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South African Telkom Sells Loss Making Mauritius IT business

South African Telkom Sells Loss Making Mauritius IT business

South Africa’s state owned fixed-line telecoms operator Telkom has sold its loss-making Mauritius internet business for undisclosed amount as it moved to concentrate on its main market in Africa’s largest economy, Reuters reported.

Telkom said the Mauritius unit, iWayAfrica, was not a core business. “This transaction is one of many initiatives that will contribute to our own turnaround, allowing us to focus on our core South African fixed-line and mobile operations,” chief executive Sipho Maseko said.

Telkom, in which the government and the state pension fund hold a combined stake of just over 51 percent, has been facing stiff competition from mobile operators, Reuters said.

Maseko, the sixth CEO since 2005, has been pushing for cost reductions, which include cutting jobs. Telkom is said to be in talks with some parties over the future of its mobile business in South Africa, which lags rivals MTN Group and Vodacom.