Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH), the Remgro and New GX-controlled parent company of fibre infrastructure operators Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) and Vumatel, announced that its two fibre network assets would be managed under a new infrastructure company.

According to a statement released to the media, the infrastructure entity’s name has not yet been announced and while DFA and Vumatel will be incorporated into the new venture, each business will initially continue to operate separately.

CIVH says this decision “is a strategic step to meet ongoing customer and business requirements and increase open-access offerings across the networks.”

Dietlof Mare and Byron Billett, current Executives of Vumatel, have been appointed Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, respectively, of the new infrastructure company.

Andries Delport will continue as Chief Executive Officer of DFA and an integral part of the infrastructure company management committee.

“The fibre to the home market is constantly evolving, especially in the open-access environment, and fibre network operators have to be able to evolve at the same pace. By establishing our new infrastructure company, we can place both DFA and Vumatel in a position to meet this developing demand for fibre connectivity and continue providing innovative products and solutions to the market,” says Raymond Ndlovu, Chief Executive Officer at CIVH. “The establishment of this holding company will enable both Vumatel and DFA to expand their open-access network infrastructures to meet customer requirements with the ultimate goal of connecting more of South Africa to high-capacity fixed-line infrastructure.”

“We realise that to continue connecting as many South Africans as possible; we need to ensure that our businesses run effectively. This new infrastructure company will allow us to continue bridging the digital divide by enabling DFA and Vumatel to operate their infrastructure assets seamlessly and on an open-access basis, under one aligned strategy,” says Mare.