One of government’s “major” public sector infrastructure projects, South Africa Connect, will be completed in the 2025/26 financial year.
This is according to National Treasury’s Budget Review that coincides with the 2026 national budget.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana tabled the budget at Cape Town City Hall this afternoon. It reflects moderate progress in terms of the country's economic growth, driven by structural reform gains.
While finalisation of phase two of the project nears, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, which spearheads the project supported by relevant state-owned entities, will “maintain” broadband in underserviced communities and government facilities, notes the document.
“This is expected to result in 948 government facilities continuing to be provided with connectivity annually as part of phase one of the SA Connect project. For this purpose, R888.8 million is set aside over the MTEF [medium-term expenditure framework] period in the broadband sub-programme in the digital infrastructure and technologies programme.
“Phase two of the project, which provided affordable internet to underserved areas by connecting government facilities and providing coverage to households through deploying community WiFi hotspots, comes to an end after connecting 6 343 government facilities, and creating 32 055 WiFi community hotspots providing coverage to an estimated 5.6 million households.”
Announced by former president Jacob Zuma in 2013, SA Connect was identified by government as the national broadband project that would ensure universal access to broadband services for all South Africans, prioritising rural and underserviced areas.
Due to the magnitude of the project, the state determined that it should be implemented in two stages.
In phase one, it aimed to connect schools, health facilities, government offices, Thusong Service Centres and post offices, in eight rural district municipalities, to broadband services. During this phase, about 970 government facilities have been connected to broadband.
Phase two of the project was supported by a R3 billion allocation over the MTEF that was announced in 2023.
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