JOHANNESBURG - Telkom has confirmed its CEO, Nombulelo “Pinky” Moholi, has resigned.
She notified the board of the parastatal on Friday of her intention to step down before the end of her contract period.
Moholi has indicated she will serve out her six-month notice period.
She is the latest in a string of leaders at Telkom to resign from the organisation over the past few years.
TechCentral spokesperson Duncan McLeod said he suspected this latest move was the result of a fallout with government.
“I don’t think this was entirely unexpected. I think that there has been a lot of tension between government, particularly the Ministry of Communications, and top Telkom management.
“Cabinet, through the DOC, blocked the deals that Telkom management was pushing forward with Korean company KT Corporation.”
The two companies had opened talks that would have given South Korea’s Telecom operator a 20 percent stake in Telkom.
Moholi on Monday told Eyewitness News she was not yet commenting on her resignation, but that she could make a statement at a later stage.
The relationship between Moholi and Communications Minister Dina Pule was further strained last week, when the minister apparently vetoed the election of four directors.
Analysts have suggested that Moholi’s job must be impossible, given the interference by government, which has a 39.8 percent stake in the telecoms operator.
Telkom has had five CEOs over the past seven years.
Independent non-executive director Neo Dongwana has also resigned.
Meanwhile, the Communications Ministry said it has not yet been informed of Moholi’s resignation.
