MTN furnishes Dlamini-Zuma's home

Nkosana Dlamini-Zuma (Image: GCIS)

MTN's corporate affairs chief executive Paul Norman told the newspaper the company decided to buy the furniture for the AU house in Addis Ababa because it had not been refurbished in more than a decade.

"MTN also heeded the call from the South African government for South Africans to support the new AU commission chairman with furnishings.

"Her historic election is a major success for South African foreign policy. She is the first woman in the 50 years of this organisation to occupy the position of chairman," Norman said.

According to the report, MTN had also been linked to politicians in markets it entered elsewhere in Africa, including former Liberian president Charles Taylor and his friend Emmanuel Shaw. Both are being prosecuted for war crimes.

In Ivory Coast, MTN reportedly provided assistance to Laurent Gbagbo, who was ousted from the presidency in the country's civil war.

The Sunday Times reported that MTN said it would continue exploring opportunities within developing countries.

Source: Sapa via I-Net Bridge