BREAKING. eNCA news boss Mapi Mhlangu quits as editor-in chief; out with immediate effect citing academic work pressure; Jeremy Maggs to take eNCA into 2019 election year coverage.

Mapi Mhlangu has abruptly quit eNCA (DStv 403) as editor-in chief and is out with immediate effect after a year and four months, with senior anchor Jeremy Maggs who is also eNCA editor-at-large who will be overseeing the South African TV news channel in the interim.

Jeremy Maggs who anchors during afternoons on eNCA will stop that for now to manage the news channel, but will likely continue anchoring his Sunday show Maggs on Media.

According to insiders the parting wasn't amicable, with well-placed insiders who gossiped that higher-ups allegedly had "lost confidence in her long ago" and that she was pushed out.

eNCA and Mapi Mhlangu who became editor-in-chief in July 2017 in a statement however cite "the onerous demands of the job along with the workload of her MBA" for her abrupt departure, saying "the tension between these two commitments was raised a couple of months ago leading to a difficult decision for both parties".

Mapi Mhlangu was at eNCA for 8 years and eNCA and Mapi Mhlangu say the decision to leave "is by mutual agreement".

"I leave eNCA in a strong position as South Africa's television news leader but this is the right time for me to leave and hand over the reins," says Mapi Mhlangu in a statement who earlier this month attended the launch event of eMedia's latest TV news channel OpenNews on its Openview free-to-air satellite TV service.

"I've enjoyed the myriad challenges I've dealt with during my leadership tenure and know that I leave the operation in safe hands. My only wish is that eNCA continues reporting the news fearlessly and without favour; continues to set the agenda and ask tough questions South Africans deserve answers
to."

eNCA will now be overseen by Jeremy Maggs heading up the newsroom until a permanent replacement is made, with Ragani Achary, head of input; Jody Jacobs, head of output; and Sally Burdett, story editor and head of anchors.

"The company acknowledges Mapi's contribution and would like to thank her for her unwavering loyalty to our newsroom and the huge part she has played in its success," says Khalik Sheriff, the new incoming eMedia Investments CEO.

"We believe the time is right ahead of the election period to make this change, allowing the

existing management team a chance to focus and prepare for 2019."

Jeremy Maggs says "I'd like to pay tribute to Mapi's exemplary leadership. Under her guidance she has cemented eNCA's position as the first source of television news in South Africa."

"I look forward to leading the station into 2019 and through the election. We have an extraordinarily strong product; a dedicated and talented team of over 500 people who collectively work tirelessly to bring news and analysis to South Africa in the fairest and most impartial manner."