The failure of the Eastern Cape ANC government to embrace and implement modern broadband solutions is condemning the Eastern Cape to digital isolation and economic stagnation, while other parts of the Country move forward.
The General Household Survey released this week by Statistics South Africa paints a bleak picture. Only 10.4% of households in the Eastern Cape have access to the internet at home. This is the lowest level of connectivity in the country.
In a digital economy, this is not just a disadvantage. It is a disaster. Without internet access, our young people are excluded from job opportunities, learners are locked out of e-learning, small businesses cannot grow, and rural clinics remain disconnected from critical services.
In a province where nearly half of the working population does not have work, any advantage should be seized with both hands. However, when the Democratic Alliance (DA) tabled a motion in the Legislature to prioritise rural broadband infrastructure, the ANC rejected it. Instead of a plan, we were offered platitudes.
The DA in the Eastern Cape welcomes Communications and Digital Technology Minister Solly Malatsi’s proactive leadership in issuing new draft regulations that will unlock and expand broadband delivery across South Africa, and will increase competition to drive internet prices down. Minister Malatsi is reducing regulatory barriers, encouraging investment, and creating a more competitive digital market that can benefit even the most under-served communities.
Broader market participation leads to lower prices, better service, and wider coverage.
AS the DA, we know what is possible. Under DA leadership, the Western Cape has expanded fibre networks, connected classrooms, and empowered communities. It is no coincidence that 86,7% of households in the Western Cape now have internet access.
That is the model the DA supports, a model where real reform delivers real outcomes for residents. Research shows that every 10% increase in broadband penetration leads to a 1.2% increase in GDP. Connectivity is not just a statistic. It is a lifeline. It is the tool through which small businesses grow, learners succeed, and unemployed residents can access opportunities.
Last week, the Legislature hosted a high-profile Africa Day webinar, where one of the central resolutions was to close the digital divide and prioritise rural connectivity. Yet those very resolutions are already being betrayed. Instead of embracing a policy that will open markets and directly benefit the people of the province, the ANC is already closing rank.
Let us be clear. The delays are not coming from the DA. They are coming from ANC-aligned departments and regulatory structures that continue to protect outdated monopolies and defend inefficiencies rather than embracing the opportunities of the digital age.
This government cannot speak of digital inclusion while actively blocking the very mechanisms that would achieve it.
The digital revolution is not coming. It is already here. The Eastern Cape deserves to be part of it. The DA will not stop fighting for a connected, competitive, and future-ready province.