Keabetswe Modimoeng, the former chairman of communications regulator Icasa, has joined pay-television broadcaster MultiChoice in a senior role.
Modimoeng has joined MultiChoice Africa, which looks after the broadcaster’s interests outside South Africa, as group executive for corporate affairs and stakeholder relations.
He will report to Collen Dlamini, the group executive for corporate affairs. He will also be a member of the MultiChoice Africa executive team, the group said in a statement on Tuesday.
His appointment follows the decision by MTN Group to hire Icasa’s former CEO, Willington Ngwepe, as chief of staff in the office of the telecommunications group’s CEO, Ralph Mupita. That appointment raised questions at the time about the movement of senior regulatory officials into companies they regulate.
Modimoeng’s appointment may prove less contentious given that his new role doesn’t directly involve the South African operation.
Read: Icasa CEO’s move to MTN stokes controversy (paywall)
Modimoeng, a former Sunday Times journalist, led the successful but long-delayed auction last year of radio frequency spectrum for mobile broadband services. He was seen as a successful and capable leader of the Icasa council. He has previously held corporate communications and corporate citizenship roles at Kumba Iron Ore and Samsung Electronics.
“Kea is a seasoned leader with over 15 years’ experience in corporate communications, stakeholder relations, and government and regulatory affairs. He will play a key role in helping us to navigate the challenging and complex communication, stakeholder and regulatory landscape across 49 countries outside South Africa,” said Fhulu Badugela, MultiChoice Africa Holdings CEO, in a statement. – © 2023 NewsCentral Media