Nkateko Mabaso.(Supplied/MultiChoice)

• Nkateko Mabaso, a prominent television executive, has died.
• He held key roles at M-Net, MultiChoice and Netflix.
• “We will always remember NK; he left an indelible mark with his work on iconic productions such as Isibaya, The Queen,” said Nomsa Philiso, MultiChoice South Africa CEO for general entertainment. 

Television executive Nkateko Mabaso has died. His untimely death has sent shockwaves across South Africa’s television and film industry.

The cause of his death is not yet known.

He leaves behind his wife Mathapelo, his son Tshimologo, and his parents, Xithlangoma Bob and Lizzy Mabaso.

In a statement, Nomsa Philiso, MultiChoice South Africa CEO for general entertainment, who replaced Mabaso in this position, said, “It is with great sadness that I share the news of Nkateko Mabaso’s passing.”

Philiso said:

“We will always remember NK; he left an indelible mark with his work on iconic productions such as Isibaya, The Queen, and events such as the Channel O Awards, DMVCAs and a whole host of others. May his family, friends and colleagues find comfort during this very difficult time.”

Mabaso, who had travelled extensively through Africa, Europe, and the United States, attended the Naspers’ Leadership Accelerator programme in Amsterdam—a city he would return to years later to work as a Netflix executive.

He received several awards, including being named one of Destiny Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2016 and being named one of Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in the media category in 2013.

Mabaso joined M-Net in 2010 as the marketing manager for the Vuzu and Channel O channels and was M-Net’s general manager for local entertainment channels in 2013 before moving to the director position in 2014 for M-Net’s local interest channels.

Two years later, in 2016, he became the group general manager for M-Net South Africa. In October 2018, after having been acting M-Net CEO since February 2018, Mabaso was appointed the permanent M-Net CEO.

Two years later, in October 2020, he was again promoted to MultiChoice’s group executive in charge of programming, overseeing content commissioning for the wider MultiChoice Group. He only worked in the position for a year until he resigned. He then jumped to Netflix, where he was appointed as the growing video streaming service’s director of licensing and co-productions for Africa. He was in Amsterdam in this position for a year and five months, after which he quietly exited and returned to South Africa.

Since June 2023, Mabaso has been self-employed, working in content curation and distribution. He popped up publicly at the South African public broadcaster’s SABC Video Entertainment Content Fest 2024 programming upfront three months ago in March in Johannesburg, where he was one of the attending guests.