The forum, which lobbies for black rights, criticised the mobile
phone operator's decision saying it was retrogressive to plans for the
inclusion of blacks in corporate boardrooms in Africa's most
industrialised country.
South African black lobby disappointed by MTN's new white CEO
South Africa's Black Management Forum (BMF) said it was disappointed by the appointment of white South African Rob Shuter as MTN Group's new CEO and viewed it as a serious blow to giving blacks a larger role in business.
The
forum, which lobbies for black rights, criticised the mobile phone
operator's decision saying it was retrogressive to plans for the
inclusion of blacks in corporate boardrooms in Africa's most industrialised country.
Shuter was named on Monday as the replacement for Sifiso Dabengwa, a black executive who resigned last November after Nigeria imposed a fine on MTN for failing to deactivate more than five million unregistered SIM cards.
"There
is a general unwillingness for transformation at top management level
which has resulted in the decline in the number of black South African
CEOs," BMF President Mncane Mthunzi said in a statement. "These companies are owned by the public and yet they don't reflect the demographics of our society."
MTN spokesman Chris Maroleng had no immediate comment but said the company would respond later via an emailed statement.
Founded
with the government's help after the end of apartheid in 1994, MTN has
been touted as one of South Africa's biggest corporate success stories
with operations in more than 20 countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Since
coming to power at the end of white minority rule, the African National
Congress party has pushed for change in the complexion of the civil
service, the military and state-owned firms, as well national sports teams and private businesses.
The
push has helped many South Africans who were excluded from the
mainstream economy under apartheid and created a solid black middle
class.
MTN executive Phuthuma Nhleko,
also black, was appointed interim executive chairman following
Dabengwa's resignation, with an eye to renegotiating the Nigerian fine
which was initially set at $5.2 billion.
In the
end, MTN agreed this month to pay a 330 billion naira fine ($1.2
billion) and to list its local business on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
MTN is the largest mobile phone operator in Nigeria with 62 million
subscribers and the country accounts for about a third of its revenue.
Nhleko
will revert to his role as non-executive chairman when Shuter starts as
CEO, which is expected to be by July next year at the latest. Shuter,
who has a background in risk management, will be joining MTN from rival
mobile operator Vodafone, where he is currently head of Vodafone Europe.
($1 = 283.0000 naira)
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