The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has demanded that mobile operators stop the mandatory expiry of unused prepaid data and airtime bundles.
The party, led by Julius Malema, made the call on Wednesday, arguing that the practice exploits consumers and is unconstitutional.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo stated, “For years, South Africans have been subjected to restrictive and anti-consumer expiration mandates on prepaid data and airtime, which regulate, restrict, and undermine their access to information.”
In March, Malema and the EFF met with MTN South Africa’s executive team, led by CEO Charles Molapisi, to discuss issues in the telecommunications sector. During the meeting, MTN indicated that data and airtime expiry policies were industry practices regulated by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
Following this, the EFF raised concerns in a parliamentary committee meeting on 18 March 2025, stating that the expiry of data and airtime in an already expensive market worsens the digital divide and limits access to information.
Thambo noted that ICASA is reviewing the policy and will soon open the issue for public comment. However, the EFF has yet to receive details on how the scrapping of expiry mandates would be legislated.
“Data costs in South Africa are among the highest, with countries like Malawi offering significantly cheaper rates. This highlights ICASA’s failure to regulate pricing effectively. Despite high costs, data remains essential in the digital age, and access to information should be considered a basic human right,” Thambo said.
He argued that these policies restrict access to job opportunities, education, crime prevention, and service delivery. He also criticized the short expiration periods—sometimes as little as five days or even hours—as a violation of consumer rights and an obstacle to living with dignity.
“The EFF will push in Parliament for the immediate removal of expiry mandates and a full review of data and airtime pricing to ensure people are prioritized in telecommunications decisions,” Thambo concluded.
