About us

Project Isizwe is a non-profit organisation that partners with funders and Internet Service Providers to provide equitable internet access to underserved schools and communities.

Our vision & mission

Project Isizwe’s vision is equitable uncapped internet in every classroom across South Africa. We envision relevant teaching and learning in every classroom so that all South Africans have the opportunity to thrive in the global digital economy. 

We do this by:

    • Connecting schools to the internet for teaching and learning purposes (not just for school administration), including the development of a profiled pipeline of schools to connect
    • Enabling free, uncapped WiFi for learners and educators at school and at home
    • Designing, developing and implementing Education Programmes that enable transformation

Our history

Founded in 2013, Project Isizwe set out to provide free internet access in low-income communities across South Africa. Our flagship project, Tshwane Free WiFi, deployed over 1050 public WiFi hotspots across the City of Tshwane, offering 500MB of free WiFi per day to the city’s citizens. The project was implemented in partnership with the local municipality and is still considered one of the biggest Free Public WiFi networks in Africa, providing a cost-effective model of bridging the digital divide and proving the impact and benefit of free WiFi for Africans.

Following the successes in and learnings from Tshwane, Project Isizwe recognised the need to diversify funding streams in order to provide connectivity and extend impact beyond government enabled municipal funding.

Advocating for internet access as a human right to promote equality and address gaps in education, health, employment, and economic participation for citizens, the organisation’s leadership knew that providing sustainable internet access would require new partnerships and implementation models.

Our board

Shireen Powell
Project Isizwe CEO

After nearly 20 years of being in Telecoms, Shireen Powell joined the Project Isizwe team in 2020 to lead the organisation’s operations. She is driven by her passion for people and social justice, and fuelled by her belief in the power technology has to change our world…

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Sibs Moodley-Moore
Non-Executive Director

With a deep commitment to social justice and transformation, and a passion for the development of people, Sibs has been a Non-Executive Director of Project Isizwe since 2013. After receiving her PhD at the University of Washington, Seattle…

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Aurelia Neethling
Non-Executive Director

Aurelia Neethling is a seasoned professional in the fields of corporate governance and human resources. With her genuine passion for driving social change and dedication to people, she joins Project Isizwe as a Non-Executive Director. Having established herself as the Company Secretary at Herotel, Aurelia has demonstrated her skills in handling a wide range of corporate governance and compliance duties…

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About us

Project Isizwe is a non-profit organisation that partners with funders and Internet Service Providers to provide equitable internet access to underserved schools and communities.

Our vision & mission

Project Isizwe’s vision is equitable uncapped internet in every classroom across South Africa. We envision relevant teaching and learning in every classroom so that all South Africans have the opportunity to thrive in the global digital economy. 

We do this by:

    • Connecting schools to the internet for teaching and learning purposes (not just for school administration), including the development of a profiled pipeline of schools to connect
    • Enabling free, uncapped WiFi for learners and educators at school and at home
    • Designing, developing and implementing Education Programmes that enable transformation

Our history

Founded in 2013, Project Isizwe was established as an non-profit organisation committed to enabling sustainable free internet access in low-income communities across South Africa. Project Isizwe’s pilot and award-winning flagship project – Tshwane Free WiFi – was designed to connect the unconnected in South Africa’s capital city. The project deployed 1050 free public WiFi hotspots across the City of Tshwane, with 600,000 monthly users receiving 500MB per day. If the project had been subscription funded, it would have cost under R10 per user per month with each user receiving 500MB a day. It remains the biggest Free Public WiFi network in Africa and was implemented in partnership with the local municipality, hailed as the most innovative government programme to bridge the digital divide.

Over the years, Project Isizwe has advocated for internet access as a human right to eradicate the gaps in education, health, employment and economic participation, enabling authentic equality between the citizens of Africa.

Our board

Our values

Respect for Truth

Take credibility, tell the truth even though it may be a little uncomfortable. Admit when you don’t know something, we are all here to grow together. If you say you will do it, do it, truthfulness conveys respect.

Respect for Keeping promises

Manage your commitments, being reliable doesn’t mean saying yes to everyone. Having good intentions doesn’t define integrity, keeping your promises do. Accept that promises do break sometimes, forgive yourself and others and try to do better.

Respect for Women

Look women in the eye when speaking to them, it’s just respectful. Embrace each other’s differences, and work together to build a strong sense of fairness and understanding.

Respect for Work ethic

Show up with a smile, it shows that you are happy to be here, if you do it enough, you will soon trick your brain into believing so. Give a damn, don’t take for granted the lives that you change on a daily basis. Get it done, everyone is here to do what needs to be done, so don’t settle until we are all satisfied.

Respect for Family

Be mindful of people’s time, every minute a person spends working is taken away from family time. Be respectful of people’s personal and family-related matters. Bring with you a good attitude, the energy that is established at work is the energy that gets taken home. Make it a positive one.

Respect for Racial diversity

Being inclusive shows good leadership, it shows that you care about people’s success.Have compassion, not everyone that is here has been awarded the same opportunities that you have, so kind. Our country is increasingly becoming cultural convergent, make an effort to learn about other people, diversity drives creative power, richness in ideas and respect for others.

Respect for Skills

Having the attitude to win is far more worthier than having the skills to win. You are here to do something that you are good at, do that and become great at what you do. Become a team, you must be sure enough of yourself and your contribution to praise the skills of others.

Our values

Respect for Truth

Take credibility, tell the truth even though it may be a little uncomfortable. Admit when you don’t know something, we are all here to grow together. If you say you will do it, do it, truthfulness conveys respect.

Respect for Keeping promises

Manage your commitments, being reliable doesn’t mean saying yes to everyone. Having good intentions doesn’t define integrity, keeping your promises do. Accept that promises do break sometimes, forgive yourself and others and try to do better.

Respect for Women

Look women in the eye when speaking to them, it’s just respectful. Embrace each other’s differences, and work together to build a strong sense of fairness and understanding.

Respect for Work ethic

Show up with a smile, it shows that you are happy to be here, if you do it enough, you will soon trick your brain into believing so. Give a damn, don’t take for granted the lives that you change on a daily basis. Get it done, everyone is here to do what needs to be done, so don’t settle until we are all satisfied.

Respect for Family

Be mindful of people’s time, every minute a person spends working is taken away from family time. Be respectful of people’s personal and family-related matters. Bring with you a good attitude, the energy that is established at work is the energy that gets taken home. Make it a positive one.

Respect for Racial diversity

Being inclusive shows good leadership, it shows that you care about people’s success.Have compassion, not everyone that is here has been awarded the same opportunities that you have, so kind. Our country is increasingly becoming cultural convergent, make an effort to learn about other people, diversity drives creative power, richness in ideas and respect for others.

Respect for Skills

Having the attitude to win is far more worthier than having the skills to win. You are here to do something that you are good at, do that and become great at what you do. Become a team, you must be sure enough of yourself and your contribution to praise the skills of others.