A strong showing from Telkom in its latest results, which were better than the market expected, has quashed the notion that it still believes it’s a government monopoly that has no need for competition.

Telkom, which was once South Africa’s only fixed-line operator with a captive audience that everyone loved to hate, seems to have shaken off the shackles of the past and, despite great odds, has become a worthy contender in the mobile network space.