Mxit has appointed Francois Swart to take over permanently as CEO after he stepped into the role in an acting capacity after Alan Knott-Craig Jnr left last October.
Mxit is a South African-created mobile social network with 7.4 million monthly active users, of which 6.5 million are in SA.
Shareholder Paul Harris says: "Francois has been the de facto CEO for almost a year now and has the respect and trust of his management team, staff and the shareholders. This comes from proactively leading and transforming the business to what it is today. Mxit is in a great position right now and this is in part due to the leadership he has displayed."
Knott-Craig's sudden resignation was prompted by a difference in opinion between him and the company's shareholders on how to execute its vision. He has since emerged as the man behind Project Isizwe, which is covering Tshwane with free WiFi.
"It's an exciting time to be leading Mxit... The mobile landscape is a very dynamic and competitive space, much more so now than when Mxit first entered the market. What we have lacked in the past is a strong smartphone presence," says Swart.
"But that is changing. Over the last year we've refined our strategy to respond to the changing environment and to re-focus on what we're really good at, and what our users love about the platform.
"Our top priority over the next few months is to show the business community what a powerful platform Mxit is to reach the youth of SA."
Mxit has said it wants to grow aggressively and boost its user base to 20 million this year.
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