INVITE: Vula ‘Ma Connexion Community Workshops

Telecommunications in South Africa has become an issue of immense relevance. Millions of people struggle to afford basic airtime and data to communicate with friends and family, while inequitable development of next generation technologies such as mobile broadband and high speed internet threaten to increase information Apartheid.

The Vula ‘Ma Connexion campaign has spent much of the year advocating for a change in the ways in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are delivered to the people. The court battle between telecom giants MTN/Vodacom and the communications regulator (Icasa) highlighted the challenges facing affordable communications in South Africa. Likewise, the legislative logjam surrounding the ICT policy review and bewildering split in the communications ministry threatens any kind of communications reform. Moving forward from these events, the Vula ‘Ma Connexion campaign must continue to mobilise activists towards a more democratic communications system in South Africa.

In order to further mobilise activists, the Right2Know Campaign will be hosting three community workshops focusing on issues related to the Vula ‘Ma Connexion leg of the campaign. The purposes of the Vula ‘Ma Connexion workshops will be to achieve the following objectives:

1. Recapping the Vula ‘Ma Connexion Campaign to Date – What have been the issues, progress and matters arising for the campaign?
2. Moving Beyond a “Free Airtime” Campaign – How do we bring high speed internet to the people?
3. Defining the Lived Cost of Communication – How will R2K’s study into the lived cost of communication inform the Vula ‘ma Connexion Campaign?
4. Mobilising the Provinces – What should the Vula ‘Ma Connexion campaign be doing at the provincial level to achieve campaign goals?
5. Locating the Way Forward for the Vula ‘Ma Connexion Campaign – What are the low-hanging fruit and winnable demands in the near future?

Please join this vital discussion on the current state of telecommunications and help the Right2Know Campaign to envision and mobilise towards a democratic future for ICT use in South Africa. To RSVP, please fill out the form below or email john@r2k.org.za. For more information on the Vula ‘Ma Connexion campaign, please visit the campaign’s website.