Stafford Masie has resigned as the head of Google's South African operations, the US search-engine giant confirmed on Monday.

In a statement released on Monday, Google said:: "Stafford Masie has resigned from Google and we are looking for his replacement. Google and our South African team remain highly committed to our local users, customers and partners."

According to various media reports, Masie has quit to focus on his family.

"I have not taken leave since returning to the country from the US in 2003," ITWeb has quoted Masie as saying.

Masie will continue in his position until the end of April.