Vodacom Tanzania MD Sitho Mdlalose has been appointed as Vodacom South Africa MD, effective July 1, succeeding Balesh Sharma, who is stepping down at the end of June to pursue an external career opportunity.

Mdlalose, who has been Vodacom Tanzania MD since August 2021, will return to South Africa to take up the role and join the Vodacom Group executive committee, reporting directly to Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub.

“I am confident that Mdlalose is the ideal candidate to lead Vodacom South Africa in a challenging economic climate that will require proactive innovations to adjust to shifts in customer behaviour. His in-depth experience, financial and business acumen, strong interpersonal skills and proven track record make him an obvious choice for this important role,” said Joosub.

Mdlalose is a qualified chartered accountant and a Harvard Business School senior executive programme graduate, with over 20 years of experience in finance, consulting and management, 13 of which have been in telecommunications across both emerging and developed markets.

He worked for Vodafone Group for over six years prior to joining Vodacom Group and has held various leadership roles including CFO for International Business.

Before being appointed as Vodacom Tanzania MD in 2021, he was Vodacom South Africa interim group CFO and FD.

“During his short tenure at Vodacom Tanzania, Mdlalose demonstrated solid leadership in driving the delivery of Vodacom’s business strategy. His charismatic leadership has been a strong asset to rally support amongst key stakeholders surrounding the business, including policymakers, customers and staff. Mdlalose has also led the Tanzania business through multiple strategic negotiations which have positioned its operations for recovery and future growth,” Joosub commented.

Mdlalose’s successor in Tanzania will be announced in due course.