Telecoms29.07.2014

Telkom CEO drops talk for “emergency meeting”

By Staff Writer

Telkom CEO, Sipho Maseko has pulled out as headline speaker at a Business Networking Dinner at Rand Club on Tuesday (29 July).

This was confirmed by the Rand Club, which informed attendees that Telkom’s head of strategy, Miriam Altman would be taking the CEO’s spot as a guest speaker.

According to the club, Maseko was due to headline the dinner, but had to pull out of the dinner to attend an “emergency board meeting”.

However, Telkom said that there was no full board meeting, and that Maseko was only meeting with chairman, Jabu Mabuza.

Telkom said it could not comment on the subject of the meeting.

Business Network Dinner

Maseko in focus

Telkom’s chief has come under the microscope in the last week, dogged by a number of scandals.

Maseko is currently at the centre of a City of Johannesburg metro police (JMPD) investigation for alleged car licence cloning.

The Star reported on 25 July that Maseko was allegedly driving around using his previous vehicle’s number plates, which were legally being used by businessman Mabena Motshoane, who had purchased Maseko’s old Range Rover.

It reported that Maseko incurred traffic fines totalling R30,000, but that these were sent to Motshoane to pay.

On Tuesday (29 July), Bloomberg reported that Telkom awarded a R91.1 million advisory contract to Bain & Co without following an open bidding process.

According to Bloomberg, documents showed that “there was no record of a published or archived competitive process that led to the selection of Bain, the Boston-based management consulting firm”.

Maseko hired Bain to advise the company on its broadband and mobile strategy, with the group being picked within days of the CEO’s arrival at Telkom on April 1, 2013.