Company: Vodacom Group
Country: South Africa
Sector: Wireless Telecom.
CEO: Shameel Joosub
Website: https://www.vodacom.com
Careers Page: Not publicly listed
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Founded: 1994
Valuation/Revenue: $8,225.8m revenue; $14,172.8m market value (African Business Top 250, 2025 ranking)
Vodacom Group is South Africa’s largest mobile network operator and a majority Vodafone-owned pan-African telecoms group, providing mobile voice, data, fixed broadband and financial services (M-Pesa) across South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, and, through its Egypt and Ethiopia expansion, further afield on the continent. It is listed on the JSE.
Is Vodacom Legit?
Yes, Vodacom Group is a genuine, publicly traded telecommunications operator, not a scam. It is South Africa’s largest mobile network by subscribers and revenue, majority-owned by UK telecoms giant Vodafone, and it publishes audited results and extensive regulatory disclosures. As with any major telecom brand, Vodacom is frequently impersonated in SIM-swap and phishing scams targeting customers, which the company actively warns against, but these are third-party frauds rather than anything originating from Vodacom itself.
How Big Is Vodacom?
Vodacom Group reported revenue of roughly $8.2 billion and a market capitalisation of about $14.2 billion, according to African Business magazine’s 2025 Top 250 companies in Africa ranking, giving it one of the highest market valuations of any company on the continent relative to its revenue. Vodacom’s M-Pesa mobile money platform, operated across several of its African markets, has become a major driver of financial inclusion and a significant and growing contributor to group revenue and profit, alongside its core connectivity business. In 2026 CEO Shameel Joosub’s pay package drew press attention, reported at around R137 million, reflecting the scale and profitability of the business he runs.
Who Is the CEO of Vodacom?
Shameel Joosub has served as Group Chief Executive Officer of Vodacom since 2012, having previously led Vodacom’s South African operations. Under his long tenure, Vodacom has expanded significantly into new African markets, including entering Egypt through the 2022 acquisition of Vodafone Egypt from parent Vodafone, and building out mobile financial services across its footprint. In August 2026, Vodacom added former Airtel Africa CEO Segun Ogunsanya to its board, a notable move given Ogunsanya’s background running one of Vodacom’s chief pan-African rivals.
Who Owns Vodacom?
Vodacom Group is majority owned by Vodafone Group Plc, the UK-based multinational telecoms operator, which has historically held approximately 60-65% of Vodacom’s shares, with the remainder publicly traded on the JSE among South African institutional investors (including significant participation via broad-based black economic empowerment shareholding structures such as YeboYethu) and international investors.
What Does Vodacom Do?
Vodacom provides mobile voice and data services, fixed-line and fibre broadband, and enterprise/IoT connectivity across South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho and Egypt, and holds a stake in Safaricom (Kenya’s dominant telecom operator, in which Vodacom and Vodafone jointly hold a large minority stake) that also extends its influence into Ethiopia’s newly liberalised telecom market via the Safaricom Ethiopia consortium. Its M-Pesa mobile money service, operated in partnership with Vodafone and Safaricom, is one of the most widely used mobile financial services platforms in Africa, enabling payments, transfers, savings and lending for customers who often lack access to traditional banks.
How Does Vodacom Compare to Its Competitors?
Within South Africa, Vodacom is the market leader ahead of MTN, Telkom and Cell C. Across its broader African footprint, Vodacom’s most direct pan-African competitor is MTN Group, though the two overlap in fewer markets than might be expected since Vodacom’s non-South African footprint (DRC, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, Egypt) differs substantially from MTN’s (Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire and others). In mobile money specifically, Vodacom/Safaricom’s M-Pesa is often compared with MTN’s MoMo as the two dominant mobile financial services platforms on the continent.
How Old Is Vodacom?
Vodacom was founded in 1994, the same year South Africa opened its mobile telecommunications market following the end of apartheid, as a joint venture originally involving Vodafone, Telkom and South African black economic empowerment partners. It has grown over three decades from a single-country South African mobile operator into a multi-country pan-African group with expanding financial services and enterprise technology businesses.
How Do I Apply for a Job at Vodacom?
Vodacom recruits through its own corporate careers channels, with roles spanning network engineering, retail and customer service, fintech and software development, and enterprise sales across its footprint. The group also runs graduate and early-career development programmes and has invested in local tech talent initiatives, including coding academies and startup incubation, as part of its broader digital skills push across the markets it serves.
What Has Vodacom Been in the News For Recently?
Vodacom has been prominent in the news through 2025 and 2026 for continued expansion of its M-Pesa mobile money footprint, for board changes including the August 2026 appointment of former Airtel Africa CEO Segun Ogunsanya as a non-executive director, and for scrutiny of executive pay after CEO Shameel Joosub’s remuneration package was reported at roughly R137 million. The group has also continued to invest in its Egyptian and DRC operations and in expanding fibre and 5G infrastructure across its core South African market.
Links
Website: https://www.vodacom.com
Careers Page: Not found
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
Who owns Vodacom?
Vodafone Group Plc holds a majority stake (roughly 60-65%), with the remainder publicly traded on the JSE.
Who is the CEO of Vodacom Group?
Shameel Joosub, since 2012.
Is Vodacom publicly traded?
Yes, on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Is Vodacom the same company as Vodafone?
No. Vodafone is the UK-based majority shareholder; Vodacom is the separately listed, majority-Vodafone-owned African operating company.
Where is Vodacom headquartered?
Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
When was Vodacom founded?
1994.