Mr Yang gave the impression in his memo that he had been reluctantly thrust into the limelight, saying he had "accepted the board's request" to become chief executive in June last year.

杨致远在备忘录中给人的感觉是，他成为众人注目的焦点并不是心甘情愿的，说他是在去年6月“接受董事会的请求”成为首席执行官的。

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Mr Johnson said he had "reluctantly" accepted Mr Ross's resignation.

BBC: Carphone's Ross quits 2012 role

The BBC's Mohammed Allie in Cape Town, where parliament sits, says Mr Motlanthe accepted the post reluctantly and it took weeks of persuasion by the ANC leadership before he relented.

BBC: Motlanthe: South Africa's safe hands