Niel Schoeman is stepping down as CEO of fibre-to-the-home provider Vumatel with immediate effect. He’s not leaving the company, however, and will take on the role of executive chairman.
In a statement on Monday, Vumatel said Dietlof Mare will take the reins as CEO from Schoeman effective 7 May 2018. Mare, who has 14 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, has previously been CEO of Vodafone in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania as well as in Albania.
“Vumatel has a rapidly growing customer base and network and we need to balance growth with operational excellence. We are excited to bring Dietlof’s experience into the business to help us to achieve these objectives,” Schoeman said in the statement.
As executive chairman, Schoeman will be freed to focus on “pioneering and transformational projects”, Vumatel said. “These projects include closing the digital divide and building smarter, safer cities…”
Last year, TechCentral broke the news that Vumatel plans to offer uncapped 100Mbit/s fibre to the home in townships across South Africa — at just R89/month. The company plans to start the roll-out as a proof of concept in Alexandra, a low-income, high-density township north of Johannesburg.
Vumatel, meanwhile, has held talks about a possible acquisition by Dark Fibre Africa. The status of those discussions is not known. — (c) 2018 NewsCentral Media
