THE Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is calling for the immediate scrapping of mobile data and airtime expiration mandates.
The party said they're exploitative and unconstitutional.
EFF spokesman Sinawo Thambo said for years, South Africans have been subject to restrictive and anti-consumer expiration mandates as it relates to prepaid data and airtime, which regulates, restricts and undermines their access to information.
"On the 10th of March 2025, a delegation led by the commander in chief and president of the EFF, Julius Malema, met the executive leadership of MTN South Africa led by CEO Charles Molapisi to discuss various challenges confronting the telecommunications sector."
He said the challenges included the opportunities and threats posed by foreign satellite network operators to local industries and employment, challenges posed by import duties to the cost of digital devices in South Africa, opportunities to improve telecommunications infrastructure in South Africa and more, critically, the regime of prepaid data and airtime expiry mandates.
Thambo said that, during these discussions, MTN indicated that the expiry of data and airtime is standard industry practice and falls under the regulatory authority of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).
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He said, as a result, the EFF brought up the issue during a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies on 18 March 2020.
"Icasa had responded that it is in the process of reviewing expiration mandates and would embark on a process of public hearings in due course. However, to date, we have not received a detailed breakdown on the process that will be undertaken to legislate the restriction of expiry of prepaid and data and airtime. Furthermore, data costs in South Africa are one of the highest, with countries like Malawi having significantly cheaper rates, highlighting the failure of Icasa to regulate these costs."
Thambo said while data in Mzansi is expensive, it's still crucial in a digital era and where access to information must be characterised as a basic human right.
He explained that people need data and airtime to apply for jobs, pursue education, engage with societal issues, and often report crime or service delivery challenges.
Thambo highlighted that restrictions, such as the expiry of data and airtime purchased within five days or even hours, violate consumer rights, manipulate pricing, and undermine South Africans' ability to live with dignity.
He promised that the EFF will pursue the matter in Parliament.
"Data and airtime are not perishable goods. They do not rot, and therefore, they should not expire!" he said.
