Parliament sounds alarm over free Wi-Fi failures in South Africa

• The Department of Communications has admitted that the delays in implementing the SA Connect programme were due to underspending on infrastructure projects, primarily caused by financial rules that constrained payments for rollouts.
• As of January 2026, the project had installed 12,317 public Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide, representing 38% of its total target.
• The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies has expressed serious concern over the continued challenges in the implementation and financial management of the SA Connect Programme, and is likely to call for further action to address the issues.