Limpopo Business 2016-17 edition

communities, not just
through our foundation work
but also through commercial
activities.
Limpopo has had challenges
with education over the
years. Is Vodacom doing
anything to assist?
We now offer a free education
portal, and this is so important
because education is one of the
areas which all of us have to focus
on if we want South Africa
to go forward. Limpopo has had
its challenges in the education
system, but we’re getting closer
to the schools and are engaging
with them, showing them solutions that are now
available. We can today run a simulated class environment
between two towns, two provinces, to
anywhere in the world, as when you buy a tablet or a
smartphone from Vodacom, you are given access to
our free education portal. You will be amazed how
many people still don’t know about this, so we’ve
got to spread this message about education. There
are also many solutions we’re working on in the area
of health, and for me those two areas are critical. We
are going to put a lot more effort in on the education
side because if there is one area that we can
make a difference in this province, it’s education.
What is your employment footprint?
Vodacom employs 70 people here in Limpopo. Our
50 franchise stores also employ people that reside in
Limpopo as well as the 100 field agents that work
across the province.
What excites you about the Limpopo story?
I think underlying the Limpopo story is that we can
only go forward from where we are. We also have
a young population who we think is capable of
making positive contributions to the province. We
also employ a few interns from the province at our
offices and when I see the impact these young
engineers are doing, I am confident that there is a
brighter tomorrow for Limpopo.
You also cannot ignore the investment being
made by government and the private sector –this
too is ensuring we continue to grow and harness
the natural resources we have. All this investment
and growth has a direct link to the investment in
telecommunications.
WE STILL HAVE IN THE
REGION OF FOUR-MILLION
DEVICES ON THE
NETWORK
We believe that in three to five years Limpopo is
going to be better, hence Vodacom has decided
to be in the province and continue to expand the
network. As for the four-million 2G devices, that’s another
major opportunity, but remember that people
are not going to go backward to the old Nokia 105,
they are going to leap forward. I am not saying those
phones won’t be around, but the new customers in
particular are going to leap forward and I think that,
through this improved experience for customers,
people will be able to do things more efficiently.
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