ADSL on its last legs in South Africa

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  By   Daniel Puchert Partially state-owned telecommunications company Telkom announced in its financial results for the year ending 31 March 2025 that its ADSL subscribers had more than halved to under 30,000. According to the company’s operational data, ADSL lines decreased from 64,959 in March 2024 to 29,770. This 54.2% decline highlights that the legacy broadband technology is slowly approaching the end of the road. Telkom’s ADSL business peaked at the end of March 2016 with 1.01 million subscribers — two years after fibre upstart Vumatel  broke ground in Parkhurst . What followed was a sharp decline in Telkom ADSL subscribers. Customers connected to its copper networks decreased by more than 500,000 over the next four years. This was partly driven by Telkom itself, which began actively switching off its copper network in some neighbourhoods. If it did not have fibre in the area, it would offer a “fixed line lookalike” wireless service that ran over its cellular ...

PICS | Madiba's former Joburg home converted into boutique hotel

 

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The presidential home of former president Nelson Mandela has been converted into a boutique hotel, which will open on 1 August.
The presidential home of former president Nelson Mandela has been converted into a boutique hotel, which will open on 1 August.
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  • Madiba's presidential home has been converted into a boutique hotel.
  • Named Sanctuary Mandela, the hotel will be open to the public in August.
  • Bookings for up to 18 guests open on 1 July.

The presidential home of former head of state Nelson Mandela has been converted into a boutique hotel called Sanctuary Mandela.

Madiba lived there before and during his presidency.

The Johannesburg property was Mandela's first home in Houghton.

The house has been refurbished and is expected to cater to world leaders and "people who aspire to the inspiration of this global icon", the Nelson Mandela Foundation said in a statement.

READ | 'I was in a tunnel that felt like there was no light': NMF boss speaks out after being cleared

Of the former president's homes that are accessible to the public, this is the only one that it is not a museum.

The hotel opens on 1 August and features nine rooms that accommodate up to 18 guests, retreat spaces for reflection and a personal connection to the Madiba's private life.

"The space will allow guests to immerse themselves in the legacy of Madiba and draw inspiration from Madiba's soul, to commune together for the common good of resolving international matters and, lastly, to be inspired by this iconic global leader's hospitable nature and spirit of service to the people," said foundation CEO Sello Hatang.

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Hatang believes that this is an important step in testing a model for the sustainability of heritage sites related to the life and work of Mandela.

"Madiba dreamed of a just and peaceful world in which societies prosper. He lived to make a difference in the lives of everyone; his leadership was about service to the people. We hope to attract global leaders and other visitors to stay at Sanctuary Mandela to reflect and draw inspiration from the spirit of Madiba," he added.

The project was announced on the centenary of Madiba's birth in 2018.

People can begin booking their stays from 1 July 2021.

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