By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has paid tribute to Peter Matlare for his contribution to the economic development of South Africa as he held various roles both in the public and private sector.
Matlare passed away on Sunday due to COVID-19-related complications.
“His passing is a great loss to South Africa when the nation is confronted with the task of rebuilding an inclusive post-COVID-19 economy that requires seasoned and experienced leaders across the society. He has held senior executive roles across a diverse range of economic sectors and thus giving testament that he was an executive par excellence,” the Minister said on Monday.
At the time of his passing, he was the Deputy CEO of Absa Group.
He has held several executive positions over the years at various organisations such as Group Chief Executive Officer at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Executive Director at Vodacom, and CEO of Tiger Brands, Primedia amongst others.
Matlare was also the founding Director of the National Electronic Media Institute of SA (Nemisa) and also held executive positions in the Chamber of Mines and served as the Chairman at the National Association of Broadcasters.
He also served as an instrumental member of the task team, which worked on the Green Paper for the Broadcasting Act.
“While we mourn his untimely death, we must also celebrate this remarkable person, who made an immense contribution to growing South Africa and the African continent. He has left behind a solid foundation for us to build on in our pursuit of economic development,” Ntshavheni said.
Government has expressed its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Matlare.
Absa Group Chief Executive, Daniel Mminele said that “Peter was a seasoned corporate executive, a good leader, inspirational, and passionate about his work, always strongly invested in the success of our continent. I will miss his friendship, collegiality, guidance and wise counsel”.
CEO of Business Unity South Africa and former Managing Director of the Banking Association, Cas Coovadia, said the passing of Matlare was a tragic loss at a time when his leadership was most needed.
Coovadia said Matlare would have led the economy to its recovery as the pandemic affected it negatively.
Matlare’s death comes at a time that Covid-19 has killed more than 50 000 South Africans including minister in the presidency Jackson Mthembu in January and eNCA’s The Fix anchor Karima Brown, who died last week.
Former CEO of Absa Maria Ramos said Matlare’s passing is devastating. He stood out among the very best executives I have worked with in the private and public sectors.
He was a seasoned, experienced executive with significant experience as CEO by the time he joined as deputy CEO of Absa in August 2016.
I always felt very privileged that he agreed to join the team. We had a huge ambition to build a pan-African business and he understood and had experience of what it took to build sustainable businesses in SA and across Africa, said Ramos.
His vision, passion and commitment to the opportunities and potential for our country and for the African continent was unshakeable.
He was resolute, courageous and resilient as a leader. He drove the bank’s Africa strategy boldly and energetically. He cared deeply about people, and was totally focused on creating opportunities for talented professionals to thrive and grow, added Ramos.
Matlare built enduring relationships of trust and respect across a broad spectrum. He was fully vested in leaving things better than he found them. His optimism was infectious but he was equally determined to drive outcomes and set high standards of excellence.
He was generous in sharing success and did not shy away from responsibility for failures and obstacles, which we all have to deal with from time to time.
Matlare ranks among the very best our country has produced. His remarkable contribution to corporate SA deserves to be richly acknowledged and celebrated.