Africa's digital future lies beneath the surface of fibre

DESPITE the AI-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 Viljoen'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.

TECH TIDES

Turns out his production planner previously worked in a bakery, planning bread distribution. His operations director came from Denel, South Africa's state-owned defence corporation, bringing rigorous systems thinking from the explosives industry.