodacom was awarded the contract in February.The three parties are this week due to meet in court, where MTN will ask that Transnet’s deal with Vodacom be set aside.At the same time, Transnet and Vodacom have lodged complaints with regulators over MTN’s refusal to port numbers to its competitor. Vodacom says in its court papers that MTN’s unwillingness to play ball is costing it "hundreds of thousands of rands in revenue losses per day".Vodacom was left as the sole bidder for the contract — priced at R325m over three years, the court papers show — after MTN and Cell C were disqualified for filling out their bid documents incorrectly.The process to ap...
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.