#TopEmployers2025: Matimba Mbungela, chief HR officer - from the Cape to Cairo, what sets Vodacom apart from the rest

Matimba Mbungela, Group Chief Officer for Human Resources at Vodacom Group

The Top Employers Institute explains that the average score achieved per organisation determines the overall ranking for the continental programme. This average is determined using the results from the countries with the four highest scores. These are calculated to represent an average organisational score, which is used for ranking purposes.

“Maintaining our position as Africa’s Top Employer once again demonstrates our dedication to enabling our employees to thrive," says Matimba Mbungela, group chief officer for human resources at Vodacom Group.

With an emphasis on 'compassion, acceptance, respect and empathy (C.A.R.E.)', the company says its enhanced employee wellness initiatives include a more encompassing family responsibility leave policy, as well as support for all stages of life, from pregnancy to menopause.

"However, our focus on nurturing talent and career development in the tech industry extends to the millions of young people across the continent who are the future of work," continues Mbungela.

"There is an urgent need to prepare the next generation for the rapidly evolving digital economy. To this end, we have launched the Digital Skills Hub, with the goal to equip one million young people in Africa by 2027 by providing access to self-paced, digital skills training for those aged between 18 and 35.”

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Mbungela has been at the company for over 20 years, where he has served in various roles that have taken him from Johannesburg to London (with Vodafone) and back again. He has held his current role for almost 11 years. Prior to joining Vodacom, he worked for two other South African Top Employers - Unilever and BMW.

Here, Mbungela gives us insight into what sets Vodacom apart from the rest.

What does it mean to you personally, as well as the company, to be named no. 1 Top Employer for the second year running?

It is an honour to be recognised as the no. 1 Top Employer in Africa for a second year running. It’s a recognition for all our HR and leadership teams and the work done over the years to create a compelling employee value proposition that enables us to deliver an exceptional customer experience. How we best harmonise our HR practices across the continent and make a meaningful impact for a seamless employee experience for all our employees is of paramount importance.

At Vodacom, we want everyone to feel like they belong and can be themselves because an inclusive culture allows us to build a better future for our employees, our partners, the communities we work in and our customers.

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What do you believe makes the Vodacom Group stand out as a Top Employer?

Our diversity is deeply rooted in our home-grown talent, which sets us apart from Cape to Cairo. We are an organisation that values different perspectives, which is essential in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business environment.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion helps us attract and retain top talent while also fostering innovation and adaptability in the face of new challenges. By creating an environment where everyone feels valued and heard, we can harness the unique strengths and experiences of our team members to drive success and growth.

What are your goals in terms of people management for this year?

We’ve have made significant shifts with our talent strategy, and one of which is developing early careers and creating accelerator programmes to nurture the next generation of leaders.

We’ve accelerated our skills transformation approach through reskilling and upskilling, all aimed to drive a lifelong learning culture. This is because we recognise that skills transformation is a key enabler for our business as we transition from a traditional telco to a techno. It is a key driver for the successful delivery of our strategy and purpose underpinned by our spirit (the spirit of Vodacom).

It is also essential to support the leadership shifts necessary for our cultural transformation and to hold leaders accountable for their impact and engagement.

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Automation and AI are viewed as massive drivers of change in HR departments - how are you leveraging these programs to your advantage and which are your preferred applications or solutions?

AI technology is creating a new industry ecosystem that is generating a vast number of employment opportunities. It allows organisations to redefine existing roles, making them more appealing. By enabling autonomous AI to handle traditional routine tasks, employees can focus more on ideation, engineering, design, and strategic decision-making.

At Vodacom Group, we have harnessed AI through various initiatives, including hosting generative AI competitions and hackathons. We are committed to leading in connectivity and digital excellence, with a strong emphasis on our customers and simplicity.

A key component of this transformation is the development of our HR digital assistant, which incorporates generative AI technology and process automation across our operations.

Our comprehensive channel strategy and service offerings simplify and digitalise our HR services, leveraging a digital assistant solution and AI/automation capabilities. These advancements support the priorities of the HR centre of excellence (COE) while ensuring an exceptional, consumer-grade employee experience.

Tell us your no. 1 tip to retaining top talent...

We believe that our employee experience is key in retaining talent. This journey begins with how prospective employees interact with us through our digital platforms and continues through our onboarding process. We take pride in what we refer to as PD1 (Perfect Day 1), where any employee who joins Vodacom across the continent ‘experiences’ what we call PD1 because we know that ‘experience’ is the product.