One sympathises, of course. Telkom surely pays senior executives a lot better than the public purse rewards a humble servant of the people. And I couldn`t in all honesty decry the virtuous capitalist ambition of the pursuit of wealth and happiness.

In the absurd world of South African telecommunications policy and regulation, Kekana`s presence was a rare highlight. While it frequently seems as if neither the executive nor the legislature has a clue about telecommunications law, Kekana, as chairman of the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications, was one that did his homework.