Global telecom giant Vodafone is in exclusive talks about a 16bn rand ($2.4bn; £1.35bn) deal to raise its stake in Vodacom, South Africa’s leading mobile phone operator, to 50%. Vodafone already owns 35% of Vodacom, which has 14 million customers in South Africa and is also present in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Lesotho and Tanzania.