Under-fire MTN CEO assures staff their concerns will be addressed

MTN group CEO Ralph Mupita has moved swiftly to allay employees’ concerns following allegations from multiple sources against his leadership, favouritism and underperformance of the group.

He told staff the company had governance processes in place to address all employee matters, including those concerning senior leadership. 

This comes after Sunday Times reported there was a revolt from executives at Africa’s biggest mobile network operator who were unhappy about Mupita’s leadership style, what they perceived as a lack of accountability and favouritism. 

In a note to employees on Monday, Mupita said: “Some of you may have seen the Sunday Times article yesterday in which various allegations were made about our company. I thought it was important that you hear directly from me about our position on the matters raised in the article.”

Mupita said these matters were being addressed by the MTN board.

He said the board was going through the necessary processes to understand the matters. He reminded staff of MTN’s communication policy and where to address any queries. “Again, we are committed to continuing working in the best interest of our stakeholders, including yourselves, our valued MTNers. As the group board works through its processes, I encourage all of us to remain focused on delivering on our operational strategic priorities.” 

Last week, sources told Sunday Times Mupita’s close relationship with a top female group executive was at the heart of the issue, with accusations that he dished out favours to her and had even tried to illegally usurp some of their executive responsibilities and give them to the executive, whose name is known to the Sunday Times. 

So serious is the matter that it was discussed in a group board meeting held in China in 2024. It is also at the centre of an anonymous complaint laid by a whistle-blower, which has prompted the board to appointment a law firm to investigate this and other allegations, including that a culture of fear permeates the company. 

Multiple sources in and outside the group have said the board is divided and some executives are strongly pushing back against Mupita.

Another source said Mupita was on “borrowed time”, especially given the poor financial performance of the group. Mupita joined MTN in 2018 as CFO and became CEO in September 2020 on a five-year contract.

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