Maziv nabs Phila Dube from rival Openserve

Fiber infrastructure company Maziv, which owns Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, has appointed Phila Dube as its group chief commercial officer.

Dube comes to Maziv after 26 years in various senior roles at Telkom SA, most recently serving as chief commercial officer at Openserve, Telkom SA's wholesale division, which became a standalone entity on September 1, 2022.

Maziv Group CEO Dietlof Mare said Dube's extensive experience in the sector and understanding of customer needs aligned well with the company's vision for the future. 

"Dube is the ideal candidate to drive our commercial strategies forward across our consumer, enterprise and carrier brands," Mare said.

According to the company, as the new group chief commercial officer at Maziv, Dube will concentrate on developing the group's overall commercial strategy and finding innovative ways to engage and serve its diverse customer segments.

Dube's Maziv plans

"My priority is to deeply understand our enterprise, carrier and mass market customers, and identify ways to help them succeed in their strategic goals. By aligning our offerings and engagement models to their evolving needs, I believe we can unlock tremendous value and have a meaningful impact on communities," Dube explained.

He also emphasized the importance that network providers play in advancing digital literacy in South Africa.

Related:SA Competition Tribunal prohibits Vodacom-Maziv deal

"At the end of the day, people can only consume what they understand. Unless fiber is seen as a basic necessity, like bread, rather than a luxury or technical concept, widespread adoption will remain a challenge," he continued.

Maziv, which owns Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, has appointed Phila Dube as its group chief commercial officer. (Source: Maziv)

Dube added that being in the commercial role affords him the best opportunity to help drive adoption and make a meaningful impact on ordinary people's lives.

"Creating a more enabling environment is crucial to driving innovation, increasing accessibility and fostering equitable growth across the sector. These are the opportunities I am excited to pursue in my new role," he said.

Dube holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science degree from Unisa, a Master of Business Leadership from the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership, a certificate in Executive Leadership Development from the Institute for Management Development in Switzerland and has completed the Senior Executive Program for Africa at Harvard Business School.

His appointment comes after the South African Competition Tribunal prohibited a proposed merger between telecoms operator Vodacom and Maziv worth $790 million last year.

The Tribunal's decision led to the Minister of South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) filing an appeal against it.

The Minister asked for the court to uphold the appeal and approve the merger subject to the conditions proposed by the merging parties.