The second national operator (SNO) hearings that took place on 17 and 18 July provided the arena for a spin-off political pantomime. While CommuniTel and Two Consortium battled it out for the controlling share of South Africa`s SNO on centre stage, Nexus Connection, already in position as the 19 percent black equity partner, fiercely guarded its empowerment turf.

Highly suspicious of CommuniTel`s partnership with the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veteran`s Association, Nexus spokesperson Kennedy Memani demanded guarantees that his company would be the sole appointer of black empowerment candidates within the SNO. "We don`t want black-on-black violence in the boardroom," he asserted.

CommuniTel`s unwillingness to provide such assurances was in stark contrast to the glib guarantees offered the next day by Two Consortium. Wary of this company`s alliance with Blue Planet, a black empowerment company, Memani pushed for a commitment from it as well. Blue Planet offered assurances that while it is a black empowerment company, in this instance it would prefer to be regarded purely as a business partner, ceding the black empowerment role to Nexus. Satisfied by this, Memani moved on.