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Mass action kicks off

Gareth Cliff and Tbo Touch Picture: Facebook/ Gareth Cliff
Gareth Cliff and Tbo Touch Picture: Facebook/ Gareth Cliff

After the 30-day deadline passed on Wednesday for cellphone networks to respond to the Data Must Fall campaign demands, Thabo " Tbo Touch" Molefe says they are moving into top gear.

"We have a mass mobilisation on a huge scale. We've partnered with all as South Africans, blacks, whites, unions, churches and advocacy groups and will publish our plan of action by Friday after our meeting with all parties concerned," he said.

Molefe revealed that on December 2 Touch Central will host a Free Data Bloc Party where they will block the Johannesburg CBD.

They are expecting 50000 attendants who will be treated to high-speed data which will be available in Berea and Hillbrow and other parts of the city for seven hours.

"We gave the networks 30 days lodging a non-hostile campaign, and we thank MTN and Vodacom for responding to that. We thank Vodacom for inviting us for constructive dialogue and applaud them for acknowledging our call and for acting upon it. One can't make sense of the arrogance of other networks.

"Various unions, mostly the Communications Workers' Union, have asked that we join them in mobilising the need for data prices to go down."

Molefe said their cry was simple: "We are asking for a price cut that matches other African countries that you are delivering the same services to at a much cheaper price. "We are not looking for anyone to lose their job."

Among their demands were the creation of data packages for students and unemployed customers; and cutting "happy hour" calls and converting that to data.

lSee Pages 6 and 17.

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