The pan-African telecom group Paratus has appointed Neill Nortje as the new Country Manager of Paratus Zambia. Nortje succeeds Marius Van Vuuren, who is now the Chief Operating Officer following his appointment by the group.
Nortje joined Paratus Zambia two years ago, launched its consumer services before being promoted to Operations Manager. With broad pan-African telecom experience in wholesale, enterprise, cloud and data centre services, Nortje’s promotion to Country Manager ensures continuity as the business builds on its reputation and accelerates into its next growth phase.
Before joining Paratus Zambia, Nortje held senior leadership roles at Wingu Africa, Telecom Italia and NeoTel, where he gained extensive experience in pan-African data centres, infrastructure, wholesale telecommunications and cross-border connectivity. He describes Paratus as a company with a strong reputation in Zambia, recognized for delivering quality services, maintaining a customer-first culture and building an exceptional team. Nortje says he is excited to build on the strong foundation left by his predecessor, Marius, as the company continues to expand and strengthen its position in the market.
According to Nortje, Zambia is entering a significant period of digital growth driven by economic stability, increased investment and rising demand for reliable connectivity and digital services. His immediate priorities include expanding Paratus’ network capacity within Zambia and across the region, strengthening enterprise services, and reinforcing Zambia’s role as a regional connectivity hub. He also aims to enhance customer experience by maintaining the reliability, resilience and service excellence for which the company is known.
As organizations increasingly adopt cloud technologies and respond to data localization requirements, Nortje believes Paratus Zambia is well positioned to meet these needs through its world-class infrastructure, local cloud services, Lusaka Tier III Data Centre, and the Paratus Group’s high-quality Africa network.
Nortje also sees an opportunity to strengthen Zambia’s digital ecosystem by improving local internet peering and encouraging greater collaboration among network operators. He notes that much of Zambia’s internet traffic still leaves the country before returning to local users and believes that keeping more content within Zambia would provide faster, more resilient and more affordable internet services for businesses and communities.
Beyond commercial growth, Nortje is committed to using technology to create social impact. Initiatives such as providing Starlink connectivity to a previously unconnected rural school demonstrate how reliable internet access can transform education and create new opportunities for young people.
Commenting on the appointment, Paratus Group Chief Executive Officer Schalk Erasmus expressed confidence in Nortje’s leadership, citing his industry expertise, strong understanding of the Zambian market and valuable contribution to Paratus Zambia’s recent success.