In a surprise move, Openserve CEO Althon Beukes has stepped down from his role heading up SA's largest fibre network operator after 30 years with the company, Telkom said on Friday.
The fixed-line operator, which said Beukes was leaving to pursue “new career challenges”, said he played a pivotal role in successfully aligning and integrating Openserve into the group’s “ambitious vision to become a leading infrastructure company, positioning Telkom as the backbone of the nation’s digital future”.
It said the recent strong financial results were testament to the success of executing this strategy.
Openserve improved its fibre to the home (FTTH) connectivity rate by 2.9 percentage points in the period to 49.7%. The unit continued to push its fibre rollout, increasing homes passed by 11.4% and homes connected by 18.1% year on year.
The focus for the group has been on modernising its network with updated fibre technology, which has resulted in a shift in the group's revenue mix with new generation revenue now contributing 80.9% to operating revenue, up from 74.4% in the previous comparable period.
The group said the appointment of a new CEO would be finalised upon completion of a formal recruitment process.
Selby Khuzwayo has been appointed Openserve’s acting CEO. Khuzwayo has been with Telkom for 34 years and is currently the chief regional officer for the group’s north zone, which includes Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga.
Khuzwayo takes the helm at a time when investment in fibre infrastructure is heating up, exemplified by Vodacom and Remgro’s mission to combine their fibre assets under one umbrella.
“We deeply appreciate Althon Beukes’ leadership and dedication over the years. His vision and commitment have set Openserve up for continued success. We thank him for his service to Telkom and our nation and wish him all the best in his next chapter,” said Telkom CEO Serame Taukobong.
“Althon is bound to be successful in whatever he does, and we will be there to applaud him in his next endeavour” Taukobong said.
On his departure, Beukes said: “After many successful years at Telkom, I believe it’s the right time to seek new career challenges and allow fresh leadership to guide Openserve into the future under OneTelkom. I leave behind a strong and capable leadership team, fully committed to driving the continued success of this business in the new strategic trajectory of Telkom’s future.”
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