Many of our students don’t have easy access to affordable internet — and internet connection is essential for making the most of your studies. So to help you, we have put together some information that will help you find free Wi-Fi, or other internet connections, all across South Africa. You will be able to use it to download the Oxbridge Academy mobile app, visit our Student Portal, or even submit your assignments.
1. Restaurants and coffee shops
The best free Wi-Fi hotspots are usually in restaurants and coffee shops. These are not entirely free, as you have to be a paying customer. But buying a cup of coffee is not that expensive, however. Alternatively, most McDonalds and Wimpy restaurants across South Africa also give free Wi-Fi to customers!
There is an awesome website that shows you all the free Wi-Fi hotspots across South Africa: http://www.findfreewifi.co.za/. This website currently lists 2183 hotspots in over 57 South African towns and cities.
2. Other Wi-Fi Hotspots
FindFreeWiFi doesn’t only list restaurants and coffee shops, but other free Wi-Fi hotspots as well. These include everything from petrol stations to shops to whole shopping areas such as the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
3. Libraries
There are many public libraries where you can get free internet access. The larger the library, the bigger the chance that they will have a computer room with free internet access.
Some libraries even offer free Wi-Fi, including:
- The Central Library of Cape Town.
- The Johannesburg Public Library.
The City of Johannesburg is also planning to have another 85 libraries equipped with free internet access, along with 1000 Wi-Fi hotspots rolled out in the city before the end of 2016 — so keep an eye out for those!
4. Project Isizwe & Wi-Fi cities
Project Isizwe is a non-profit organisation busy turning whole cities into free Wi-Fi hotspots across the country with the help of local and provincial governments.
“The focus is to cover open public spaces around educational institutions within low income communities, as well as congested metropolitan areas. Our Pilot Projects currently are in Stellenbosch and Tshwane (Pretoria)” – CEO and Founder of Project Isizwe
At the moment, there is free Wi-Fi in Tshwane (Gauteng) and around schools in Atlantis and Robertson (Western Cape). You can find the Project Isizwe free Wi-Fi areas and projects for your province under the National Footprint section on the following page:http://projectisizwe.org/coverage/
5. Airports
South Africa’s 9 major airports were all recently equipped with free Wi-Fi capabilities.
The airports are:
- OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg
- Cape Town International Airport
- King Shaka International Airport in Durban
- Bram Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein
- Port Elizabeth International Airport
- Upington International Airport
- East London Airport
- George Airport
- Kimberley Airport
You should know that many of the free Wi-Fi spots have certain restrictions in place to stop people from exploiting them. This is usually in the form of a limit on the data that each customer may use per day. Libraries are often the best option for students who want to access the internet for purposes of their studies, however, as libraries have other resources such as scanners, printers, and even people who can help you find more information on certain subjects.
Hopefully this list will help you to find internet access when you need it — making you a true 21st century student.
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Note: This blog post was originally published on 20 April 2015, but has been updated for accuracy.