Vodacom Group is preparing for a significant change at the top of its board, with veteran business leader Saki Macozoma set to retire as chairperson after a decade with the telecommunications company.
- Macozoma leaves after a decade at Vodacom
- Khumo Shuenyane to take over as chairperson
- Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa also leaving Vodacom board
- Clive Thomson takes over remuneration committee
- Former Airtel Africa CEO joins Vodacom board
- A telecoms veteran with broad African experience
- What the board reshuffle means for Vodacom
- The bigger challenge is beyond the boardroom
Macozoma will step down after reaching the board’s maximum 10-year tenure, with Khumo Shuenyane, currently Vodacom’s lead independent director, appointed as his successor.
The leadership change will take effect on 21 July 2027.
Vodacom described Macozoma’s contribution as significant, crediting him with helping guide the company through its Vision 2025 strategy and into the next phase of its long-term development.
The change is part of a broader reshaping of Vodacom’s board that will also see the departure of Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa and the appointment of former Airtel Africa CEO Segun Ogunsanya.
Macozoma leaves after a decade at Vodacom
Macozoma joined Vodacom’s board in 2017 and has served as chairperson during a period of significant change in the telecommunications sector.
Under his leadership, Vodacom completed its Vision 2025 strategy and began developing Vision 2030, a longer-term plan aimed at transforming the business and positioning it for its next stage of growth.
Vodacom said the board was grateful for his leadership and contribution to the group.
Macozoma’s departure also marks the end of an unusually long corporate association with one of South Africa’s best-known business figures.
Before establishing himself in corporate leadership, he was involved in the struggle against apartheid and was imprisoned on Robben Island alongside Nelson Mandela.
Following South Africa’s transition to democracy, Macozoma entered Parliament before moving into the corporate sector.
His business career included senior positions at major state-linked organisations such as South African Airways and Transnet, helping establish him as one of the country’s prominent business leaders.
Khumo Shuenyane to take over as chairperson
Vodacom has selected Khumo Shuenyane to succeed Macozoma.
Shuenyane currently serves as the group’s lead independent director, giving him substantial experience with Vodacom’s governance structures before taking on the chairperson’s role.
His appointment is scheduled to become effective on 21 July 2027.
The transition also provides Vodacom with an opportunity to maintain board continuity while preparing for a change in leadership.
That continuity could be particularly important as the company works through its Vision 2030 strategy and a telecommunications market being reshaped by digital services, connectivity demand and changing consumer behaviour.
Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa also leaving Vodacom board
Vodacom will see another prominent director depart before Macozoma’s retirement.
Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa will leave the board on 8 October 2026, having served as a director since January 2019.
She currently chairs Vodacom’s Remuneration Committee and sits on the Nomination Committee.
Mahanyele-Dabengwa is also the CEO of Naspers South Africa and serves on its board, making her one of the country’s most prominent corporate executives.
Her departure represents another significant change for Vodacom’s board, particularly given her involvement in remuneration and nomination oversight.
Clive Thomson takes over remuneration committee
Following Mahanyele-Dabengwa’s departure, Clive Thomson will become chairperson of Vodacom’s Remuneration Committee.
He will continue to chair the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, meaning he will retain a key role in the company’s financial, governance and risk oversight.
The arrangement provides some continuity in the board’s committee structure while the wider leadership changes take place.
Former Airtel Africa CEO joins Vodacom board
Vodacom is also bringing considerable African telecommunications experience onto its board through the appointment of Segun Ogunsanya.
Ogunsanya will join as an independent non-executive director from 9 October 2026, immediately after Mahanyele-Dabengwa’s retirement.
His appointment brings more than three decades of leadership experience spanning several industries, including finance, banking, fast-moving consumer goods, telecommunications and corporate governance.
Ogunsanya previously served as group CEO and managing director of Airtel Africa, one of the continent’s largest telecommunications businesses, before retiring from the role in June 2025.
His experience could prove particularly valuable to Vodacom as the company continues to expand its digital and telecommunications operations across African markets.
A telecoms veteran with broad African experience
Ogunsanya’s career has extended well beyond telecommunications.
Vodacom said he has more than 35 years of leadership experience across multiple industries.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University and an honorary Doctor of Science in computer science education from Tai Solarin University.
His background combines technical training with executive experience in large consumer-facing and telecommunications businesses.
For Vodacom, the appointment adds an individual who has spent years operating at the highest levels of Africa’s competitive telecoms industry.
What the board reshuffle means for Vodacom
The changes amount to more than a routine succession exercise.
Vodacom is simultaneously managing the departure of a long-serving chairperson, the retirement of another senior director and the arrival of a former major African telecoms CEO.
That gives the company a mixture of institutional continuity and fresh leadership experience.
Macozoma’s departure is being driven by the completion of his maximum 10-year tenure rather than a sudden leadership change. Meanwhile, Shuenyane’s existing role as lead independent director provides a degree of familiarity with the board’s operations.
The appointment of Ogunsanya adds a different dimension, bringing direct experience from a major rival operating across many of the same African telecommunications markets.
The bigger challenge is beyond the boardroom
Vodacom’s board changes come as telecommunications companies across Africa face a rapidly evolving competitive environment.
Traditional mobile connectivity remains at the centre of the industry, but growth increasingly depends on data consumption, digital financial services, enterprise technology, cloud services and other technology-driven products.
Vodacom’s Vision 2030 strategy will therefore unfold against a sector where the definition of a telecommunications company is becoming increasingly broad.
The board will be responsible for overseeing that transition while balancing investment requirements, shareholder returns, regulatory demands and the needs of millions of customers across its markets.
With the leadership transition now mapped out well in advance, Vodacom has significant time to prepare for Macozoma’s eventual departure.
For a company entering the next stage of its long-term strategy, that orderly succession could be just as important as the names involved.
