New CEO for M-Net South Africa

Phahle joined the group in 2005, as general manager of Channel O, spearheading the channel's revival and turning it into the number one music channel in Africa. In 2009, when she was appointed as director of special interest channels for South Africa, her portfolio expanded to include MK, KykNET and later, Vuzu.

In 2010, Phahle was tasked with launching the now popular Mzansi Magic, overseeing the launch of Mzansi Magic Music in 2012 and, in 2013, she and her team successfully introduced the Mzansi Wethu and Mzansi Bioskop channels.

Focus on core African markets

"We are delighted to appoint a person of her calibre to such a key position," said MultiChoice South Africa Group CEO, Imtiaz Patel. "She is a rare talent and has proven herself to be a dynamic and extremely capable all-round broadcasting executive. We have no doubt that she will lead the company's South African operations to even greater heights, cement its leadership in the media and entertainment space and win over more loyal viewers to the range of channels offered. Phahle has been at the forefront of local content development, which has led to a more diverse growth in the viewership base."

Her appointment followed a decision to focus the M-Net business on three core African markets - South Africa, West Africa and East Africa. Phahle will report to the sub-Saharan CEO of M-Net, Patricia van Rooyen.

"We want M-Net to increase its focus on our various target markets in these regions, to facilitate further growth," Patel concluded.