Mcebisi Jonas, MTN Group Chairma,n has used the funeral service of Zimbabwean-born activist and public servant Thokozani Damasane to mount a sweeping attack on xenophobia, ethnic politics and state failure in South Africa, warning that the country’s crisis cannot be solved by blaming foreigners.

MTN Group Chairman, Mcebisi Jonas

Delivering what many described as one of the most forceful interventions yet by a senior African business leader on South Africa’s immigration debate, Jonas said the persistence of anti-foreigner sentiment was a symptom of deeper governance failures, political opportunism and the erosion of a shared moral vision.

He argued that inequality, unemployment, corruption and weak institutions would remain even if all foreigners left the country, insisting that the real problem lay in the failure of the state to govern effectively.

“Foreigners can leave tomorrow – inequality will be with us,” he said. “Foreigners will leave tomorrow – unemployment will be with us. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our police will remain corrupt.”

Jonas, a former South African Deputy Minister of Finance, made the remarks at a funeral service that had drawn mourners from civic, political and business circles. His speech, which blended philosophy, memory, political critique and grief, has since circulated widely across South Africa and beyond.

Jonas said a central question had stayed with him as he drove to the service: what home meant to Damasane, a man who had been born and educated in Zimbabwe before moving to South Africa during the post-apartheid period.

“I was thinking, what is home to Damasane?” he told mourners. “Because I understand, and I understood very early in life, that home is where humanity is. Home is about humanness. It is about the good of humanity and striving for the good of humanity.”

He described Damasane as someone who arrived in South Africa “as an outcast” but chose to immerse himself in the struggles of the country and its people.

“He immersed himself deeply into the struggles, into the pains of South Africans, and he became one of us,” Jonas said. “In Damasane’s strength, our strength as South Africa and South Africans are reflected. And in his weaknesses, our own weaknesses are reflected.”

The sharpest portion of Jonas’ speech came when he turned to the wave of xenophobic rhetoric that has repeatedly flared in South Africa, particularly against migrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, Malawi and other African countries.

He dismissed the argument that foreigners were responsible for the country’s social and economic hardship, saying that such claims merely masked the failures of political leadership and public institutions.

“The problem is the failure of the state,” he said. “The state doesn’t manage immigration. It doesn’t manage its borders. It doesn’t enforce law enforcement. It doesn’t manage education. What are you expecting?”

Jonas accused politicians of exploiting public frustration for electoral gain, warning that communities under pressure are easily manipulated by leaders who offer scapegoats instead of solutions.

“When people feel the burn, they become vulnerable to politicians whose sole purpose is to be elected and re-elected,” he said. “Some of them have no credibility whatsoever. But they lead marches and tell our people that the problem is not us – it is foreigners.”

Jonas also used the occasion to offer a sustained critique of tribalism and ethnic identity politics, describing them as colonial constructs that have survived into the present through political manipulation.

“The tribe is a product of colonial powers,” he said. “You would notice that it is so dominant in areas where the English conquered, because they used something called the principle of indirect rule.”

According to him, colonial administrations deliberately sharpened differences between communities in order to divide and control them.

“You have got to divide these people by psychologically enhancing the notion that one is different from the other. That’s how the notion of tribe was born,” he said.

Jonas argued that the same logic now fuels xenophobic violence and exclusion, with people increasingly persecuted not because of what they have done but because of who they are perceived to be.

He said liberation movements were also guilty of keeping ethnic identities alive for political convenience.

“Liberation movements still sustain this thing of tribes – Zulu and Xhosa – and we sustain this thing as if it is real,” he said. “It is in our heads. We’re creating it because it makes us feel big. Identity politics – we must banish them in our country. Ethno-nationalism is something in this country we must banish.”

In explaining Damasane’s significance, Jonas drew on the writings of Frantz Fanon, the anti-colonial thinker and psychiatrist whose work shaped liberation struggles across Africa and the Global South.

He compared Damasane to Fanon, noting that both men were born outside the societies they later helped shape and serve.

Fanon, he said, was “born elsewhere” and was “not a Muslim,” yet became one of the most respected theorists of the Algerian Revolution. The parallel, Jonas suggested, was deliberate: Damasane, too, had chosen commitment over comfort.

“Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfil it, or betray it,” Jonas quoted Fanon as saying. “Damasane understood the mission. And he did not betray it.”

He also recalled a conversation Damasane had once had with a young man who questioned the presence of foreigners in South Africa. Damasane’s reply, Jonas said, had remained with him.

“Damasane said to this guy: just wait fifteen or twenty years. You will also be wanting to leave your country.”

Jonas said those words now sounded prophetic in light of worsening inequality, exclusion and corruption.

“As I stand up today, I look at South Africa. The level of oppression and inequality, the level of exclusion of our people, the level of corruption, the betrayal of the dream of liberation – those words of Damasane ring very loud in my ears,” he said.

Jonas ended on a note of continental solidarity, saying South Africa’s future was inseparable from Africa’s future.

“We are a nation embedded in Africa,” he said. “And without Africa, our growth as a country – economically – our fortune is intertwined with the growth of Africa. South Africa is nothing without Africa. And Africa is nothing without South Africa.”

He also urged mourners to rethink the way success and dignity are measured, saying merit should not be reduced to wealth alone.

“Sometimes this thing called meritocracy is measured in wealth. No. It is values, it is principle, it is integrity. And your father had all of that,” he said.

Jonas further stressed that a person’s legal or social worth should not be judged by their origin.

“We cannot judge people by their origin,” he said. “We cannot determine the legal status of people by their origin.”

Jonas’ intervention comes at a time when xenophobia remains one of South Africa’s most combustible social and political issues, with periodic attacks on foreign nationals continuing to draw outrage across the continent.

The consequences have often extended beyond South Africa’s borders, triggering diplomatic tensions, travel advisories and boycott calls in parts of Africa. For pan-African companies like MTN, whose operations depend on cross-border trust and political stability, the debate is not only moral but commercial.

That context made Jonas’ decision to speak so directly at a funeral especially notable. Rather than a corporate forum or policy panel, he used a farewell to make a wider argument about belonging, leadership and the future of the continent.

In doing so, he turned Damasane’s burial into something larger than a memorial: a warning against the politics of fear, and a plea for a South Africa that remembers its place in Africa.

Telecom operators in Nigeria recorded a sharp decline of 33,153,633 subscribers in three years (May 2023 – April 2026), according to the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) latest industry statistics.

According to the telecom industry statistics, the figure showed that 4,270,285 of mobile subscribers were lost between May 2023 (220,931,688) and April 2024 (216,661,403), while the sector had repeat of the negative record with a huge drop of 46,338,623 subscribers be­tween May 2024 (219,005,878) and April 2025 (172,667,255).

There was a significant positive in­crease between May 2025 (172,474,626) and April 2026 with 187,778,055 subscribers as of the latest figure issued by NCC.

The period recorded a huge increase of 15,303,429 subscribers.

In May 2023, when the current government came into power, the telecom sector had 220,931,688 subscribers. But as at April 2026 which marks exactly three years, the sector has a record of 187,778,055 subscribers.

This indicates a decline of 33,153,633 subscribers during the period under review.

Overall, according to the NCC’s figures, MTN, the largest operator with a subscriber figure of 88,675,062 as at April 2023, was a major factor in the statistics.

It gained 7,716,357 subscribers during the period under review which currently pulls 96,391,419 subscribers as at April 2026, while Airtel which had 60,331,845 subscribers in April 2023 recorded an increase of 4,338,173 subscribers, bringing its current subscriber base to 64,670,018.

On the flip side, Glo, which was trailing MTN with an impressive figure of 60,927,963 subscribers, suffered a massive loss of 37,749,366 subscribers. The development reduced its figure to 23,178,597 it currently has.

In the same vein, T2 (formerly 9mobile) which was accommodating 13,403,345 subscribers in May 2023, lost 9,865,324 subscribers.

The network, according to NCC’s April 2026 statistics, has only 3,538,021 subscribers on its base.

Despite the sharp decline recorded in the period, market stability has slowly returned.

Latest NCC figures indicate that by early 2026, telcos had started recovering lost ground, even rolling out large-scale compensation programmes to over 75 million customers due to poor network quality.

The reduction in the telcos’ active subscriptions between 2023 and 2026 can be attributed to the disconnection of SIMs that were not linked with the National Identification Number (NIN) as mandated by the government.

The development resulted in the decline of subscriptions for mo­bile services in the country.

During the period which witnessed the impact of foreign ex­change (FX) unification and the removal of the premium motor spirit subsidy, the biting economic pressures reduced consumer purchasing power which led many Nigerians to give up multiple or redundant SIM cards to cut back on monthly data costs.

The service providers lost most subscribers as a result of the Federal Government, through the industry regulator, relevant agencies and institutions like banks which came up with po­icies that demanded Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) up­dates and verifications. A change in the minimum age requirement for SIM registration (from 16 to 18 years) also contributed to a decline in gross new connections.

During the period, the industry regulator, NCC, issued new guidelines to telecommunication companies, directing them to de­activate phone lines unused for six consecutive months for Revenue Generating Event (RGE).

The new rule took a toll on the telecom operators, as many subscribers who are using more than one phone line could not be able to retain the others due to the harsh economic environment of the country.

According to the regulator, “A subscriber line may be deactivated if it has not been used, within six months, for a Revenue Generating Event (RGE), and if the situation persists for another six months, the subscribers may lose their numbers, except for a network-related fault inhibiting an RGE.”

It is common knowledge that some Nigerians are migrating to other countries of the world, and most of them may likely not continue to use their Nigerian networks’ SIM either voluntarily or perhaps any policy that needs revalidation comes up.

There was also a standing order for those who had issue(s) with their SIM cards, as the National Identity Number (NIN) in the registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards by all mobile telecommunication network operators was mandatory.

The development undoubtedly interrupted the growth trend of telecom subscribers as indicated in the three years’ statistics by NCC.

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has launched its maiden Women in Leadership Programme aimed at empowering female professionals and strengthening leadership development across Nigeria’s telecommunications and technology sector.

The initiative, unveiled during an event in Abuja, is designed to provide mentorship opportunities for emerging female professionals by connecting them with experienced women leaders within the Commission and the broader telecommunications industry.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Aminu Maida, executive vice-chairman of the NCC,  highlighted the significant contributions women have made to the Commission, noting that they continue to excel in strategic leadership positions and play a vital role in driving the organisation’s success.

According to him, women currently head several critical departments within the Commission, including Legal Services, Information Technology, Procurement, Public Affairs, Consumer Affairs and Internal Audit, demonstrating both competence and effective leadership.

Dr Maida explained that the Women in Leadership Programme was conceived to inspire younger female professionals to aspire to senior management and executive positions by learning directly from accomplished women who have excelled in their careers.

“We have a lot of very strong women. Not only are they in positions of authority, but they also deliver. This event is needed to encourage the younger women to aspire to reach the top level of their careers,” he said.

The NCC boss also acknowledged the unique challenges women face in balancing professional responsibilities with family commitments. He commended their resilience, dedication and ability to deliver results despite these competing demands, stressing that their efforts deserve recognition and support.

Delivering the keynote address, Maryam Idris, managing director of NNPC Trading Company, urged women to deliberately invest in their personal and professional development by acquiring relevant skills, building competence and embracing lifelong learning.

She advised female professionals to confidently communicate their achievements while maintaining integrity throughout their careers, noting that technical expertise alone may not be sufficient for career advancement.

“Build your competence. Read, manage your career, find mentors and sponsors, and continue building your capacity. What you know is something nobody can take away from you,” Idris said.

Also speaking at the event, Rimini Makama, executive commissioner for Stakeholder Management, described the mentorship initiative as a strategic effort to institutionalise leadership development for women within the Commission.

She explained that the programme would establish a sustainable network of accomplished female leaders who would mentor younger professionals, ensuring that leadership development remains a continuous process beyond the tenure of individual office holders.

Makama noted that the Commission already enjoys substantial female representation in leadership positions and intends to build on that progress by preparing more women to assume strategic responsibilities in the future.

The Women in Leadership Programme underscores the NCC’s commitment to promoting gender inclusion, nurturing female talent and creating a stronger pipeline of women leaders capable of driving innovation and sustainable growth in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.