Vodaphone weighs up new Vodacom bid
Mobile telecoms provider Vodafone has confirmed that it is in talks with the South African company Telkom to purchase a further 12.5 per cent stake in the two companies' joint venture Vodacom, according to reports.
Reports are also circling that the New York-listed private equity firm Och-Ziff and a consortium of other investors are preparing a bid to buy Telkom, minus the Vodacom stake.
A Vodafone spokesman told Reuters: "We can confirm that we're in discussions with Telkom to buy an additional stake in Vodacom.
"However there are no assurances that such discussions will lead to a transaction being concluded," he added.
According to Bloomberg, the sale of Telkom would constitute the largest foreign investment in a South African firm. A spokesperson for the government told the agency it would "await further details".
Vodafone News posted on 03/06/2008 07:36:20