Mangale exits Absa board as Seacom investigation continues
Seacom CEO Alpheus Mangale
Alpheus Mangale’s departure from Absa’s board marks a further development in the controversy surrounding his leadership of Seacom, where he has been placed on special leave pending an independent investigation.
Absa confirmed that Mangale resigned as an independent non-executive director with effect from 8 October 2026, citing personal reasons and future commitments.
In a notice to shareholders, the bank acknowledged his contribution since his appointment in July 2023. During his tenure, Mangale served on the Group Risk and Capital Management Committee, Remuneration Committee and Information Technology Committee.
His resignation follows Seacom’s decision to appoint an independent firm to investigate complaints relating to the management of the business. The specific allegations have not been publicly detailed in the information available.
Remgro executive Pieter Uys, whose company holds a 30% stake in Seacom, has sought to temper concerns surrounding the matter, suggesting its seriousness may have been overstated. He expressed hope that the process would be concluded soon, potentially enabling Mangale to return to his duties.
Seacom appoints interim chief executive
Seacom has appointed group chief financial officer Charl Slabbert as interim CEO while the investigation proceeds.
The company described Slabbert as an experienced executive with more than 26 years of experience in finance, strategy and operations across Africa and the UK. He is also a chartered accountant.
Seacom said its board was overseeing the process and that normal business operations would continue.
Mangale was not available for comment at the time of reporting.
His departure from Absa also brings renewed attention to his previous exit from Standard Bank in June 2022, where he served as group chief engineering officer. His resignation followed a series of significant system outages at the bank.
A pivotal period for Seacom
Mangale took over as Seacom CEO on 1 April 2023, bringing extensive experience in telecommunications and technology leadership.
Before joining the submarine cable operator, he spent 16 years at Dimension Data, now part of NTT, in senior positions that included chief technology officer, chief operating officer and client experience director across Africa and the Middle East.
His career also included leadership roles at Cisco Systems South Africa and MTN Business.
During his tenure at Seacom, Mangale became closely associated with the company’s planned infrastructure expansion, including the Seacom 2.0 submarine cable project announced in 2025.
The proposed system is designed to build on the original cable route while introducing additional connections to expand capacity and connectivity across Africa and international markets. Its maximum design capacity is expected to reach 2,000 terabits per second.
Uys has credited Mangale with playing a significant role in advancing the project, describing the investigation as an interruption to the work under way at the company.
The immediate priority for Seacom is to maintain operational stability and progress its infrastructure plans while the independent review runs its course.
The circumstances surrounding Mangale’s special leave and subsequent resignation from Absa remain subject to further clarification. Until the investigation is concluded, the complaints against him should not be treated as established findings of misconduct.