Limpopo Business 2016-17 edition

INTERVIEW
literally lay the cables above ground as opposed to
digging trenches. We finished the first fibre ring and
now we are building three other rings. The demand
for capacity in Limpopo is off the charts and it is also
a migratory province, so for instance in December
millions of people cross the border to come home.
We have to ensure that customers returning from
urban areas in Gauteng have the same or better user
experience in rural areas. This is our goal even though
we have made much progress with both 3G and 4G
but the journey is not over, we still have work to do.
PEOPLE IN LIMPOPO
ARE STILL TALKING
What are some of the innovations you
have initiated?
Vodacom is in the process of rolling out our CARE
strategy, a programme that is going to transform the
way we serve our customers, so here in Limpopo we
have taken this to our retail stores as they deal with
our customers daily. Every one of our Red stores has
a process to record network complaints and then escalate
to the regional office. Customers can also email
us directly at limpopocustomercare@vodacom.co.za.
Where are the opportunities for you in
terms of the public sector?
Given that our public sector wants to be more
citizen-centric, we have a huge opportunity to use
technology to enhance the lives of our people but
also to make it easier for people to engage government.
If we take one area such as education,
Vodacom has already brought to market the 3G
tablet, which retails for under R1 000. In addition,
we have launched a free education portal. We have
also partnered with the Department of Education
to assist with managing the teacher centres around
the country.
In addition, Vodacom has invested in building the
police car of the future to showcase what we are able
to achieve using current technologies. We have also
developed and implemented an application that is
used by clinics and hospitals to manage their stock.
What insight do you have in terms of how
apps and cloud computing will increasingly
become a game changer in terms of
Limpopo’s development and growth?
At all levels of the province we must firstly embrace
both applications and cloud computing. I think we
should encourage the young people in our province
that have a passion for the development of applications.
Cloud computing allows businesses and
people in the province to access any content, even
though it may not reside in the province. Small-tomedium
businesses can have access to technologies
that will make their businesses more efficient. Any
business in Limpopo can now access the same tools
as any other company across the country. There is
one particular area (machine-to-machine) that is
not receiving sufficient attention in the province,
but we are working on changing this. This allows
businesses to become more efficient and, in certain
areas, even save money.
What did you learn from your role overseeing
the expansion of the distribution of
the M-Pesa mobile payments platform in
South Africa?
The role you are referring to was not just about
M-Pesa but also about balancing Vodacom’s distribution.
We embarked on an exercise to understand
what I refer to as the last mile of distribution, which
is spaza shops. The first learning was developing
71 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17