Vodacom appoints a new managing executive in province

MBOMBELA – Mpumalanga-born Mr Mpumelelo Khumalo has been appointed as the head for Vodacom’s operations in the province. Khumalo recently assumed his new status of managing executive for the network in the region.

Khumalo joined Vodacom in 2000 when the company was just six years old as a technical officer in network planning in the Sandton office.

His primary responsibilities were mainly on radio access points of the Global System for Mobile Communications network. Two years later, he was promoted to a specialist position where he focused on core network elements.

In 2006, more responsibilities were added to his plate. He was promoted to senior specialist officer where he managed a team of six individuals in delivering network roll-out, network performance and dimensioning.

Although Vodacom has a great footprint in the province, covering 99,5 of the province’s population, Khumalo has big ambitions for the network in the region.

“We want to make sure that we connect everyone, whether they live in the cities or in the rural areas, and that takes investment,” he said.

Khumalo, who has a decade and a half of experience at Vodacom, was previously the executive head: technology for Vodacom in the Eastern Cape and will be placing particular emphasis on customer care, the network, and also building Vodacom’s business and public sector footprint in Mpumalanga.

“For this financial year we’ll invest over R150 million to build new base stations and connect them with our own high-speed transmission. On a practical basis this will mean wider coverage, faster data, and better call quality for the people of Mpumalanga,” said Khumalo.

With respect to customer care, Khumalo will focus on both the in-store experience and also making sure that any network queries raised via the call centre are dealt with quickly and efficiently.

“We have realised that price alone doesn’t win customers, but a great network and responsive customer care will. This financial year alone, we will roll out an additional 400 sites across the province as well as upgrade current sites and increase the capacity given the increased demand, specifically on data.

“We are also looking to overhaul the way we service our customers in all our stores and contact centres,” he added.

In addition to ramping up Vodacom’s activity on the consumer side of the business, Khumalo have his sights set on supplying services to businesses and the public sector.

“Vodacom Business is one of SA’s leading suppliers of enterprise services – everything from connectivity and cloud solution. Mpumalanga’s position as a commercial gateway and thriving tourism, the business sector has seen a strong growth. Our view is that the businesses of this province can benefit from the productivity gains and cost savings Vodacom Business can deliver,” he mentioned.

Khumalo said that the network was excited about the business growth that the province would realise over the next three to five years through the government and the private sector, and for that reason they were strengthening the network to cater for the growth.

In 2008 when Vodacom opened a new region in Limpopo he was appointed as manager in network planning. His achievement in the region was to successfully host the continent’s biggest event in Moria where more than three million congregants of the Zion Christian Church attend their pilgrimage over Easter.

During his tenure the region’s market share rose from 54 per cent in 2008 to 63 per cent in 2013, and the customer experience improved.

From 2013 until the first half of this year he was executive head: technology for Vodacom operations in the Eastern Cape.