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 ...

SIU and NHLS granted get Special Tribunal order to freeze Hamilton Ndlovu's assets

 

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Hamilton Ndlovu.
Hamilton Ndlovu.
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  • The Special Investigating Unit is probing allegations that eight companies linked to businessman Hamilton Ndlovu irregularly benefited from National Health Laboratory Service tenders valued at  R172 million. 
  • The Special Tribunal granted the unit and laboratory service an order freezing Ndlovu's assets, including properties, valued at R42 million.  
  • Ndlovu was thrust into the spotlight after a video of him showing off five new luxury cars went viral. 

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) have obtained a Special Tribunal order to prohibit businessman Hamilton Ndlovu from disposing of his assets, valued at R42 million.

Ndlovu is under investigation for allegedly colluding with NHLS procurement officials to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) tenders. It is alleged that eight companies linked to Ndlovu irregularly obtained contracts worth R172 million. 

The Special Tribunal granted the order, pending a review application that the SIU and the NHLS want to bring forward to set aside the procurement transactions and make Ndlovu, and those who were recipients, pay back the money.

READ | Covid-19 corruption: Hamilton Ndlovu's lover, NHLS CFO granted R20 000 bail over PPE tender

"In terms of the order, Ndlovu, Zaisan Kaihatsu (Pty) Ltd and Bugatti Security Services and projects, second and fourth respondents, respectively, are restrained, interdicted and prohibited from transferring any of the properties; and/or encumbering the property with a mortgage bond; and/or allowing the retention to be established over the property; and/or selling or leasing the property," the Special Tribunal said in a statement.

"The respondents may apply for the reconsideration of the order in terms of Rule 12 (9) of the Special Tribunal. In such an event, the parties shall avail themselves for case management where dates for the filing of further papers and the hearing of the reconsideration application shall be determined in line with Rule 19 of the Special Tribunal Rules," it added.

In March, Ndlovu was hit with a similar preservation order, obtained by the South African Revenue Service for R60 million.

The tribunal has given Ndlovu 30 days to apply for a review.

Last year, the 33-year-old was thrust into the spotlight after a video of him showing off five new luxury cars went viral.

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