Amid the ongoing wave of protests in Iran, the country has been under a deliberate internet shutdown since January 8. Monitoring data shows network traffic plunging to near zero, particularly on the network of Iran’s mobile operator IranCell.
This is where South Africa enters the picture. The South African telecommunications giant MTN Group has held a 49% stake in IranCell since 2006. MTN insists this is a “non-operational” holding and claims that due to sanctions the stake is effectively a “frozen asset.”
Still, the corporate link raises uncomfortable public questions. Yet South Africa’s official response in recent days to the killing of thousands of protesters in Iran has remained notably muted: calls for “restraint,” “dialogue,” and respect for protest rights — without any explicit reference to the internet blackout and without mentioning MTN or IranCell.
This silence stands out sharply against the firm and highly vocal line South Africa has taken recently on the war in Gaza, including harsh statements against Israel and its legal action at the International Court of Justice.