SECTOR 2 According to the South Africa Media Facts 2013 report, 20.9% of the population has access to the internet, although only 10.1% have household access. Some 96% of the population aged 15+ of 43,9 million has access to mobile telecommunications. In May 2012, the West African Cable System (WACS), the fifth undersea cable system to connect South Africa to the rest of the world, came on stream. The South Atlantic Express cable (SAEx), connecting South Africa and Angola to Brazil, was expected to be operational by June 2013, further leading to reduced costs and greater access to broadband for South Africans. Currently, the vast majority of South Africans do not have access to broadband, especially those living in rural areas. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 3.4 (2010: 2.2; 2008: 3.4; 2006: 2.8) 2.2 Citizens’ access to domestic and international media sources is not restricted by state authorities. The state does not legally restrict citizens’ access to domestic and international media sources. “While government does not overtly restrict such access, I do feel that it is not actively rolling out internet access across the country to the degree that it should. Most South Africans still do not have access to broadband technology and those who can afford the small DStv package, in the middle LSMs, still don’t get access to Sky News, for example.” “Freedom of expression must extend to the means of communications infrastructure. Private, wealthy people have multiple access to international and local news, but in rural areas there is virtually no such access. While the state does not pose legal restrictions to such media sources, in South Africa we have some of the highest cell phone data costs, which do result in a restriction of access.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2013 33