ANCHORAGE, Alaska--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 19, 2026--
Alaska Communications is enhancing its carrier and wholesale services organization to deliver greater value for partners and customers with the appointment of Jesse Kleinbach as the new vice president of the organization.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260119649040/en/
With more than 25 years in telecom, Kleinbach brings expertise in creating solutions that help partners succeed. He has led initiatives that simplify connectivity, expand market opportunities, and ensure customers receive reliable, innovative services.
In his new role, Kleinbach will focus on expanding service options, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring partners and customers experience exceptional support and connectivity.
“Jesse’s experience will help us deliver even more reliable and innovative solutions for our carrier and wholesale customers,” said Dale Knipp, chief revenue officer. “We are committed to making it easier for partners to grow and succeed and Jesse’s leadership will be critical to realizing this vision.”
Kleinbach holds a degree in international relations with a focus on economics from the University of Colorado.
About Alaska Communications
Alaska Communications, an affiliate of ATN International, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATNI), is a leading provider of mission and life-critical communications infrastructure in Alaska. The company operates a robust and advanced statewide fiber network and a highly diverse undersea fiber optic system that connects Alaska to the contiguous U.S. For additional information, visit www.AlaskaCommunications.com.
Pictured: Jesse Kleinbach.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African soldiers deployed to high-crime areas have dismantled illegal gold mining operations in a community near Johannesburg, forcing some illegal miners to flee and abandon their equipment.
Police and the army recovered various tools used by illegal miners, including generators and drill machines — equipment documented by an Associated Press photographer on Thursday.
Makeshift trenches with food supplies and utensils belonging to the miners were also dismantled, with clothing items left behind after the miners fled the site in Randfontein, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the west of Johannesburg.
The operations were part of a rare move by the government to deploy soldiers in some of the country's most crime-ridden areas, including in the Western Cape province that includes the city of Cape Town and the economic hub province of Gauteng.
With dozens of abandoned mine shafts lining the outskirts of Johannesburg, illegal mining is rife in the area as heavily armed crime syndicates and informal miners known as “zama zamas” enter the shafts in search of leftover deposits of gold or other precious minerals.
It is illegal to mine without a government license, and in some places, the conditions are dangerous.
Other provinces with abandoned shafts, like the North West and Mpumalanga, have also experienced high levels of illegal mining, sometimes with tragic consequences.
Authorities say there are an estimated 30,000 illegal miners in South Africa, operating in some of its 6,000 abandoned mine shafts.
The government has noted an increase in illegal mining, which it estimates is worth more than $4 billion a year just in gold lost to criminal syndicates.
The trade is believed to be predominantly controlled by migrants from neighboring Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, stoking anger among South African communities against both the criminal bosses and foreigners living in the local community.
Responding to questions from lawmakers on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the deployment of the troops would take place alongside other measures, such as strengthening anti-gang units and illegal mining task teams.
“The police will also be working with the National Prosecuting Authority on multi-disciplinary task teams to target the leadership, finances, firearms and logistics of these criminal networks,” Ramaphosa said.
South African National Defense Force soldiers recover a generator left behind by illegal miners, during a patrol in Randfontein, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A South African National Defense Force soldier patrols in a dense bush where illegal miners are operating, in Randfontein, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South African National Defense Force soldiers retrieve clothing and food stock left by illegal miners, in Randfontein, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South African National Defense Force soldiers and police officers cross a water stream used by illegal miners, during a patrol in Randfontein, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South African National Defense Force soldiers and police officers load recovered generators and machinery left behind by illegal miners, during a patrol in Randfontein, west of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
