VODACOM KwaZulu-Natal hosted a media roundtable in uMhlanga this week, outlining the region’s key infrastructure challenges, community-focused interventions and efforts to expand digital access for consumers and small businesses.

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Molefe Mahlangu, who leads Vodacom’s network operations in KZN, said theft and vandalism of infrastructure remain among the region’s biggest threats to network availability.

“Theft and vandalism is a huge concern in KZN and it continues to reduce network availability,” he said.

Rapid response

Mahlangu noted that Vodacom has partnered with local security companies positioned close to high-risk sites, allowing for faster response times. Additional collaborations with community structures are also underway, but this is where the communications giant treads with extreme caution.

“Community collaboration plays a role. We have seen the impact when residents alert us early or work with local policing initiatives, however we don’t encourage any community member to try and stop the criminals themselves. We are dealing with organised, heavily armed syndicates. We don’t want anyone to lose their lives.”

Imran Khan, speaking on community safety, said organised neighbourhood policing groups assist in curbing theft and vandalism of infrastructure, but each area is different.

“We encourage community-organised policing because we’ve seen successes. We support these groups with resources such as torches and airtime. The question is always: to what degree do we get the community involved? We would rather lose a battery than a person’s life,” he said.

Thiloshni Pather, who heads Vodacom’s consumer business in KZN, said the province has around eight million Vodacom customers on its database. She emphasised that artificial intelligence would augment rather than replace human capability.

“AI will not replace people. People who use AI will replace those who don’t. We want to create opportunities for youth, giving those in rural areas the same digital advantage as those in metros.”

Pather noted that approximately 1 800 000 Vodacom users in KZN still rely on 2G devices.

The company is gradually migrating these customers to affordable smartphones, partly through flexible financing options.

She highlighted a range of zero-rated educational, government and employment websites that remain free to access. Vodacom’s “Mum & Baby” platform continues to grow, with an interesting trend: almost half of its users are men.

“The platform was designed with bringing the infant mortality rate down. It offers free healthcare advice to teenage moms, especially those who don’t have the necessary guidance,” she said.

Rodney Moloko, executive head of Vodacom Business, outlined the region’s business growth and the company’s role in supporting small enterprises. He said Vodacom is deepening its work in township economies by providing micro-lending solutions, helping spaza shops connect customers through Wi-Fi, and integrating small suppliers into parts of Vodacom’s broader supply chain.

“We’re not only connecting businesses, we are helping them grow. Vodacom’s business app also provides free advice and digital tools designed to help entrepreneurs manage and scale their operations,” he added.

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