{"id":91502,"date":"2026-08-28T14:39:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T14:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/?p=91502"},"modified":"2026-08-28T14:39:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T14:39:27","slug":"outlier-170-supercomputers-bank-fraud-sa-cellphones-coal-bonanza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/2026\/08\/28\/outlier-170-supercomputers-bank-fraud-sa-cellphones-coal-bonanza\/","title":{"rendered":"Outlier #170: Supercomputers, bank fraud, SA cellphones, coal bonanza"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"947\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/unnamed.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91415\" srcset=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/unnamed.png 947w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/unnamed-400x79.png 400w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/unnamed-768x152.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 947px) 100vw, 947px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Get involved:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/theoutlier.co.za\/volunteer-expert\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Volunteer your expertise<\/a>\u00a0to help us cover stories better.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week we start with some personal nostalgia. It\u2019s the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fossbytes.com\/linus-torvaldss-famous-email-first-linux-announcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">35th anniversary<\/a>\u00a0of the first announcement of Linux, an open source operating system that started out as just an idea (\u201cnothing big\u201d) and now runs most of the internet and much of our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The personal connection is that I ran one of the earliest websites covering Linux and open source software for a number of years. While the website is long gone there is, I\u2019ve discovered, a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tectonic_Magazine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikipedia page<\/a>\u00a0about the magazine, which came some time after the website, which I ran with Jason Norwood-Young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read on \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffe<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In this week\u2019s newsletter:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Political party funding update<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How a hobby project took over the world<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bankings apps at the forefront of fraud<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SA\u2019s coal windfall<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>City of Joburg owed billions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cellphone boom in SA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcb0 Political donations update<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week we shared a link to our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/theoutlier.co.za\/tools\/view\/partyfunding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">political party donations dashboard<\/a>. At the time, we noted that the list of declared donations was very obviously incomplete. Yesterday the IEC (Electoral Commission of South Africa) updated its list of donors and announced a series of late, non-compliant and missing donations. Among these were a number of non-compliant donations for the ANC, including R15-million from the Batho Batho Trust. The IEC also noted a series of late declarations from the ANC totalling more than R40-million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Good Party has also announced it plans to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.polity.org.za\/article\/good-party-appeals-r90-000-electoral-court-fine-over-funding-violations-2026-08-27\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contest an Electoral Court ruling<\/a>\u00a0that found it in breach of electoral funding regulations and a fine of R90,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"798\" src=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-14.10.35-1024x798.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91503\" srcset=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-14.10.35-1024x798.png 1024w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-14.10.35-400x312.png 400w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-14.10.35-767x598.png 767w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-14.10.35.png 1232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of the declared donations in June 2026, the Democratic Alliance is the primary recipient. Gambling entrepreneur Martin Moshal contributed R5-million to the Democratic Alliance in June 2026. Moshal has, to date, donated R118-million to political parties since 2021, primarily to the DA and ActionSA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Find more on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/theoutlier.co.za\/tools\/view\/partyfunding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Outlier\u2019s donations dashboard<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theoutlier.co.za\/tools\/view\/partyfunding\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Political-party-.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Political-party-.png 1000w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Political-party-400x160-1.png 400w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Political-party-767x306-1.png 767w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcbb Booting up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On August 25 1991, a 21-year-old computer science student in Helsinki posted a message to an early internet forum. Linus Torvalds described a hobby computer operating system he was working on. He famously said it \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/fossbytes.com\/linus-torvaldss-famous-email-first-linux-announcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">won\u2019t be big<\/a>\u201d. Thirty-five years later, that hobby project, called Linux, now runs the majority of the internet, most of the world&#8217;s phones, and every single one of the planet&#8217;s fastest computers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Linux supercomputers: total conquest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On supercomputers, Linux&#8217;s dominance has been the most complete. The first Linux system appeared on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/top500.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TOP500 list<\/a>\u00a0of the world&#8217;s fastest supercomputers in June 1998, powering just one machine, the Avalon Cluster, ranked 314th. Between November 2002 and November 2009, the count went from 71 systems to 448, and by November 2017, Linux ran on all 500 of the world\u2019s top 500 supercomputers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"810\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Linux-Supercomputers.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Linux-Supercomputers.png 810w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Linux-Supercomputers-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Linux-Supercomputers-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Linux-Supercomputers-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mobile: the quiet majority<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While supercomputers grabbed headlines, Linux&#8217;s biggest real-world win happened in people&#8217;s pockets. Android, built on the Linux kernel, held 69% of the global mobile OS market as of June 2026, running on roughly 3.9-billion active smartphones globally, making it the most used operating system in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Embedded systems: smaller, but bigger<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Linux also quietly runs the machinery underneath modern life. Roughly 58% of the world&#8217;s 14.2-billion connected IoT (internet of things) devices use embedded Linux. It shows up in unglamorous but critical places: 5G base stations run Linux-based software, over 80-million vehicles use Linux-based infotainment or telematics systems, and Linux-based smart TV platforms like Samsung&#8217;s Tizen and LG&#8217;s webOS account for over 61% of global TV unit sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfe6 Banking fraud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"810\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/V2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/V2.png 810w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/V2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/V2-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/V2-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Africa\u2019s banking industry logged 110,074 digital banking fraud incidents in 2025. It\u2019s an almost 13% increase from the 97,547 in 2024. In rand values, the losses grew from R1.86-billion in 2024 to R2.4-billion in 2025, according to data from the South African Banking Risk Information Centre\u2019s (SABRIC\u2019s) 2025 Annual Crime Statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Banking apps are the entry point for most of this fraud, but SABRIC was clear that the apps themselves usually aren\u2019t the weak link. \u201cIn many cases, the fraud began outside the banking platform, when criminals impersonated trusted organisations, created urgency, or guided customers through transactions in real time,\u201d the report said. In 2025, the average loss per case of fraud involving a banking app was R17,389. SABRIC found there was \u201can increasing use of AI-generated phishing emails, messaging content and impersonation techniques designed to mimic trusted institutions or individuals\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But banking apps aren\u2019t where the real money was lost per case. That distinction belongs to internet banking, with R73,582 lost on average per case. SABRIC said internet banking was used for larger once-off payments, with the fraud done through fraudulent beneficiary name changes, false payment instructions and compromised business communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mobile banking had both the cheapest fraud losses and the smallest number of cases, 2.9% of the total, with an average loss per case of R6,958. Mobile banking recorded the highest number of SIM swap-related incidents. \u201cCriminals may use a compromised cellphone number to intercept alerts or verification messages and attempt to access banking services,\u201d found SABRIC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"810\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/average-cost-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/average-cost-1.png 810w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/average-cost-1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/average-cost-1-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/average-cost-1-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fonts.gstatic.com\/s\/e\/notoemoji\/17.0\/1f4ac\/32.png\" alt=\"\ud83d\udcac\">\u00a0Tell us:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Have you ever lost money to a bank fraud or scam?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> \ud83d\ude21 <a href=\"https:\/\/link.mail.beehiiv.com\/ss\/c\/u001.0x9xZVMef4jh42JQgetz4ecSvpYa09-JSqNvXctvWpjC4oMlXomD6gEu7DuGbJMa1fZxg0IB3MHgW_11LN7pol2E71edqtZe7TwogTwBYhDBlSbgmewN6jtwo3EN6wX-VVVkUeb47tCsbPGBdZhm1-iWCBUTZncHtVfFDz4f-92JgvpGXT9ciVG4UtZCnXgwOMmQAS__-0qMfXyyUWObg-JoR2cRutlQC8lvh3MAzFBPoHHgPIdNhmYEio1cdDIPdE9818MPjdFDtVXYBMQvNgY0Ax2-zk3KkDmVffCU0r0\/4tk\/gPsIfysIQpyYLdQeRrRNLg\/h11\/h001.1XDnUJN1GPytFerO0GtGqz_-Q-H3sy61JRDgsgac310\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Yes, once<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\ude21\ud83e\udd2c <a href=\"https:\/\/link.mail.beehiiv.com\/ss\/c\/u001.0x9xZVMef4jh42JQgetz4ecSvpYa09-JSqNvXctvWpjC4oMlXomD6gEu7DuGbJMaiV_33N8M90SszIvDXSx2bkp13vynb8ez4do2n9fvjkiP0ieAcdYppBGaPkJCCrkDpYAxq9ZJanPncCVCQatNI2fx7wVAigrWObJ65QtUZCEKNT6HE-c4rQ76ITgxahi8Ocn9ruUYgC7RdNbh0XQlmE83At5M6z0Hnyh8Ud8rn5mVchrgsEl3qlAcvCjYE8l7rpDlLto92iGv8SWZgmUx7jaHFeLAUrKftoLlpZeX8sM\/4tk\/gPsIfysIQpyYLdQeRrRNLg\/h12\/h001.pmca9g5uaO4nFnXasH-LyOIdjC7spN93gjS-dLCrNAI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yes, multiple times!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83e\udd1e <a href=\"https:\/\/link.mail.beehiiv.com\/ss\/c\/u001.0x9xZVMef4jh42JQgetz4ecSvpYa09-JSqNvXctvWpjC4oMlXomD6gEu7DuGbJMaLMxsTTnpTLRz0N_M5581T2PkzC4rD9n3iRgc1Cdx7nJ3YGn-oBVbsw679Qhsg4SuhdS4Iqo7_aWbwlpFn9NrytiQt3H0HiT_uA92LTCgDBjMFmVXe0A03Em-58k7qF-PxzXe8YHu8kyU1Ib1cXVNfJw-C77W7InIkueUup_wbZOKxOVlQ1Bk1R8UDooeLCCKmNO3DgQszC8Uubt93bcotqD3-TxZz24l9tuVvr-cuRU\/4tk\/gPsIfysIQpyYLdQeRrRNLg\/h13\/h001.vWsZbPc8G3EjfnKSrDf4qhzli9R2YkMNKZ98i1uPiaY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">No, never<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udecf\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/link.mail.beehiiv.com\/ss\/c\/u001.0x9xZVMef4jh42JQgetz4ecSvpYa09-JSqNvXctvWpjC4oMlXomD6gEu7DuGbJMaa0xeP9DJfDyTYpFj6tF3Pa_E5LnOL9ADcBakqjNTWnURlv97NWUirjgWMBA6vTnkYLaTSu7dxS-qms937xmLVuWU1uYeHTxE_XeC8kNT2Ygu6Ahw_rZukCneUuFoPWDDAqpNvLmyehFFBiOiqjj2xoIpNhc-AtU3LAX0eWBaSx3LAWXFt-4xVlvRG1jLFRijbqsr8cEdSZVBqtXbEs5WxAsfW_hw-TsAaujVzMcKSPI\/4tk\/gPsIfysIQpyYLdQeRrRNLg\/h14\/h001.LsreaQP669aav-6TiOkEGpF8wtUMR8Q6G6NOSbV3BQA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">No, I keep my cash under the mattress<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u26cf\ufe0f Coal\u2019s silver lining<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"810\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/EN-Coal-exports-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/EN-Coal-exports-2.png 810w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/EN-Coal-exports-2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/EN-Coal-exports-2-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/EN-Coal-exports-2-400x400.png 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Africa isn\u2019t shipping dramatically more coal since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, but it\u2019s earning a lot more from what it already exports overseas, customs data shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bituminous coal exports, which make up over 90% of South Africa\u2019s coal trade, rose just 5% by volume in the four months after the war began compared with the same period last year, according to South African Revenue Service figures. But the dollar value of those exports jumped 24% as buyers sought energy security amid a squeeze on gas supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, Pakistan\u2019s monthly purchases from South Africa rose 58%, from an average of 396,880 tonnes to 627,760 tonnes. Electricity generated from imported coal in Pakistan rose 90% by July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sri Lanka, which had not bought South African coal since March 2023, began buying coal from South Africa in December 2025 \u2013 two months before the war began. However, Sri Lanka did make its largest purchase of coal in April 2026, at 361,491 tonnes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this is not a comeback for coal. The International Energy Agency projects coal-fired power generation will rise by 1.4% worldwide in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcb0 Bad debts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"810\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50.-26-August-2026-OCN.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91509\" srcset=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50.-26-August-2026-OCN.png 810w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50.-26-August-2026-OCN-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50.-26-August-2026-OCN-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50.-26-August-2026-OCN-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johannesburg has a major problem of people not paying what they owe the City. A report from the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) found that in 2024\/25, Johannesburg had a gross debt of R72-billion owed to the City by residents and businesses, though the city has already provisioned more than 80% of that as unlikely to be recovered. It\u2019s an almost five-fold increase since 2014\/15, when gross debt was R15-billion. \u201cThat is not normal,\u201d writes the CDE: \u201cIt is a structural governance failure that constitutes a fundamental obstacle to delivering municipal services, infrastructure and a productive, competitive business environment\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The CDE found that the City of Johannesburg\u2019s spending had grown by 7.7% a year, outpacing its revenue growth at 6.8% a year, and, more worryingly, the growth of Johannesburg\u2019s economy at 1%. When a city\u2019s spending outpaces its economy, it has four options, each of which Johannesburg has pursued, said the CDE: Increase the tariffs and property rates on the people who are paying; depend on national government grants; increase borrowing; and stop paying some of its own bills, including, at times, what it owes Eskom and Rand Water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Produced in partnership with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ourcitynews.co.za\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Our City News<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcf2 Mobile nation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"810\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/27-August-2026-GroundUp-V5-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/27-August-2026-GroundUp-V5-1.png 810w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/27-August-2026-GroundUp-V5-1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/27-August-2026-GroundUp-V5-1-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/27-August-2026-GroundUp-V5-1-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2002, about 54% of households in South Africa had no phones in their homes. By 2025, that number had dropped to 3.7%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cellphone penetration has risen exponentially. In 2002, 20% of households had a cellphone, and 15.2% had a cellphone and a landline. In 2025, 93.8% had a cellphone, 2.5% had a cellphone and a landline, while no households had only a landline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While this data from Stats SA does not differentiate between cell phones with only SMS or voice connectivity and smartphones that can connect to the internet, in a separate survey by ICASA, 91% of people reported having smartphones in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rise in mobile technology marks a revolution in connectivity in South Africa. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Telkom had a monopoly on telephone technology. It was tasked with rolling out telephone lines in areas previously underserved during apartheid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While millions of new lines were connected, these were soon disconnected because households could not afford to maintain their subscriptions. The demise of fixed telephone lines was exacerbated by copper cable theft and by the rise of more accessible, cheaper, prepaid mobile services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Read the full\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/groundup.org.za\/article\/a-look-at-south-africas-mobile-revolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GroundUp article here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theoutlier.co.za\/newsletter-references?utm_source=outlierafrica.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=132-this-week-in-charts-31-october-2025&amp;_bhlid=4d3abe68c939bd5241b17df047afbf40ad35b127\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here for a link to all references for this newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1386,1387,1380],"tags":[385,941,805,781,575,546,1013,841,50,1490,1489,714,40,1112],"newsletter-post":[],"site":[],"class_list":["post-91502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-publication","category-the-outlier","category-this-week-in-charts","tag-african-national-congress","tag-banking","tag-cellphones","tag-coal","tag-debt","tag-democratic-alliance","tag-digital-banking","tag-fraud","tag-johannesburg","tag-linux","tag-political-party-funding","tag-smartphones","tag-south-africa","tag-statistics-south-africa"],"acf":{"big_number":"","big_number_caption":"","big_number_link":"","big_number_background":"","big_number_text_colour":"#000000","big_number_icon":false,"big_number_wide":"yes","featured_chart":false,"flourish_chart_id":"","flourish_sub_title":"","flourish_chart_width":"medium","is_newsletter_post":"No","post_style":"bc","show_on_front":"Yes","link_through":"Yes","chart_url":"","background_colour":"#0089AA","text_colour":"#FFFFFF"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91511,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91502\/revisions\/91511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91502"},{"taxonomy":"newsletter-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter-post?post=91502"},{"taxonomy":"site","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/site?post=91502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}