Vodacom
Johannesburg, ZA Β· Founded 1994 Β· 16,180 employees on LinkedIn Β· Public Β· 1 known investors
Vodacom operates mobile networks across Southern and East Africa, serving customers in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Lesotho, and Kenya from its Johannesburg headquarters.
Also known as Vodacom Group Β· Vodacom Group Limited
Investors Β· 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Vodacom Group Limited is a South African telecommunications company providing voice, messaging, data and converged services to consumer and enterprise customers across Africa. Founded in 1994 by Alan Knott-Craig Sr., the group is headquartered in Midrand, South Africa, and describes itself as an African connectivity, digital and financial services company. Its operations, including Safaricom, span South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania, with business services extended to customers in more than 32 African countries including Nigeria, Zambia, Angola, Ghana, CΓ΄te d'Ivoire and Cameroon.
The group's product range covers mobile telephony and internet services, fixed and fibre connectivity, and enterprise portfolios spanning connectivity, cloud and hosting, Internet of Things and collaboration tools. Vodacom Financial Services operates lending and payments products such as VodaLend, an online funding product for small, medium and micro enterprises in South Africa that promises an application decision within four hours and is not restricted to Vodacom subscribers. Key executives include CEO Shameel Joosub, CFO Till Streichert and CTO Dejan Kastelic, with Phillip Moleketi as chairman.
Vodacom is majority-owned by Vodafone Group plc through Vodafone Investments SA (65.1%). Other disclosed holders as at May 2022 included the Government Employees Pension Fund (13.54%), YeboYethu Investment Company (6.23%), Wheatfield Investments 276 (0.84%) and institutional investors (15.76%).
Founding story
The company was founded in 1994 by Alan Knott-Craig Sr., initially as a 50/50 partnership between the South African telecommunications operator Telkom and the British multinational operator Vodafone. Early marketing, including the long-running "yebo gogo" campaign, accompanied its launch in the early years of democratic South Africa.
Business model
Vodacom sells mobile voice, messaging, data and converged communications services to consumer and enterprise customers through majority-owned national operating companies in each market, complemented by fixed and fibre products, enterprise ICT portfolios (connectivity, cloud and hosting, IoT, collaboration) and financial services such as SMME lending via VodaLend.
Revenue is generated from consumer and enterprise subscriptions and usage for voice, messaging and data services, fixed and fibre products, enterprise ICT services, and financial services including SMME credit products.
Traction
Vodacom reports serving over 130 million customers across Africa in one description and 230 million including Safaricom in another, with mobile networks covering a population of 596 million. As at March 2023, group member companies reported customer bases of 44.2 million in South Africa, 21.0 million in the DRC, 16.7 million in Tanzania, 10.7 million in Mozambique, 1.7 million in Lesotho, 45.5 million at Vodafone Egypt, 43.9 million at Safaricom in Kenya and 2.1 million at Safaricom Ethiopia. Reported revenue was R98.302 billion (US$6.65 billion) in 2021 versus R90.746 billion (US$6.14 billion) in 2020.
Latest developments
In August 2025 Vodacom announced South Africa's first native call over 5G, made on its test network using its Single Packet Core, and the South African Competition Appeals Court approved its acquisition of a 30%β34.95% shareholding in fibre operator Maziv, the parent of Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, setting aside the Tribunal's prohibition and adding concessions limiting Vodacom's influence over Maziv and expanding its capital expenditure commitments. In December 2025 Vodacom announced its intention to increase its Safaricom shareholding by 20 percentage points to a controlling 54.9%, including an upfront payment of R5.3 billion for rights to future Safaricom dividends otherwise due to the Kenyan government. In 2026 the group published annual results, an integrated report and an ESG report for the year ended 31 March 2026, a quarterly trading update to 30 June 2026, and a notice of annual general meeting dated 4 August 2026; Vodacom Business also launched a Huawei SD-WAN solution.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Vodacom is described as the leading cellular network in South Africa with over 40% market share and more than 45 million users, and an estimated 58% market share with more than 103 million customers across Africa. The group, including Safaricom, reports serving 230 million customers. In Kenya, Safaricom held a 60% mobile market share at the time of Vodacom's December 2025 announcement.
Technology
Vodacom South Africa provides 3G, 4G and UMTS networks and offers HSPA+, HSUPA, Wi-Fi, WiMAX and LTE services; it was the first cellular provider to introduce LTE in South Africa. It launched a fibre-to-the-home product on 21 October 2015, achieved a 240 Mbit/s 4G+ speed test in Brooklyn Mall, Pretoria in April 2017, and in early 2020 became the second African operator to launch a live 5G network, initially in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. In August 2025 it completed South Africa's first native 5G call using its Single Packet Core on a test network. A February 2022 partnership with Amdocs introduced a cloud-native billing and charging platform and an African Center of Excellence to support 5G rollout across subsidiaries in Tanzania, Mozambique and the DRC.
Go-to-market
Vodacom reaches consumers through local country-specific websites, retail and care channels (24-hour customer care lines, repair, fibre, sales and upgrade lines) and through Vodacom Business Africa for corporate, public sector and SMME customers. Enterprise offerings are taken to market with technology partners, such as a Huawei SD-WAN solution launched by Vodacom Business for SMMEs, public sector organisations and large corporates, and a billing and charging platform partnership with Amdocs.
Consumer mobile and fixed subscribers across Africa, plus enterprise customers ranging from small, medium and micro enterprises to public sector organisations and large corporates; VodaLend targets South African-registered businesses with at least R500,000 annual revenue and 12 months of trading history.
Geography
Head office in Midrand/Johannesburg, South Africa. Mobile network operations in South Africa, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Lesotho, Egypt, Kenya (via Safaricom) and Ethiopia (via Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia). Business services are provided to customers in over 32 African countries, including Nigeria, Zambia, Angola, Ghana, CΓ΄te d'Ivoire and Cameroon. Group mobile networks cover a total population of 596 million people.
History
Vodacom was founded in 1994 and was originally held in a 50/50 partnership between South Africa's Telkom and the UK's Vodafone. In November 2008 Vodafone agreed to raise its stake to 64.5% while Telkom spun off its remaining holding through a listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The company rebranded from blue to red on 1 April 2011, aligning with Vodafone's identity. It expanded beyond South Africa into Tanzania, the DRC, Mozambique, Lesotho, Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya. A proposed merger with fibre group Maziv was announced in 2021, blocked by the South African Competition Tribunal in October 2024, and approved with additional concessions by the Competition Appeals Court in August 2025. In December 2025 Vodacom announced its intention to raise its stake in Kenya's Safaricom to a controlling 54.9%. The company marked its 30th anniversary and reported results for the year ended 31 March 2026.
Risks & controversies
The group's proposed merger with fibre group Maziv faced regulatory opposition: the South African Competition Tribunal blocked the transaction in October 2024 on competition grounds before the Competition Appeals Court set aside that order in August 2025, subject to additional concessions limiting Vodacom's influence over Maziv. Following the Tribunal decision in November 2024, Vodacom said it would not pursue other M&A deals. In February 2021 CEO Shameel Joosub dismissed talk of Vodacom acquiring Vodafone Ghana, saying the acquisition was not under consideration.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 13
launches, deals, and filingsVodacom Business launched a Huawei SD-WAN solution to modernise networks for SMMEs, public sector organisations and large corporates.
Vodacom stated its intention to increase its shareholding in Kenyan telecoms company Safaricom by 20 percentage points to a controlling 54.9%, including an upfront payment of R5.3 billion to secure rights to future Safaricom dividends otherwise going to the Kenyan government. Safaricom then held a 60% mobile market share in Kenya and was valued at around R148 billion.
Vodacom announced South Africa's first native 5G call, made on its test network using its Single Packet Core, as a step towards rolling out native 5G call services.
The South African Competition Appeals Court set aside the Tribunal's prohibition and approved Vodacom's acquisition of a 30% to 34.95% shareholding in fibre network operator Maziv, parent of Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, subject to additional concessions limiting Vodacom's influence over Maziv and expanding its capital expenditure commitments.
The Competition Tribunal prohibited Vodacom's proposed merger with fibre group Maziv, first proposed in 2021.
Vodacom Group partnered with Amdocs to enhance customer experience and billing systems with a cloud-native platform, and established an African Center of Excellence to improve operational efficiency and accelerate 5G deployment across subsidiaries in Tanzania, Mozambique and the DRC.
Vodacom Financial Services highlighted VodaLend, an online SMME business funding product offering an application decision within four hours and open to non-Vodacom customers, as South African small businesses faced COVID-19 pressures.
Vodacom became the second network operator in Africa to launch a live 5G network, initially available in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.
Vodacom unveiled a change in branding from blue to red, adopting the style of parent company Vodafone.
Vodafone announced it had agreed to increase its stake in Vodacom to 64.5%, and Telkom said it would spin off its remaining holding by listing it on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- Vodacomvodacom.com Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Vodacom do?
- African connectivity, digital and financial services group operating mobile networks across Africa from South Africa.
- Who are Vodacom's investors?
- Vodacom's investors include Convergence Partners.
- Where is Vodacom headquartered?
- Vodacom is headquartered in Johannesburg, ZA.