BREAKING NEWS South Africa | Internet Disruptions Hit South Africa as WACS Undersea Cable Undergoes Emergency Repairs
BREAKING NEWS South Africa face slow internet speeds as the critical WACS undersea cable goes offline for emergency repairs near Namibia.
Millions of internet users across South Africa and the wider Southern African region are facing slow and inconsistent connectivity as the West Africa Cable System (WACS), BREAKING NEWS South Africa a crucial undersea fibre-optic cable linking South Africa to Europe, undergoes emergency maintenance.
The disruption, which began on Sunday, 1 June, is already affecting service quality, especially in the Western Cape, and could continue for at least two more weeks.
The 14,500-kilometre WACS cable — stretching from Yzerfontein in the Western Cape to Portugal and interconnecting with Europe via London — went offline in the early hours of Sunday morning due to a critical fault near Swakopmund, Namibia.
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According to telecommunications authorities, the issue lies with a malfunctioning branching unit, an underwater junction box that plays a key role in directing data traffic along the cable route.
Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), Namibia’s leading telecom provider, has issued an urgent public advisory, warning customers of potential internet slowdowns and disruptions while the repairs are underway.
“Due to ongoing emergency maintenance on the WACS cable system, users may experience reduced internet speeds or intermittent connectivity. BREAKING NEWS South Africa We urge customers to remain patient while our technical teams work closely with international partners to resolve the issue,” MTC said in a statement.
Deep-Sea Repairs Underway
According to MyBroadband and confirmed by Openserve’s Robert Kraai, who co-chairs the WACS Operations and Maintenance Committee, BREAKING NEWS South Africa a specialised deep-sea cable repair vessel has already reached the affected site and successfully retrieved the damaged branching unit.
“We’ve confirmed that the cable’s structural integrity remains intact aside from the faulty component. The repair team is now installing a new unit and will soon begin comprehensive testing of signal flow from South Africa to Europe,” Kraai said.
The complex repair operation requires favourable sea conditions and delicate handling of high-voltage underwater systems. Experts have described the mission as “routine, but urgent” given the WACS system’s vital role in supporting Southern Africa’s digital infrastructure.
If all goes according to plan, full restoration of services is expected by or shortly after 16 June, although this timeline remains weather-dependent.
Why WACS Matters
Launched in 2012, WACS is one of the most important digital arteries connecting the African continent to the rest of the world. The cable carries a significant portion of Southern Africa’s internet traffic, particularly that originating in or routed through South Africa.
It supports everything from high-speed data transfers and cloud computing to international video calls and online services. BREAKING NEWS South Africa
WACS also connects with the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) via Angola, extending its reach into South America and providing additional redundancy for intercontinental communications.
The failure of this single component has triggered a ripple effect, forcing internet providers to reroute traffic via alternate — and often slower — systems. While East Coast cables such as SEACOM and EASSy are picking up some of the slack, their capacity is limited.
“The Western Cape is feeling the impact more sharply because most of our networks here depend on WACS and other West Coast cables,” said Cool Ideas, a South African internet service provider. “On the other hand, users in Gauteng and the northern parts of the country are less affected thanks to backup routes through East Coast cables.”
Internet Providers Feel the Strain
While some providers have resilient backup systems in place, others are struggling to maintain acceptable levels of performance. Customers have reported slower-than-usual download speeds, increased buffering on video streaming platforms, and delays in real-time applications such as online gaming and video conferencing.
“We’re seeing congestion on alternative routes,” said a network operations manager from one of the country’s top ISPs. “While data is being rerouted, BREAKING NEWS South Africa these systems weren’t designed to handle the entire region’s load.”
Engineers are now racing against time to complete repairs before the issues cascade further.
Global Implications and Industry Concerns
This latest outage highlights the fragile nature of global internet infrastructure, which largely depends on a handful of vulnerable submarine cables. Experts warn that such failures could become more frequent as data demands increase and undersea systems age.
“People don’t realise how dependent we are on just a few undersea cables for international connectivity,” said telecommunications analyst Roderick Beck. “These cables carry nearly all global internet traffic, and when even one goes offline, the effects are immediate and widespread.”
Beck emphasised that while repairs are on track, the industry should be investing more in cable diversity and redundancy.
“If the weather holds and no additional issues are found, we expect WACS to be fully operational again by the third week of June,” he added.
What Users Can Expect
In the meantime, consumers are advised to limit high-bandwidth activities such as 4K streaming and large file downloads during peak hours. BREAKING NEWS South Africa Businesses relying heavily on international cloud platforms may experience latency issues, while VoIP and video conferencing services could become unstable depending on location and provider.
Some tips for users during the disruption:
- Use local services and content where possible.
- Schedule large downloads for off-peak hours.
- Consider mobile data alternatives, which may use different routing systems.
- Keep devices and software updated to ensure optimal performance on reduced bandwidth.
Looking Ahead
As the deep-sea mission continues off the Namibian coast, internet users across Southern Africa are bracing for ongoing instability in the days ahead. BREAKING NEWS South Africa The operation to restore WACS underscores both the complexity and critical importance of maintaining these transcontinental data highways.
Governments and network operators alike are being urged to reassess their dependence on limited infrastructure and explore long-term solutions — including satellite-based internet, additional cable routes, and regional data centres — to better withstand future outages.
Until then, Southern Africa remains at the mercy of the ocean — and the engineers working tirelessly beneath it.
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