Telkom has appointed Jabulane Mabuza as its chairman with immediate effect. Mabuza was appointed to the board as a nonexecutive director earlier this week.

Mabuza fills the role of chairman left vacant by the resignation at Telkom’s annual general meeting last month of Lazarus Zim. Lead independent nonexecutive director Sibusiso Luthuli had been expected to the fill the role but he was voted off the board when communications minister Dina Pule voted against his reelection.

Pule also voted against the election or reelection of three other nonexecutive directors, throwing Telkom’s board into crisis as it did not have a quorum to appoint a new chairman or even to accept the recent resignation of group CEO Nombulelo Moholi.

Mabuza is also deputy chairman of Tsogo Sun Holdings and serves on the boards of Ampleray Investments, Eglin Investments, Hydrop Investments and Kuncedzana Investments.

According to Telkom, he obtained executive skills by attending several courses, including the Effective Leadership Program at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the Executive Development Program: Financial Statement Analysis from the John E Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California. — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media