Vodacom Tanzania admits Labour Commissioner denied Sylvia Mulinge work permit

Ms Sylivia Mulinge [Photo: Courtesy]

Sylivia Mulinge who had been appointed as the chief executive officer for Vodacom was denied a work permit by Tanzania Labour Commissioner.

The Telco operator confirmed this statement adding that it was set to advertise and recruit a new CEO to replace Sylivia Mulinge. The mobile telecom operator said, “Vodacom Tanzania remains fully committed to identifying a candidate that will not only inspire confidence in investors but also have the requisite governance capability as CEO of a listed company.”

Ms Sylivia Mulinge was appointed the CEO of Tanzania based Vodacom but was denied a work permit by the country’s authorities a move that saw Vodacom appoint Hisham Hendi to replace her in an acting capacity.

Vodacom through chairman Ali Mufuruki in a statement said, “Naturally, we are disappointed, and we regret the Labour Commissioner’s decision. We will be engaging with the authorities. We are confident that Vodacom Tanzania has a strong management team in place to lead the company effectively until the search for a suitable candidate is finalized.”

The news came about when Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore reappointed Ms Mulinge as director for Special Projects a position where she is expected to report directly to the chief executive officer, an appointment which will take effect from October 1, 2018.  

Ms Mulinge was expected to start working for Vodacom as the chief executive officer as at June 1, 2018.