An Evotel Production
SOCOSA
SOUTH AFRICA FIGHTING FOR NO.1 SPOT IN AFRICA!
Spending time with Chinese nationals – Allen Gong, Ashlec Imrith and Lukas Cavi – gave me a clearer indication of how far we are from catching up with the rest of the world in technological advancement, especially if our government doesn’t come to the party.
Today, we’re running a story comparing China’s technological evolution with that in Africa, where we’re still lagging behind — despite showing some signs of fighting hard to catch up.
You see, this is where our government must get proactive and step up its game when it comes to upskilling our people to advance in technology and help grow the economy of South Africa.
To be honest, it all starts with telecommunications — an industry that the entire world is focusing on with the digital migration. Yet, it seems those in power remain ignorant to the reality.
Look at Elon Musk. Today, he’s the richest man on earth because he had this giraffe view and chose to channel his energy into the right space — technology. And now, we’re critiquing him on his platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), where he has the power to deactivate your account without reason — simply because he controls the technology.
According to Huawei data analysts, South Africa has a lot of potential to take Africa by storm — something Mauritius has already done by investing millions of dollars into the industry. Today, everyone wants to visit the country as tourists, thanks to its advancements and status as a top holiday destination.
East African countries are front-runners on the continent in e-commerce — another booming sector driven by telecommunications. This growth supports thriving online retail markets and a strong focus on digital payments and logistics.
The South African youth are now working tirelessly to penetrate the e-commerce space, which is in high demand. Yet, our government seems to take a backseat instead of being a major player in mobile technology development — a space where real opportunities exist for our youth to sell on platforms like Amazon SA or Takealot.
It was also interesting to learn that Morocco, Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Tanzania, and Nigeria are all in the running to become major players in the telecommunications space. That alone should send shivers down our spines.
Stats shared with this publication show that South Africa has over six million homes passed with fibre internet. Kenya has two million, and Nigeria only 50,000. These numbers clearly indicate that we have the potential to dominate the continent — and have everyone eating from the palm of our hands.
For now, my plea is with government: take the first step. Reduce data prices, support telecommunications companies developing the township economy, and offer free internet to schools — something which Evotel has already championed.
Please read the full story inside and share your views with us on all our Evotel social media pages.
BECAUSE THE WORLD DOESN’T STOP, AND NEITHER DO WE
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HARVEST SCHOOL SCORES BIG WITH
Be Kind, Work Hard, and Make a Plan!
These are some of the core values of Harvest High School in Ladysmith, Vryheid, KwaZuluNatal.
To their surprise, Evotel has embraced these core values by upgrading their sports field in our endeavour to change the lives of ordinary people as they prepared for the current national schools’ sporting season.
When the Christian school sought a good Samaritan to save their dilapidated sports field, the heavens looked down on Evotel to help the school and leave a lasting impact in the area that supports our network in its entirety.
In essence, the school is the backbone of Ladysmith, where learners are nurtured. This is the first time that they will be participating in the school’s sports programme, and they’re hoping to discover and shape the futures of their learners.
Unlike those in underserved communities who face significant challenges when it comes to having enough resources for learners, the 33-year-old Harvest Combined School, a member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and accredited with Umalusi, is founded and owned by the Harvest Educational Trust.
Evotel donated R40,000 to the school for their rugby and soccer fields, which greatly enthused the school’s Sports Director and Mathematics teacher, Cheney Abbott.
She confirmed that in the over 30 years of the school’s existence, this is the first time they are introducing sport and indicated that the excitement has gone through the roof.
“The kids are very excited and look forward to the sports activities daily. They wake up excited on match day, and you can see now the mindset has changed,” said Abbott.
“We have no budget, hence we asked for help from Evotel. Even now, we would still have problems transporting the learners to away matches. For now, our soccer and rugby fields are equipped.
One simple yet powerful way to make a difference in a school is to donate items. It keeps the children busy, and they look forward to the next day. Now we have a responsibility to train them to win matches. Keep it up, guys.”
By donating the money for the items, Evotel wanted to help bridge the gap between what schools need and what their budgets can provide, according to Nadia Smith, the Fibre Network Operator’s Marketing Manager.
The heartbreak is seeing the school seek donations from already drained parents, or teachers being made to spend their own money to purchase sports equipment or even classroom materials, and learners sometimes going without the tools they need to succeed, like in interhouse competitions.
Your contribution, no matter how big or small, can directly support learning and make a meaningful difference.
“Reaching out to Evotel was good for us, and we would like you to help others too in the future,” said Abbott.
AFRICA’S TELECOM GAINING SPEED!
With Evotel knuckling down to action in an effort to reclaim its place within the telecommunications space, we take a look at other tech-savvy countries around the world excelling in the fibre internet space.
Research reveals that Singapore, South Korea, and the UAE are some of the countries at the forefront when it comes to high Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) penetration, coverage, and internet speeds.
In Africa, South Africa has developed intense competition with leaders Mauritius, Morocco, Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Tanzania, and Nigeria.
However, boasting the best technology in Africa are Mzansi and Mauritius, both of which possess sophisticated infrastructure that makes it feasible for everyone in townships and villages to have access to the internet.
Allen Gong, Huawei’s Senior Managing Consultant, has highly rated South Africa on the continent and has no doubt that competition is limited between Mauritius and Mzansi.
However, he is not ruling out Tunisia.
According to Gong, some of the countries that have already migrated to the fibre internet space will have to change their technical approach and ensure they use the technology that will make them compatible with the rest of the world.
“Most are still stuck in core (urban) markets, but ignoring villages where internet is mostly needed,” he said, reasoning that it doesn’t work as strongly as before.
“They cannot make business only in cities when most of its occupants come from villages. My international experience tells me that I can give you, as South Africa, assurance that you’re on the right track, but government must help too by passing legislations that will make internet available to the people at affordable prices.
“The organisation like Evotel could be on an upward spiral considering the organisational structure, criteria, and salespeople who will be enabled by technology companies like Huawei.
“Social responsibility is very important and it works for South Africa. I would vouch for you in Africa.”
Despite all this, Gong says in Africa, South Africa leads in the fibre market:
“I’ve been to Kenya, Nigeria, and a lot of other countries, and this is my expert analysis. In South Africa, there are more than six million homes passed. Kenya is at two million passed, and Nigeria is a paltry 50,000, according to studies. South Africa is better. But Mauritius is way ahead with 95% of its coverage in fibre internet.”
HERE’S WHY CHINA LEADS IN TELECOMS!
In comparison to his country, China, and fibre in South Africa, Gong indicated that the Asian country is second to none in the world when it comes to technological advancements.
He indicated that their internet technology power is derived from a combination of many factors, including an increasingly digitally savvy population, government support, and the development of new technology, coupled with their special approach to internet governance that fosters innovation within a controlled environment.
According to him, the winning concept for China was selling internet as part of a combo package, which includes Fibre-To-The-Home, a sim card for mobile devices, a camera, and in some instances, cloud storage space.
“You can have everything all at once in China,” he boasted.
“The combo package is cheaper than paying for everything separately. Internet is far cheaper in China than in South Africa for different reasons. Most infrastructure is manufactured there, and the start-up speed is 1Gig, which is well promoted.”
Unlike in South Africa, the Chinese government is reportedly taking the importance of technology for economic growth and national power seriously, allocating significant resources to research and development in key areas.
This is evidenced by the fact that China’s mobile internet penetration is high, “and the country is a major player in mobile technology development, including 5G and related applications.”
It is believed that Chinese technology companies prioritise unique solutions for the challenges faced by the country’s market, which in turn is exported globally for others to foot their research bill.
Allen Gong, Huawei’s Senior Managing Consultant
GAMING
TOP CONTENT CREATOR, STREAMER AND GAMER RELIES ON INTERNET!
Popular content creator, streamer, and gamer Kate, better known in the electronic gaming sphere as Hekate_Gaming, has spoken highly about Evotel.
She says has been keeping her console connected to the internet for as long as she wants it — uninterrupted and without buffering throughout her games.
The 30-year-old Evotel influencer, who hails from Cape Town, believes that Evotel has the capability to change people’s lives, literally.
Having grown up in “a rural area”, she knows the challenges of not having access to the internet. However, her gaming life has changed drastically, and she’s on her way to becoming one of the best female gamers in South Africa.
“The possibility that Evotel has to change people’s lives is very real. Having access to fast and reliable internet has made my streaming possible. Without it, I would never have had the chance to be who I am today,” she told this publication.
She believes Evotel needs to be given a chance:
“I myself have been through about five different internet providers and can tell you that Evotel has (by far) the best support and availability that I have seen so far.
I am sure you can contact their team and someone will be able to assist you with anything you need.”
She agrees that South Africa’s migration to digital is long overdue:
“I feel that our country is sometimes behind others, and we have a long way to go.
But going more digital has so many possibilities for growing our communities and educating the public. Internet access is extremely important.”
It has been a blast for Hekate_Gaming to be partnered with Evotel as our influencer, and it is an absolute honour to represent us with aplomb online.
“We recently had an amazing R10,000 giveaway, and the audience loved it — none of this would have been possible without Evotel.
Their team has supported me with everything that I have needed so far and are always there when I need to ask a question. I am looking forward to all of the possibilities ahead and fun things to come in the future.”
Why has she gone for the pseudonym Hekate?
“When I first chose my username, I was inspired by Hecate — the Greek goddess of magic, witchcraft, and crossroads, who is often depicted with dogs.
I had recently lost a beautiful all-black German shepherd and was drawn to the images of her. I then meshed my name, Kate, and Hecate together to form Hekate. That’s how the name was born.”
How was she raised in Cape Town?
“I was the invisible girl at school who hated oral presentations. I had a few friends interested in gaming, but only started making real gaming friends when I joined online games.
“I went to an English primary school and an Afrikaans high school, so I tend to speak a mixed language that my viewers enjoy.”
She says her gaming journey dates back to 2003 when she was nine years old and her father swapped an old bike for a PS2, which probably came with about 60 games.
She indicated that 80% of the discs back then didn’t even work, but the ones that did were played over and over again.
The adventure of playing Jak and Daxter, along with the competitive side of Splashdown , made her fall in love with gaming.
“Female gamers aren’t rare,” she indicated, suggesting that it is actually a myth.
According to Hekate, a study done recently (2025) has proven that women make up almost 41.5% of all gamers.
“They just rarely speak in lobbies, and their game choices are not always maledominated, so they are commonly overlooked,” she said.
“To be completely honest — gaming is an expensive hobby. Setup costs can be between R2,500 - R15,000+, depending on your console/PC of choice. There are also good second-hand options to look for before buying a brand-new one.
“This can cut costs, and if bought from a trusted seller, should work out fine. If you count the amount of hours you spend enjoying yourself and having fun, it makes it worth it.”
Hekate is building a legacy for herself, especially since she has no one as a role model in gaming:
“It was more the joy of myself. My brother and father going head-to-head in Need for Speed made it fun in the beginning.
As a variety streamer, I enjoy all types of games. We play horror, first-person shooters, survival, and many others. If I had to give my top three, it would be Genshin Impact, Call of Duty, and The Mortuary Assistant.”
If you’re a fan, Hekate_Gaming streams every day on Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube under the search handle ”Hekate_Gaming” where she goes live for the better part of each day.
EVOTEL AMONG TOP-FIVE FNOs IN SOUTH AFRICA!
Evotel has made a giant leap into the top five among the best South African Fibre Network Operators (FNOs) in the first quarter of 2025 — between 1 January and 31 March — showing its competitors a clear pair of heels.
In a study conducted by online technology publication MyBroadband, using metrics combined to form a comprehensive conclusion, Evotel emerged among the top five in overall scores determining the best fibre network operator.
The leading tech publication rated Evotel — and other FNOs — using various scores to calculate an average across five key categories: Downloads, Uploads, Latencies, Jitters, and Users.
THE FNOs ARE SCORED IN FIVE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES:
1. Download Score – How close the average user speed test comes to the advertised download speed for their fibre connection.
2. Upload Score – How close the average user speed test comes to the advertised upload speed for their fibre connection.
3. Latency Score – How often user speed test results have acceptable latencies.
4. Jitter Score – Calculated from the percentage of speed test results with acceptable jitter values.
5. User Score – Users on the MyBroadband Speedtest platform can rate their connection from 1 to 5.
CONFIRMED: EVOTEL STOOD THE TEST OF TIME!
On the overall tally, Evotel achieved a score of 57.81.
“These results are based on over 8,000 tests performed on the MyBroadband Speed Test website. For these tests, users specified their FNO and advertised connection speeds, and rated their connection out of five,” explained MyBroadband in a report outlining its measurement system and conclusion — which appears to be fair for all FNOs in the country.
“Ranking FNOs is not simple, as many standard metrics — such as average download and upload speeds — depend more on the package a user selects from their Internet Service Provider (ISP) than on the performance of their FNO.”
AN ALGORITHM THAT ACCOUNTS FOR ALL!
MyBroadband has developed a thorough scoring algorithm that takes all of these variables into account to determine the best FNO from the results.
These metrics — covering the largest FNOs in South Africa — are combined into an overall score to determine the country’s best fibre network operator.
CELEBRATING IN HER OWN SPACE!
Somila Socosa, Evotel’s Customer Experience Coordinator, loosely translated as an official who supports clients and ISPs, has attributed her achievement as the winner of the ‘Hazel Dube Employee of the Month’ award for March to her colleagues for their hard work, which makes life easier.
She further heaped praise on her “leaders,” Nasreen Khan and Maartens Hattingh, whom she believes are making her job more exciting.
Hailing from East London, the 25-year-old introvert, who has been in Johannesburg for over 15 years, admits that it came as a surprise that she amassed the most votes to win the coveted prize.
“It came as a surprise,” she said.
“I truly didn’t anticipate receiving the most votes. I feel that there are people who have been at Evotel longer and have made a bigger impact than I have since my arrival. However, I’m thankful and grateful that my efforts aren’t in vain and that the company deemed me worthy of the prize.
“I would like to commend and applaud my fellow colleagues for all the work they do, many of whom I work with daily. They’ve been a great help and could be the reason I excel in my own work.
You’re all amazing, and I love you so much! My managers have played a big role in helping me find my feet. They’ve been my soft landing. I’m truly thankful to have had leaders like them.”
Joining Evotel in October 2023 from Home-Connect, one of our partnered ISPs, Socosa admits to having joined the Fibre-To-The-Home company with many aspirations to learn about the network and eventually specialise in its maintenance and management.
According to her, she has been exposed to so much in the time “I’ve been here, and while I’m not yet where I aim to be, I hope the opportunity will soon arise for me to step out of my comfort zone.”
In her daily duties, Socosa handles tickets and call queries from clients and partner ISPs and liaises with the maintenance team to resolve isolated issues that require on-site attention.
She explains: “I also manage clients, social media platforms, and ISP escalations, and help create SOPs to better manage our workload and customer service. This includes detecting network outages and fibre breaks in our built areas, which are swiftly handled by our Network Operations Centre (NOC).”
With four siblings, Socosa says she believes in staying in her corner daily to support clients and partners, and working with her colleagues in their way to improve their support department.
Well, for those expecting a little party to celebrate her award, Socosa says she has never been a socialite and has always struggled with making friends due to being an introvert.
“I’m a homebody and enjoy spending time with myself, by myself, more than anything else,” she concluded.
Pictured in the gold dress: Somila Socosa
