Court temporarily restores licence of Vimpelcom Zimbabwe unit

May 8, 2015 7:12 AM

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's High Court has ruled that the local operation of telecoms group Vimpelcom should be allowed to continue operating while it appeals the cancellation of its licence, the company said on Friday.

Qualified carpenter Alex Mhazo sells mobile phone cards in central Harare, in this picture taken April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

The southern African country's telecoms regulator last week revoked Telecel's licence and gave it 30 days to cease operations.

On Friday Telecel, which is majority owned by Netherlands-based Vimpelcom, said the court had on Thursday suspended the scrapping of the permit, pending an appeal to the Minister of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

"We trust that after a full and fair hearing, our license will be restored permanently so we can continue to serve our customers to a high standard and without disruption," it said in a statement.

Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory of Zimbabwe lawyer James Muzangaza confirmed the court ruling.

Earlier this week, ICT Minister Supa Mandiwanzira said Telecel must sell a majority stake in the company to local black investors if it wanted to continue operating.

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