Increased interest in Vodacom

Vodafone Group Plc
04 November 2005


Not for release, publication or distribution in or into the United States or
Canada


4 November 2005


                    VODAFONE TO INCREASE INTEREST IN VODACOM


Further to its announcement yesterday, Vodafone announces that it has agreed to
purchase the 35.5 million 'B' ordinary shares ('B' Shares) in VenFin Limited
('VenFin') currently owned by the Rembrandt Trust (Pty) Limited at a price of
R47.25 per 'B' Share. The acquisition of the 'B' Shares would give Vodafone a
46.5% voting interest and an 8.0% economic interest in VenFin whose principal
asset is a 15% stake in Vodacom.

Commenting on the transaction, Arun Sarin, Chief Executive of Vodafone said:

'Vodacom has been a highly successful investment for Vodafone and the company is
the established number one mobile operator in South Africa. This transaction
enables us to enhance and protect our position by increasing our stake in a high
growth business with good cash returns. There are highly attractive
opportunities throughout Africa, and this move gives us greater opportunity for
further expansion in the region.'

Purchase of 'B' Shares

The acquisition of the 'B' Shares is conditional on an offer to the shareholders
of VenFin for their ordinary shares being successful and agreement on the terms
of the sale of all the assets and liabilities in VenFin other than Vodacom.
These conditions are waivable by Vodafone. The acquisition is also conditional
on regulatory approvals.

Market purchases and irrevocable undertakings

Vodafone confirms that yesterday it purchased 4.6 million ordinary shares in
VenFin in the market at prices below R47.25. This represents 1.0% of the
economic interest and 0.6% of the voting interest of VenFin.

Vodafone has received irrevocable undertakings to accept an offer for the
Ordinary shares from shareholders holding 192.9 million shares in VenFin
representing 43.4% of the economic interest and 25.2% of the voting interest of
VenFin.

Together with the market purchases these represent 44.4% of the economic
interest and 25.8% of the voting interest in VenFin. When aggregated with the
'B' shares which Vodafone has conditionally acquired, this represents 52.4% of
the economic interest and 72.3% of the voting interest in VenFin.

A further announcement will be made in due course

                                     -ends-


For further information:
Vodafone Group

Investor Relations                     Media Relations
Telephone: [phone]         Telephone: [phone]


Notes to Editors

About Vodafone

Vodafone is the world's leading mobile telecommunications group with operations
in 27 countries across 5 continents with over 165 million proportionate
customers worldwide as at 30 June 2005 as well as 14 partner networks. For
further information, please visit www.vodafone.com.

About Rembrandt Trust

Rembrandt Trust controls 100% of the unlisted B Ordinary shares in VenFin.
Johann Rupert is the director of the trust which also controls 100% of the
unlisted B ordinary shares in South African listed investment company Remgro
Limited. Rembrandt Trust also owns all the unlisted A ordinary shares of M&I,
the company which provides management services to both VenFin and Remgro.

About Vodacom

Vodacom is a South African based pan-African cellular communications company
providing GSM services to over 17 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania,
Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Vodacom's South
African operations also offer a UMTS or 3G service. Vodacom is currently owned
by Telkom 50%, Vodafone 35% and VenFin 15%. For further information, please
visit www.vodacom.co.za.

About VenFin

VenFin is an investment holding company listed on the JSE, focused on
investments in telecommunications, technology, media, financial and risk
services and other private equity businesses and start-up opportunities. For
further information, please visit www.venfin.co.za.

Important information

Any offer will not be made, directly or indirectly, in or into, 
or by use of the mails of, or by any other means or 
instrumentality (including, without limitation, 
telephonically or electronically) of interstate or foreign commerce of, 
or any facilities of a national securities exchange of,
the United States or Canada and the offer is not capable of 
acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility 
or from within the United States or Canada. Accordingly, 
neither copies of this announcement nor any related offer 
documentation are being or may be mailed or otherwise 
distributed or sent in or into or from the United States or Canada.

Cautionary statement regarding forward looking - statements

This press release contains certain 'forward-looking statements'
with respect to our expectations and plans, strategy, 
management's objectives, future performance, costs, 
revenues, earnings and other trend information, including 
statements relating to expected benefits associated with 
the transaction, plans with respect to the transaction, and 
expectations with respect to long-term shareholder 
value growth and the actions of credit rating agencies. 
Forward-looking statements are sometimes, but not always, 
identified by their use of a date in the future or such words 
as 'anticipates', 'aims', 'due', 'could', 'may', 'should', 
'will', 'expects', 'believes', 'intends', 'plans', 
'targets', 'goal' or 'estimates'. By their nature, 
forward-looking statements are inherently predictive, speculative 
and involve risk and uncertainty because they relate 
to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the 
future.

There are a number of factors that could cause actual results 
and developments to differ materially from those 
expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.  
These factors include, but are not limited to: regulatory 
and merger control approvals that may require acceptance of 
conditions with potential adverse impacts; risk involving 
our ability to realise expected synergies and benefits 
associated with the transaction, including benefits associated 
with 3G, GPRS and Vodafone live!TM and other services; 
the impact of legal or other proceedings; the risk that ARPUs 
may decline or may decline more dramatically than expected; 
the risk that credit rating agencies downgrade or give 
other negative guidance with respect to our debt securities 
which may increase our financing costs; and the risk that, 
upon completion of the transaction, we discover additional 
information relating to VenFin's business leading to 
unanticpated costs, charges or write-offs or with other negative implications.

In addition to the factors noted above, please refer to Vodafone's annual
reports for additional factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results and developments to differ materially from the expectations disclosed or
implied within the forward-looking statements made herein. No assurances can be
given that they forward-looking statements in this release will be realised. All
written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Vodafone Group Plc,
any members of Vodafone Group or persons acting on our behalf are expressly
qualified in their entirety by the factors referred to above. Vodafone Group Plc
does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or
revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future developments or otherwise.




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