Meridiam has acquired a majority stake in Ilitha, a telecommunications company founded by Vuyani Jarana, with a mission to deliver affordable, unlimited internet to underserved areas in South Africa.
The investment, made through the Meridiam TURF B Fund, will accelerate Ilitha’s fibre rollout, targeting over half a million households in township communities.
“Access to the internet has become a basic human right, yet many people living in townships and rural communities do not have access to affordable quality broadband services,” said Vuyani Jarana, CEO and Founder of Ilitha.
“Ilitha is not just about bringing internet to these communities, it’s about the ‘Over the Internet Services,’ improving access to education, information, as well as household security through deployment of surveillance cameras linked to the internet.”
Ilitha’s innovative model deploys fibre networks and offers prepaid internet packages in areas overlooked by mainstream providers. Customers can access unlimited broadband at home and on the go via local hotspots, all at an affordable cost. The company works closely with communities to ensure seamless network deployment and service delivery.
The funding will focus on expanding high-speed fibre internet to underserved regions, starting in the Eastern Cape. With flexible pay-as-you-go plans starting at just R3 per day or R90 per month, Ilitha is making connectivity accessible to households that would otherwise struggle to afford it. This initiative aims to empower communities by enabling access to essential online services in education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
The expansion is also expected to create significant employment opportunities, addressing South Africa’s unemployment crisis, particularly among youth and women. For every 36 homes connected, one job is created, either directly in infrastructure deployment or indirectly through local support roles.
“With this investment, we aim to play a catalytic role in the nascent but fast-growing internet market in the underserved areas of South Africa. But even more importantly, we expect to contribute to a tangible positive social and economic impact on township communities by providing them with reliable, affordable, and fast internet connectivity,” said Marie Lam Frendo, Meridiam Partner and Chief Strategy Officer.
Founded in 2019 with initial investment from Microsoft Airband, Ilitha’s latest funding marks a significant step toward closing South Africa’s digital divide. The expansion will not only bring affordable broadband but also create jobs, empower youth and women with skills in fibre installation and digital technologies, and foster entrepreneurship.
“With this latest funding, Ilitha is poised to enhance digital access and play a pivotal role in reshaping South Africa’s economic landscape, one connected home at a time,” concluded Jarana.
This ambitious project emphasises Ilitha’s commitment to building a more connected and inclusive South Africa, where internet access unlocks limitless possibilities for all.
DFA has invested more than R800 million to upgrade and future-proof its national fibre network. This investment strengthens DFA’s position as a leading wholesale open-access connectivity provider in South Africa and helps meet the growing demand for fast, reliable internet.
DFA is part of the MAZIV group. Its national network provides connectivity and backhaul services for mobile operators, data centres, internet service providers, and public sector institutions.
This latest investment follows DFA’s R400 million Dry Underground Distribution Cabinet (DUDC) project launched in August 2023, which aimed to stabilise and future-proof its network. The upgrades have already shown positive results, including a 40% improvement in new circuit delivery times and a 100% improvement in the average time taken to repair faults (MTTR) in areas where the new system is active.
“We have improved the average number of new circuits delivered from 800 to 1,500 per month. In one month, we delivered nearly 2,000 new connections—a record for us. We’re also enabling higher line speeds and increasing available capacity to meet the changing needs of our customers,” says Andreas Uys, Chief Technology Officer for MAZIV.
“With the new architecture supported by a recently consolidated PMO office, we are very focused on reducing delivery times while driving high-quality service. Our target this year is to deliver up to 2,500 connections per month,” Uys adds. “We could potentially deliver fibre connectivity to buildings already on our network within 14 days, and to non-connected buildings within 55 days. These upgrades and changes in our PMO are critical to meeting the increasing demand for fast, stable internet services.”
