Vodacom has cleared its final regulatory hurdle in the company’s long and difficult effort to acquire a 30% stake in Maziv. The deal, first signed in 2021, stalled repeatedly while regulators reviewed competition and ownership concerns. On Wednesday, Vodacom confirmed that Icasa, South Africa’s communications regulator, has approved the transaction. With every condition now met, Vodacom will implement the agreement on 1 December 2025, closing a process that drew intense industry and investor attention.
The approval ends four years of legal and regulatory disputes around one of South Africa’s most consequential telecom infrastructure deals. In July, the Competition Appeal Court overturned an earlier attempt to block the agreement, but the decision only removed one barrier. Icasa still had to grant formal consent, which the sector awaited. Vodacom’s update confirms that the deal will now proceed without further interruption, giving the industry a clear direction after years of competing speculation.
Market Expansion
Vodacom will take ownership of a co-controlling 30% stake in Maziv, the infrastructure holding company that owns Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa (DFA). This shift places Vodacom directly inside the country’s largest fibre network group. The company will not act as an external investor but as an infrastructure partner with decision-level influence. Fibre now forms the backbone of home broadband and enterprise connectivity in South Africa. For Vodacom, the Maziv stake creates broader integration opportunities than mobile-led connectivity could provide on its own.
Shift in Fibre Infrastructure Power
Competitors have warned that Vodacom’s Maziv stake could reshape infrastructure competition and give Vodacom an unmatched advantage across both fixed and mobile markets. Vodacom has continued to counter that view. The operator maintains that the company wants to expand fibre investment and accelerate infrastructure build-out, not limit competition. Vodacom frames the transaction as a growth driver for digital inclusion rather than a constraint mechanism on rival network operators.
Vodacom’s Position and Market Impact
The transaction will sharpen the structure of South Africa’s connectivity market. Vodacom now holds a powerful presence across mobile networks and fibre infrastructure, positioning the operator inside both consumer and enterprise connectivity supply chains. Analysts expect consolidation pressure across the sector to rise as competitors move quickly to scale capital investment, network expansion, technical partnerships, and infrastructure agreements to match Vodacom’s combined network reach. Companies competing in this market can no longer treat fibre and mobile as separate battlegrounds. The sector now competes on ecosystem depth, ownership influence, and build momentum.
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