Africa's digital future lies beneath the surface of fibre

DESPITE the Al-fuelled headlines and promises of satellite connectivity, Africa's digital transformation still depends heavily on physical infrastructure: optical fibre cables.

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As global discussions increasingly focus on novel technologies, it's the unglamorous fibre networks snaking beneath our urban centres that silently determine which economies will thrive in the coming decade.

Pieter E Viljoen, CEO of Yangtze Optics Africa Cable (YOA Cable), offers informed perspectives on this critical but often overlooked sector. With a master's degree in semiconductor physics rather than the typical accountancy background of most South African executives, Viljoen exemplifies how first-principles thinking informs both technical manufacturing and strategic leadership at the company's Dube Tradeport facility in KwaZulu-Natal.

Physics versus engineering

When I mistakenly referenced Viboen's engineering background, he offered a telling distinction: "Physicists, we have to think out of the box the whole time. Rather than following a set pattern like engineers, we tend to innovate around first principles." Shots fired.

This perspective shapes his leadership style, balancing microscopic detail with systemic awareness.

"As a physicist, you're intimately aware of the details across the organisation—from manufacturing and design right through to the financial side," Viljoen explains.

"Having the ability to look at the minute detail but then also step back and have a more holistic view of how everything interconnects—that's a very strong feature I have."

This approach has driven YOA Cable's unconventional talent strategy.

fewer customers each, but that means more towers—and all those small cells must be connected by fibre."

The capacity evolution is dramatic. In the mid-1990s, South Africa's entire international connectivity relied on a single submarine cable with four strands of optical fibre.

Each fibre strand could simultaneously carry 12 million voice calls—compared to copper cables where each strand carried just one signal.