While time for Telkom to identify and appoint a CEO in the place of outgoing Nombulelo "Pinky Moholi" is running out, the company is still not forthcoming with details as to how far along the process is, or who the contenders for the top job are.
Moholi, Telkom's first female CEO, took the reins of the JSE-listed company in March 2011, becoming the fourth CEO for Telkom in a period of five-and-a-half years. She took over from Jeffrey Hedberg, after he decided early in 2011 not to renew his contract. Hedberg headed the company for eight months.
Moholi, who will have steered Telkom for 18 months when she leaves the company in May, is recognised for her strong team-building and management aptitude, and accredited with being instrumental in, and leading, Telkom's broadband infrastructure project.
Her resignation, in November last year, came as less of a surprise for the industry as it ought to have, due to the precarious position Telkom found itself in at the time.
Moholi abandoned her post about a year before the end of her contract period was up, and less than a month after chairman Lazarus Zim announced he would quit the board. Prior to this, Telkom - which is 39.8% owned by the state - made headlines with government's rejection of a R3.3 billion deal that analysts say would have boosted the company significantly.
On top of this, the future of Telkom still hangs in the balance as government is yet to tell the investor community what options it has to turn around the company after declining the offer.
At the time of Moholi's resignation, Telkom's board of directors was short of eight members and, as such, the company could not immediately set out on the process of finding a new CEO. Moving swiftly to fill the empty seats, Telkom's board had the requisite 14 members by mid-December.
In response to ITWeb's recent inquiry into the process of Telkom's CEO hunt, the company issued a statement that mirrored its original assertion in November: "The board has embarked on a process to identify and appoint a suitable candidate to take over from Ms Moholi as GCEO. The board will make an announcement in this regard when it is appropriate to do so."
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