02 May 2024

The South African government plans to connect 5.5 million households in rural areas and townships to the internet via WiFi hotspots over the next three to four years, reported Mondli Gungubele, minister of communications and digital technologies.

“We are committed to bridging the digital divide by providing WiFi access to communities and ensuring universal access to the internet,” said Gungubele. The government service costs 5 rand per day for one gigabyte, and from 250 rand per month for an unlimited plan.

This initiative is part of the second phase of SA Connect, the national broadband policy launched in 2013. Phase 2 was launched in November 2023. It aims to provide 80% of public administrations, communities, and homes broadband access in three years. Phase 1 of the project, which served as an experimentation module, focused on providing 10Mbps Internet connectivity to nearly 970 essential public administrations.