Dear Minister Gubgubele,

I hope this finds you well.

My village (St Augustines under the Elundini municipality) and most surrounding areas have been struggling with internet access for years.

This has a large impact on youth accessing job boards, learning platforms, and university/bursary applications among other implications.

It's also quite a hazard in my view since once can often not make or receive phone calls for hours on end, meaning if older people needed help from emergency services for example, would struggle to get this assistance.

We're meant to be voting next year and because the IEC and political parties hardly prioritise deep rural areas for voter registration and education, it would be great if youth could access this critical information online. As you know, this demographic does not vote.

There are times when we can not send a whatsapp message, withdraw cash, or even swipe instore.

I have no suggestions really but this is concerning and goes against the call to "leave no one behind".

I'd like to know if there are any efforts to resolve this issue. According to the news, Telkom and Vodacom have dedicated some millions to repairing infrastructure and tightening security ( to curb battery and cable theft). But this is only in certain earmarked areas and there is no guarantee if all will benefit.

I would appreciate a response in this regard.

Thank you,
Lelethu M