Poet calls for social media blackout
Poet and musician Ntsiki Mazwai has called for a 24-hour blackout of social media as part of the #DataMustFall campaign.
Mazwai says high data costs are having a negative impact on the lives of young people.
"This is a national call for our basic human rights and access to information. The high data costs are affecting young entreprenuers and students are suffering. The fact that our data costs are the second highest in the world is a problem. We are going to shut down our social networks, so that Vodacom, MTN and CellC can feel the pintch on their bottom line and perhaps start getting into negotiating tables about what is fair.”
Mazwai says its unacceptable that the CEO's and managers of these companies earn high salaries, while ordinary people cannot even afford data.
"We cannot have situations where CEO's and management are earning obscene incomes and people on the ground cannot afford to communicate with their familes and apply for jobs," she says.
According to Mazwai, the boycott will take place every Wednesday. Requests have also been sent to the Competition Commission to probe cell phone companies.
Some social media users say they will take part in the boycott, while others say the stay-away could have a severe impact on businesses which depend on social media.