By Lungi Sangqu, CEO at Africa Digital Success

In 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council affirmed that access to the internet is integral to the realisation of fundamental human rights. A decade later, the question for South Africa is no longer whether digital access matters, it is whether we are prepared to treat it as essential infrastructure in practice, not just in principle.

Government has taken important steps. In the 2026 Budget Speech, National Treasury recognised that data infrastructure must be treated as critically as electricity, ports and transport networks. This is a profound policy shift. It acknowledges what the global economy already understands: digital infrastructure is now the backbone of growth, governance and inclusion. But recognition is only the beginning.

The scale of the divide

South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world, according to the World Bank. That inequality is increasingly digital. While urban households enjoy high-speed connectivity and access to online education, e-commerce and telemedicine, millions in rural areas and townships remain excluded from meaningful participation in the digital economy.

According to the International Telecommunication Union, roughly one-third of the global population remains offline. In developing countries, affordability is the primary barrier. The Alliance for Affordable Internet reports that in many African markets, 1GB of mobile data still exceeds the UN Broadband Commission’s affordability target of 2% of monthly income.

Digital exclusion is not simply about convenience. It directly undermines constitutional rights:

·        The right to education, as learning increasingly shifts to digital platforms

·        The right of access to information, as government services migrate online

·        The right to dignity and equality, as economic participation becomes digitally mediated

If citizens cannot connect, they cannot fully participate.

The economic case is overwhelming

Treating digital access as a social add-on misses the larger economic picture. Research consistently shows that broadband expansion drives growth. A widely cited study by the World Bank found that a 10% increase in broadband penetration can raise GDP growth by up to 1.3% in developing economies.

For South Africa, struggling with low growth, high youth unemployment and constrained fiscal space, digital inclusion is not a cost centre. It is a growth strategy.

Expanding broadband access stimulates:

•         SMME participation in e-commerce

•         Digital financial inclusion

•         Job creation in ICT infrastructure and services

•         Productivity gains across sectors

In this context, investing in connectivity is no different from investing in roads or energy. It multiplies opportunity.

Building on government’s foundation

The 2026 Budget commits over R1 trillion to infrastructure over the medium term. That foundation creates space to embed digital inclusion deliberately into national planning.

Three priorities should guide the next phase.

1.    Establish a Universal Connectivity Fund

A ring-fenced fund, even representing less than 2% of planned infrastructure expenditure, could extend broadband to underserved rural districts and subsidise last-mile connectivity in townships.

Public-private partnerships with telecommunications operators, strengthened universal service obligations, and support for community networks would accelerate rollout in commercially unviable areas.

2.    Recognise internet access as a basic service

Local government currently defines “basic services” as water, electricity, sanitation and waste removal. In a digital economy, that definition is outdated. If 11 million households qualify for free basic services, digital connectivity should be incorporated into that framework, starting with targeted pilots in the most underserved municipalities.

3.    Invest in digital capability, not just cables

Connectivity without skills deepens inequality. A national digital literacy initiative, integrated into the reformed skills ecosystem, must prioritise women, youth, older citizens and persons with disabilities.

At school level, device access for learners in quintile 1–3 schools, teacher training in digital pedagogy, and subsidised education data packages would directly advance Section 29 of the Constitution: the right to education.

Fiscal realism and long-term returns

Critics will argue that South Africa cannot afford additional commitments. I would argue the opposite.

The country has achieved relative fiscal stabilisation. The 2026 Budget allocates R2.67 trillion in total spending. A comprehensive digital inclusion strategy encompassing connectivity infrastructure, community access points, device programs, digital literacy training, and enabling services would require approximately R25-30 billion over three years. This represents less than 1% of total government expenditure over the period, a remarkably modest investment relative to its transformative potential for millions of South Africans.

Moreover, strategic digital investment, phased over three years and embedded within existing infrastructure and skills allocations, would generate measurable economic returns that far exceed the initial outlay.

Digital government services reduce administrative costs. Digital payments improve transparency and revenue collection. Digital business enablement expands the tax base. This is not welfare spending. It is structural reform with multiplier effects across the economy.

From policy recognition to constitutional delivery

South Africa’s Constitution is explicit: rights must be progressively realised. In 2026, progressive realisation requires digital access.

•         Section 9 guarantees equality.

•         Section 29 guarantees education.

•         Section 32 guarantees access to information.

•         Section 10 guarantees dignity.

In the digital age, these rights are inseparable from connectivity.

The Budget Speech has already elevated data infrastructure to critical national importance. The next step is to operationalise that recognition through targeted funding, measurable targets and cross-sector collaboration.

National government must set the mandate. Provinces must integrate digital inclusion into education and health planning. Municipalities must provide community facilities for digital access hubs. And importantly, the private sector must partner in infrastructure rollout and affordable products.

Digital access is no longer optional infrastructure. It is democratic infrastructure. The foundation has been laid. The fiscal space, though limited, is stabilising. The economic evidence is compelling. What remains is resolve.

If we are serious about building an inclusive economy and a capable state, then we must fund connectivity with the same urgency we fund electricity and transport. Only then will digital access shift from aspiration to lived reality, for every South African, in every community.