Mhlangu took over the position in June 2017 from Wits adjunct professor of journalism Anton Harber.

Her career at the broadcaster, which includes other roles, spans eight years.

In a statement released on Wednesday, eMedia Investments CEO Khalik Sherrif, acknowledged Mhlangu’s contribution and thanked her for her “unwavering loyalty” to the newsroom.

“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,” he said.

A statement explained how Mhlangu and eMedia arrived at the “difficult decision for both parties”, saying that “for a number of months, Mapi has juggled the onerous demands of the job along with the workload of her MBA. The tension between these two commitments was raised a couple of months ago.”

According to the statement, Mhlangu leaves the eNCA operation having overseen the implementation of a number of changes, including a complete restructuring of the news output and input protocols, the redesign and construction of three new broadcast sets, the appointment of a number of new key staff, and the up-weighting of the channel’s international coverage, among others.

“I leave eNCA in a strong position as SA’s television news leader, but this is the right time for me to leave and hand over the reins. I’ve enjoyed the myriad challenges I’ve dealt with during my leadership tenure and know that I leave the operation in safe hands,” Mhlangu said. DM