Vodacom Group has announced resilient set of interim results, demonstrating robust financial health as headline earnings per share (HEPS) – South Africa’s main profit gauge – umped 32.3% to 467 cents. This impressive growth came even after the company absorbed a one-off cost related to settling the longstanding “Please Call Me” case.
The telecom giant’s diversified portfolio, particularly its explosive growth in Egypt and its financial services arm, proved to be the primary engines for this performance.
Vodacom’s strategic investments outside its home market of South Africa paid significant dividends. Its operation in Egypt was a standout performer, posting a remarkable 77.8% net income growth in local currency.
Meanwhile, M-Pesa, Africa’s largest mobile money platform, continues to be a star performer. Processed transaction value across the platform, including Safaricom, soared to over $476.8 billion annually. Group financial services revenue grew by 20.3% to R8 billion, now accounting for 12.2% of all service revenue.
Shareholders Rewarded with R6.8 Billion Dividend
Reflecting this strong performance, the Vodacom bnoard declared an interim dividend of 330 cents per share, consistent with its policy of paying out at least 75% of headline earnings. The total dividend payout amounts to R6.8 billion, payable to shareholders on 1 December 2025.
The company also reported a 71% increase in operating free cash flow to R10 billion, emphasising the underlying strength of its operations.
Leadership Confident in “Vision 2030” Strategy
Vodacom Group CEO, Shameel Joosub, attributed the success to the company’s resilient and agile business model.
“This has contributed to a strong set of interim results while at the same time underscoring the resilience and agility of our business,” Joosub stated.
He also confirmed the company is on track to meet its ambitious “Vision 2030” goals, which include expanding its customer base to over 260 million and growing its financial services customers to 120 million. “The fact that we’ve expanded our customer base to 223.2 million… shows that we are well on track,” Joosub said.
With a diversified portfolio and continued investment in network technology – R9.4 billion in the last six months alone – Vodacom is positioning itself to capture the long-term growth opportunity that the African continent represents.
