Commented Mabandla, “Alan recently announced his intention to retire by the end of September. The board has conducted a thorough search encompassing both internal and external candidates as we were determined to find the right candidate for the job. Pieter was an obvious choice - his years of experience and track record of success at Vodacom speaks volumes and his appointment ensures continuity and a smooth handover.
“In addition to congratulating Pieter on his appointment, I also want to thank Alan on behalf of the Board for his enormous contribution to Vodacom. His legacy will be long remembered and he will be sorely missed. It therefore gives me great pleasure to make this announcement on behalf of Vodacom's shareholders. ”
Uys joined Vodacom in 1993 and was a founder member of Vodacom's engineering management team. He transferred to the Radio Systems and Planning division in 1995, where he played a major role in the first phase of the planning and roll-out of Vodacom's GSM network, which at the time was allegedly the fastest rollout in the world. Uys was then responsible for the successful launch of Internet service provider Vodacom Internet Company.
After several senior executive roles, including the GM Operations responsible for Vodacom's South African operations and MD of Vodacom SA, Uys was appointed COO of the Vodacom Group in April 2004 and chairman of Vodacom SA in 2005.
In reaction to his appointment, Uys said, “It has been a privilege for me to be involved in Vodacom's growth from the early days of mobile telephony to becoming South Africa's largest mobile communications operator. Under Alan's leadership, the company has achieved formidable growth and his act will be hard to follow. Vodacom has always been a leader in product and service innovation and we will retain that focus as we continue to implement our expansion plans.”
