Committed WIOCC Field Team members Andre Herholdt and Lancent Mapimela went the extra ‘mile’ – actually more than 300 miles each day for three weeks – to ensure the continuity of the South Africa national network build project. Their efforts, together with those of the entire dedicated WIOCC projects team, ensured its timely completion and the activation of client services on the new network, despite the restrictions in place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The level-four lockdown in South Africa prevented all non-essential businesses, including accommodation facilities, from operating. As a consequence, instead of staying close to the build site, Andre and Lancent travelled each day between our Johannesburg office and the north-western village of Ramatlabama – on the South Africa-Botswana border – to ensure the final stages of the network project were completed. At the onset of Covid-19, we had pre-emptively purchased and staged spare equipment, making it possible to complete the build, which otherwise would have been delayed due to restrictions on import logistics.
“The recent network upgrades and expansion to more locations throughout South Africa offers clients greater capacity scalability and additional diverse routes to protect their services. Our network now extends into Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, linking clients to new possibilities for business growth over our reliable hyperscale network,” explained Andre. He continued: “Although the travelling was exhausting, playing a fundamental role in building the most resilient network in South Africa was motivating. I enjoy my work and focus on the positive impact it has on the wider community, which made it easier to look past the short-term difficulties.”
