Communications Committee welcomes decision by Vodacom to reduce cost-to-communicate

10 March 2020

The Portfolio Committee on Communications has welcomed the announcement by the Competition Commission on Tuesday morning that Vodacom will reduce monthly data prices by 30%, with effect from 1 April 2020.

The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Boyce Maneli, said that the announcement has emboldened the committee on its long-held resolve that the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa should seriously look into the issue of cost-to-communicate in South Africa.

“Our argument is that the advent of 4IR [fourth industrial revolution], which has been upon us for some time now, has provided great opportunities for business transactions to take place on the internet. However, the high cost of communication makes it difficult for people to participate in that space,” said Mr Maneli.

The committee believes that other network operators working with the Competition Commission will find amicable solutions in implementing data price reduction, as recommended.

Issued by Justice Molafo, Media Officer, Parliamentary Communication Services, 10 March 2020