Cellphone giant MTN has admitted that it furnished the Ethiopian home of African Union commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Sunday Times reported.
MTN corporate affairs CEO 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 of the South African government for South Africans to support the new AU commission chair … 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 continental organisation to occupy this position.”
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 had said it would continue exploring opportunities in developing countries. — Sapa