Johann Rupert and Koos Bekker struck a deal to save Vodacom and MTN

• Johann Rupert and Koos Bekker struck a deal with Cyril Ramaphosa to give trade unions a 5% shareholding in Vodacom and MTN in exchange for letting them retain operating licenses after Apartheid ended.
• The agreement was made in the early 1990s, when the Apartheid government issued mobile telecoms licences to Vodacom and MTN, and was facilitated by a meeting between Rupert, Bekker, and Ramaphosa.
• The deal enabled the new telecommunications firms to remain private and retain their operating licenses, while also supporting the trade unions, and has been seen as a key factor in the growth of Vodacom and MTN into two of Africa's biggest companies.