Cisco recently withdrew from President Thabo Mbeki's international technology advisory group, citing a potential conflict of interests. 

According to report in Business Day, the networking giant recently pulled out of the group because then-GM Clive Flynn perceived a conflict between advising government on IT directions and selling technology to government entities.
The advisory group, consisting of international IT leaders, was set up to advise on ICT deployment to boost the country socially and economically.
Business Day speculates that the decision to withdraw may also have been influenced in part by frustration, as advice given was often not turned into action.