Image credit: zimeye.org
Information reaching us suggests that TelOne is about to announce the appointment of Chipo Mtasa as new managing director of the company. Mtasa will take over from acting MD, Hampton Mhlanga who, according to our sources, will resume his substantive post of Technical Director of the fixed line operator and internet provider.
A chartered accountant, Mtasa is former Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) Chief Executive Officer, a position she held for about 8 years before resigning last year in March. According to reports, Mtasa was forced to resign from a company that was now saddled with debt and in a loss making position.
Mtasa is taking over the top job at a company that is saddled with even heavier debt, doubtful debts of up to US $300m, a declining fixed line subscriber base, an ADSL service expansion that’s being held down by limited and aged infrastructure, deep government-style customer service problems, and a skills shortage amoung other problems.
TelOne plays a crucial role however in the provision of international bandwidth to Zimbabwe. Through its fibre link to the undersea EASSy cable via Mozambique, the company has the single largest capacity international fibre link into the country at 2.48 Gbps.
TelOne’s ADSL service provides the lowest priced fixed broadband service in Zimbabwe. Competitors have however complained that the government operator has an unfair advantage as other providers have so far been denied providing internet services via TelOne’s telephone infrastructure.
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Chipo had such a torrid time in the private sector, she was forced to resign for RTG following a myriad of bad decision making. She attempted to restructure RTG and plunged it further into crisis. She is known to be heavily connected to the heavy weights in politics and no doubt this could be how she earned that post at telone. She is part of that generation of leaders with loads of papers but no results to prove herself. I hope after strings of failures in the private sector, chipo will be much better this time.
With Telone you don’t have to be good/professional at running a company. You only have to be good/fexible at doing whatever you are told to do. There is so much injustice in the world.
Someone please say something
I thought Eng H Mhlanga was more than qualified and competent to hold such a hot post. The challenges at Telone are not difficult to handle but are very political. To me the outgoing MD was all business and no politics and everyone knew he would not last. To remain at the top in these drained parastatal ones needs to have a lot of dirt on them. Sucking here and milking here and so forth. Well I hope he considers taking all these years of both expirience and knowledge to the private sector.
From a report today by FinX on the appointment of Chipo Mtasa
TelOne new leadership tasked with providing efficient connectivity
HARARE, – Tel-One under its new leadership has the capability to provide efficient connectivity through telecommunications when the country hosts the UNWTO general assembly in August, said Minister of Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development Nicholas Goche.
In a statement read on his behalf by the Permanent secretary in the ministry during the official appointment of Chipo Mtasa as the MD of Tel One, Goche said connectivity during the UNWTO assembly either by road, air or telecommunications will be a critical success factor.
“As we know the UNWTO will be held in Victoria Falls in August and connectivity, whether by road, air or telecommunications will be a critical success factor. As a Ministry we believe that Tel-One under the new leadership, will be able to rise to the occasion,” said Goche.
Goche applauded the appointment of Mtasa as MD saying her extensive experience will greatly assist in revatilising Tel One so it can meet its vision of being the leading telecommunications company in Zimbabwe.
“In order for such a vision to be achieved, Tel One needs to restructure in order to strengthen its already existing infrastructure and asset base. Mtasa’s experience will greatly assist in this process,” Goche said.
Mtasa who headed Rainbow Tourism group (RTG) till March 2012 takes over the MD position which has been under the stewardship of Hampton Mhlanga the company’s Technical Director.
Goche thanked Mhlanga and TelOne management team for their leadership , which he says has seen an increase in infrastructure projects after the introduction of the multi currency system. Goche cited various projects which were carried out during Mhlanga’s tenure and these include the Harare- Mutare and Harare-Bulawayo optic fibre backbone transmission links and introduction of faster internet services through ADSL technology.
“ I would like to thank Mhlanga and the Tel One Management team for their steady leadership of Tel One at a time when infrastructure projects increased substantially during the introduction of the multi currency monetary regime in 2009,” said Goche.
Goche however said the lack of a substantive MD at Tel One since 2007 had created a leadership vacuum which had seen the company suffer at a strategic level.
“ In spite of these achievements, the company has suffered at a strategic level from the leadership vacuum,” Goche said.
He said the communications sector is fast changing on the back of evolving technology and service innovations, and so these changes require organic business strategies that can adapt quickly to these innovations. Goche added that the infrastructure also needed to be in place and robust enough to accommodate these new service demands.
He said all these changes needed substantial investment in the right technologies so that an operator doesn’t lag behind.
Goche said this was all a delicate balancing act not only Tel One and its management but also others in the telecom sector are constantly confronted with.
Speaking at the same occasion Tel One chairman Amos Mushanenga said they were pleased with their decision to appoint Mtasa, who they selected after a vigorous selection process from 250 other candidates who applied for the job even from as far as the Diaspora.
Source: FinX
Well done, now we are going to have “Telephone Holiday Packages”.
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