The IFP would like to express its disappointment following the release of a preliminary report into high data costs in South Africa and found that service providers Vodacom and MTN have been found to have been overcharging South African customers. The commission also found that the prices they charge are higher in this country than the other countries they operate in.
This comes as no shock to us as we have previously called for data prices to be reduced to levels on par with global standards. It is common knowledge that data prices in this country are ridiculous. The legions of social media users who were part of the data must fall campaign can attest to this.
This sadly is yet another example of how our government has failed our people, especially the young people that continue to be excluded from employment opportunities in an already poverty-stricken South Africa.
One would assume that given the rate of unemployment in this country – particularly youth unemployment that a government that claims to be for the people would deem it of paramount importance to have data easily accessible to the indigent in order to access and dispense information, whether it be academic, social or economic.
These companies continue to enjoy this monopoly due to the toothless regulation of this sector in the main because the buck stops with the government not allowing this to take place.
Contact:
Mkhuleko Hlengwa MP
IFP National Spokesperson
071 111 0539