Jamesty
The highest-paid telecom CEOs in South Africa are the ones who are making this change happen. The telecoms business in South Africa is always changing, with new technologies like 5G, fiber optics, and digital services changing the way millions of people connect. The sector is expected to make R232.67 billion in revenue in 2024, with an amazing 11.7% year-on-year increase. By the end of 2025, it is expected to reach $16.5 billion, thanks to big companies like Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom investing in broadband infrastructure and mobile technology. These leaders not only deal with changes in regulations, including ICASA’s fight for spectrum allocation and inexpensive data initiatives, but they also promote economic inclusion and technical progress across the continent. We honor these important people who represent the African entrepreneurial spirit at Nubia Magazine through our lively nubiapage platform. This in-depth guide to the top 10 highest-paid telecom CEOs in South Africa for 2025 is based on the most recent financial disclosures and industry benchmarks. It goes into detail about their pay packages, which include base salaries, bonuses, incentives, and benefits, as well as their impressive careers, major accomplishments, and forward-thinking views. These executives make a lot of money because they make important decisions in a market with more than 100 million mobile connections and fibre penetration rates that are rising quickly, reaching more than 20% in cities.
List Of Top 10 Highest Paid Telecom CEOs In South Africa 2025
1. Shameel Joosub
Shameel Joosub is the highest-paid telecom CEO in South Africa, and for the financial year that ended on March 31, 2025, he made R71.1 million before taxes. This is a 15.2% rise from the previous year. This big deal includes a guaranteed basic income of R18.4 million, short-term incentives of R21 million, long-term incentives worth R20.7 million, and further perks based on shares, which total up to a post-tax take-home of R39.1 million. Joosub’s pay is closely linked to Vodacom’s great performance. For example, revenue grew by 12% to R120 billion, thanks to strong data services and financial inclusion products like M-Pesa, which processed over R500 billion in transactions in a year. Mohamed Shameel Aziz Joosub was born in South Africa. He started his career in telecoms in 1994 when he joined Vodacom as a finance executive. He used his qualifications as a chartered accountant and an MBA from the University of Cape Town to get the job. He worked his way up through many positions over the years, including chief financial officer, and became group CEO in 2012. Vodacom has grown to serve 46 million active consumers in nine African nations under his leadership. The company has also led the way in digital health and education. Joosub’s strategic skills were clear when he dealt with regulatory issues like an R6 billion spectrum auction and fines in Tanzania. He also built alliances that made the network stronger against power interruptions. Joosub’s successes kept shining in 2025, when Vodacom’s share price rose 30% year-to-date. This was thanks to investments in 5G infrastructure that covered 85% of urban areas and an R1.2 billion commitment to renewable energy for base stations, which cut carbon emissions by 25%. His leadership style, summed up in the phrase “Connectivity is the backbone of Africa’s digital economy,” has won him many awards, including African CEO of the Year. Joosub is pushing for the use of AI to predict when network maintenance will be needed, which is expected to save R2 billion a year. He is also pushing for fair spectrum allocation to help close the digital gap in rural areas. Joosub has been with Vodacom for more than 30 years and is still the most important person in South African telecommunications. He is a symbol of strength and imaginative progress.
2. Rob Shuter
Rob Shuter is a veteran of the global telecom industry and is the second highest-paid telecom CEO in South Africa. His highest salary as MTN Group CEO in the 2019 financial year was R58.2 million, which was a 35.7% increase from 2018. This plan came with a base pay of R17.3 million plus big bonuses based on how well the business did and how much it grew in the market. Shuter left in August 2020, but he got an extra R74 million in his last months, which included R18.2 million in basic pay and R30.1 million in bonuses. His legacy earnings show how much he changed Africa’s biggest mobile provider. Shuter hails from South Africa and has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Cape Town. His career has spanned more than 30 years, starting with jobs at BT Group and Vodafone in Europe, where he learned how to run huge operations and handle acquisitions. He became the President and CEO of MTN Group in March 2017, taking over a company that was struggling after getting an R14 billion fine in Nigeria and dealing with political tensions in Iran. Shuter quickly reorganized MTN, expanding its customer base to 280 million in 17 markets and branching out into fintech, which brought in R15 billion in sales by 2019. His risky purchases, like the R13 billion purchase of Belgium’s Attica Group, strengthened MTN’s position in e-commerce and digital services. Shuter has moved on to advisory roles by 2025. He is now an independent non-executive director at Royal KPN and Drax Global, where he helps shape their sustainable technology strategy. During his time at MTN, he helped the business become the leader in 5G, which now covers 70% of critical markets, and set up ethical AI principles for data privacy. Even though people were upset by his sudden departure because of board disagreements, Shuter’s pay scheme, which focused on long-term incentives with clawback clauses, set the bar for accountability in the sector. Shuter, who is now 52, still fights for Africa’s tech potential through groups like the World Economic Forum. He wants digital ecosystems that include everyone and give power to places who don’t have it.
3. Mark Levy
Mark Levy, co-CEO of Blue Label Telecoms, which is the business that came up with Cell C, made R37.4 million in total pay for the 2025 financial year. This was an 80% increase from R20.8 million in 2024, thanks to the company’s huge turnaround. The basic salary for this distribution is R12.4 million, and the short-term bonuses are more than R15 million. The long-term incentives are based on a 400% growth in the share price since 2023. Levy is one of the highest-paid telecom CEOs in South Africa. His salary shows how Blue Label has grown from a prepaid distributor to an R20 billion fintech giant that serves 30 million people through mobile services and digital wallets. Mark Steven Levy studied finance and law at the University of the Witwatersrand. He and his brother Brett started Blue Label in 1988, first focused on airtime vouchers and then moving on to electronic payments and telecom infrastructure. Mark has been the joint CEO since 2007. He is in charge of the company’s day-to-day operations and led the reorganization of Cell C, which cut R5 billion in debt and added 1.5 million users with inexpensive 5G bundles. His new ideas, such NFC-enabled wallets that take 40% of the prepaid market, have made Blue Label a pioneer in financial inclusion, especially in rural areas where traditional banking is slow to catch up. Mark’s strategic thinking paid off in 2025 when collaborations brought in R2 billion in funding, allowing fibre to be deployed to 500,000 underserved households and meeting B-BBEE requirements with 51% black ownership. Even though Cell C was almost bankrupt in the past, his work brought back investor trust in the JSE, and profits went up by 150%. Mark’s pay is based on performance and is directly linked to EBITDA goals, which guarantees long-term growth. He sees blockchain integration for remittances in the future, with the goal of bringing in R10 billion in new streams. He also mentors emerging entrepreneurs through industry forums, which strengthens his role as a cornerstone of South African tech resiliency.
4. Brett Levy
Brett Levy, who was Mark’s strategic partner as co-CEO of Blue Label Telecoms, got the same R37.4 million package in 2025. It included the same R12.4 million base compensation, R15 million in bonuses, and incentives from the company’s rapid growth. Brett is one of the highest-paid telecom CEOs in South Africa. His pay shows how well the brothers worked together as leaders to make Blue Label a $140 million profit, mostly from Cell C’s rebirth and the growth of digital services. Brett Marlon Levy has a degree in finance from the University of the Witwatersrand. He has a knack for starting businesses, having co-founded Blue Label in 1988 and taking on the role of CEO in 2007. His concentration on mergers and global partnerships led to businesses going to Laos and Turkey, where they made R5 billion in international sales. Brett arranged for R2 billion in equity injections in 2025, which improved Cell C’s networks to 1Gbps speeds and led to e-health partnerships with the government, bringing the total number of customers to 2 million. He has won the ABSA Jewish Business Achiever Award and been a finalist for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Award, both of which show that he is good at making transactions that change things. The Levys’ combined R74.8 million paycheck has been criticized as too high, although it is fair because Blue Label outperformed JSE standards by 200% and Ozow processed R100 billion a year. Brett wants Africa to go “cashless,” and he talks about ethical fintech even though the government is looking into it. After 2025, he wants to use AI to find fraud in remittances. He has a lot of money on the line in guarantees, which shows that he has skin in the game. Brett’s rise from startup visionary to telecom behemoth is an inspiring story that combines family history with cutting-edge technology.
5. Calvo Mawela
In 2025, Calvo Mawela, CEO of MultiChoice Group, made R35 million, down from R51 million. This was a celebration of the company’s turnaround from an R4 billion loss in 2024 to an R1.8 billion profit. The base salary will go up from R12.4 million to R12.7 million. The rest of the money will come from incentives based on getting 10 million new Showmax subscribers and 18% growth in ARPU through telecom bundles. Mawela’s pay shows how MultiChoice combines broadcasting and mobile data services. He is one of the highest-paid telecom CEOs in South Africa. Calvo Phedi Mawela has a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pretoria and an MBA from Henley Business School. He started working for MultiChoice in 2014 as chief operating officer and became CEO in 2020 during the streaming boom. During his time in office, he cut costs by R2 billion and invested R500 million in local content like Afrikaans series, which kept 20 million households. Mawela’s decision to bundle DStv with Vodacom data plans helped them compete with Netflix and deal with load-shedding problems. This brought back profitability to the Rest of Africa through KingMakers ventures. In 2025, Mawela’s 60% at-risk pay was in line with subscriber numbers, which helped AI personalized recommendations stop people from leaving. His work has had a bigger effect, such as digital inclusion programs that bring in ZAR26.8 billion a year as Africa’s biggest entertainment company. Mawela’s ethical leadership puts MultiChoice in a good position to explore 6G, mentor a wide range of talent, and push for policy changes that will help content creators.
6. Alan Dickson
Alan Dickson, the CEO of Reunert Limited, a key telecom infrastructure provider, made R25.3 million in total pay in 2025. This included a base salary of R6.91 million and performance bonuses from the ICT segment’s fiber optics contracts. This puts him firmly among the highest-paid telecom CEOs in South Africa, thanks to Reunert’s 5% revenue growth to R15 billion and 10% HEPS growth. Dickson, who is 52 years old and has a BSc in Electronics from the University of Pretoria, an MSc in Electrical Engineering from Wits, and an MBA from Wits, joined Reunert in 2006 and became group CEO in 2014. He was promoted from head of the CBi-Electric segment and got R3 billion in 5G deals while improving supply chains to boost revenue by 12%. Dickson’s focus on ESG got high marks for governance, and entering international markets helped the company grow. Dickson’s strategies, like quantum-secure networks and renewable integrations, helped dividends rise 10% in 2025, even though the company was having trouble with power. His tenure, spanning 11 years, has institutionalised innovation, from consulting engineering roots to leading 6,492 employees. Dickson envisions Reunert as a pan-African tech enabler, focusing on ethical AI and rural connectivity.
7. Stephen van Coller
Stephen van Coller, former CEO of EOH Holdings, earned a historical peak of R19 million, with R7.4 million fixed pay in his partial 2024 year before exiting in March 2024. This ranks him among the highest paid telecom CEOs in South Africa for his telecom-cloud services turnaround, slashing debt 90% and restoring profitability to R135 million operating profit in 2023. With roots at Dimension Data and MTN, van Coller’s 2019 EOH appointment rescued the firm from scandal, growing revenue from R6 billion to R16.3 billion. His five-year term institutionalised ethics, earning praise despite succession critiques. In 2025, as a consultant, he advises on African tech opportunities, amassing R336 million in fees since 2018. Van Coller’s philosophy tech-led disruption fuels his post-EOH work, including COVID adaptations and great company building, inspiring ethical leadership in volatile markets.
8. Godfrey Motsa
Godfrey Motsa, drawing from his MTN SA CEO peak of R15.7 million in 2019 (R6.8 million base + R5.6 million bonus), continues influencing telecom-insurtech at TIH. Among the highest paid telecom CEOs in South Africa, his pay reflected growing subscribers to 30 million. An MBA from Thames Valley University, Motsa’s career spans Vodacom, Coca-Cola, and MTN’s SEA VP role before 2017 MTN SA CEO appointment. He drove internet passion, earning R51.4 million in his final 2021 year doubling prior. At TIH in 2025, his AI claims processing boosted efficiency 20%. Motsa’s legacy includes ethical expansions; now, he mentors on digital inclusion, bridging telecom and finance.
9. Mteto Nyati
Mteto Nyati, ex-Altron CEO, earned R14.4 million in performance pay, doubling valuation to $642 million in three years. A highest paid telecom CEOs in South Africa staple for ICT revivals, his 2017-2020 tenure focused on ethics. Yale-educated with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, Nyati’s journey from Afrox engineer to MTN SA CEO includes “Betting on a Darkie.” In 2025, as BSG executive chairman and Eskom interim, he keynote AIE on insurance tech, launching R1 billion startups. Nyati’s awards EY World Entrepreneur 2021 highlight his 25-year impact on diverse leadership.
10. Sbu Shabalala
Sbu Shabalala, Adapt IT founder-CEO, took R2.3 million in 2017, scaling cloud services before 2021 resignation. Among highest paid telecom CEOs in South Africa for software, his R3.66 million 2019 pay reflected growth. A commerce graduate turned electronics enthusiast, Shabalala founded Adapt IT in 1998, valued at R934 million by exit. In 2025, linked to Lotto contracts via Sizekhaya, he consults on cybersecurity, innovating for South Africa’s future. Shabalala’s role-model status inspires Durban entrepreneurs, emphasizing innovation amid challenges.
