06/06/2025
South Africa is facing slower internet speeds in some regions this week due to emergency repairs on the West Africa Cable System (WACS), a critical undersea data link stretching 14,500 km between South Africa and Europe.
The cable went offline on Sunday, 1 June, after a serious fault was discovered in a branching unit near Swakopmund, off the coast of Namibia. This unit is responsible for directing data traffic along the cable’s path.
A specialized deep-sea repair vessel has successfully retrieved the damaged component, and engineers are now working to install a replacement and run full system tests to restore connectivity between Yzerfontein and Lisbon, a key European data exchange point.
“The main cable remains intact. We’re now focused on installing the new unit and verifying signal integrity,” said Robert Kraai, co-chair of the WACS operations committee.
Who’s Affected?
The outage has hit the Western Cape hardest, with users reporting slow browsing speeds and issues with streaming services. In contrast, Gauteng and northern parts of the country remain mostly unaffected, thanks to alternative routes provided by East Coast cables like Seacom and EASSy.
“Networks in the Western Cape rely heavily on WACS, so outages like this can be highly disruptive,” said a spokesperson from local ISP Cool Ideas.
Repairs are projected to continue until at least 16 June, although progress may depend on weather and sea conditions. “If the ocean allows, we’re hopeful services will resume by the third week of June,” said telecom analyst Roderick Beck. “But with the sea, there are no guarantees.”
Why This Matters
WACS is a cornerstone of South Africa’s digital infrastructure, supporting not just everyday internet access but also high-speed data, international content delivery, and cloud services.
It also connects with the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) via Angola, making it essential for both regional and global internet traffic.
This incident serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of global connectivity, which often depends on a limited number of undersea cables—each susceptible to faults, weather events, and physical damage.