South Africa's competition regulator has rejected Vodacom's proposed acquisition of Maziv, a holding company that owns Dark Fibre Africa (DFA), the country's second-largest fibre network operator. The competition commission stated that the acquisition would likely harm competition in various markets and that the conditions offered by the merger parties did not adequately address these concerns. The commission's investigation found that the merger could lead to the loss of price competition between Vodacom and Maziv in areas where they both deploy fibre, affecting consumers' benefits. Furthermore, the merger could reduce competitive rivalry in infrastructure rollout targeting underserved low-income and rural consumers. The regulator also expressed concerns about potential self-preferencing and discriminatory behavior resulting from the merger. This decision disrupts Vodacom's plans for a strong fibre network, impacting its push for 5G and network leasing to other operators.

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