Another high-profile exec reportedly exits MultiChoice as streaming services make inroads in SA

Gideon Khobane. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)

The brain-drain of MultiChoice’s high-profile top executives rank continues with Gideon Khobane, MultiChoice’s group executive of general entertainment, who has reportedly exited the Randburg-based satellite pay-TV operator. 

Insiders told News24 that Khobane resigned and left MultiChoice earlier this month.

It’s reported that Khobane accepted a new executive position at Amazon. News24 reached out to the businessman who said he had “no comment at this time”. 

A media request to MultiChoice to confirm the information was met with a blunt response; “We don’t comment on speculation about employee related matters.” 

No further comment was given.

Khobane’s LinkedIn profile is updated to show that he worked as “Group Executive: General Entertainment” at MultiChoice from “November 2020 to July 2022”. 

Amazon which has been advertising multiple job vacancies in South Africa over the past few months is rapidly making inroads with its Amazon Prime Video video streaming service in Africa and is planning to scale up its e-commerce commercial activities, as well as its Prime Video presence and content rollout in South Africa and across the continent.  

Gideon Khobane who joined M-Net in 2008 and was a former director of M-Net’s general entertainment channels, became SuperSport CEO in February 2016. He served as MultiChoice’s group executive of general entertainment for just over a year and a half since his promotion to this position late in 2020.  

Nkateko Mabaso who was also promoted in October 2020 with the title of MultiChoice’s group executive in charge of programming, also exited MultiChoice after he had worked in the position for a year until he resigned, joining Netflix as director of licensing and co-productions for Africa. 

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