South Africans found themselves in a digital predicament on Thursday, 14 March, after widespread internet outages swept the nation. From 12:30, increased outages were reported across many of the country’s biggest network platforms, leaving countless internet users frustrated and disconnected from the online world.
Platforms affected included Microsoft, Google, Vodacom, WhatsApp, and various banking platforms. It was a tough day for cyber surfers, indeed.
The chaos stemmed from multiple undersea cable failures, disrupting internet traffic flow between South Africa and Europe.
In a statement provided to News24, a Vodacom spokesperson confirmed the impact of these cable failures, attributing them to issues with the West African Cable System and other critical links. “This means that certain customers are currently experiencing intermittent connectivity issues,” the spokesperson said.
This is not the first time damage to undersea cables has affected South Africans’ internet escapades. On 26 February 2024, the Subsea cable company Seacom reported multiple cable breaks in the Red Sea allegedly caused when the anchor of a sunken ship went rogue and dragged through the cables.
Repairs to these cables are not a quick fix, according to Seacom, who stated that the geopolitical instability caused by the Yemen Houthi rebels attacks on merchant ships in the region will delay their efforts to speed up our emails.
At present, four out of nine subsea cables linking South Africa to the global network are out of commission. These small subsea fibre-optic cables act as information pathways connecting South Africa with the rest of the world.
South Africans have been urged to remain patient and, in the meantime, potentially engage in face-to-face communication rather than relying on emojis to convey their emotions.
Hang in there. We’ll get through this digital drought together!
