Vodacom Group Limited — Ethics Grade C

Vodacom Group Limited receives an overall ethics grade of C (48/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Telecommunications. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 55
• privacy: 45
• consumer: 38
• environment: 72
• humanRights: 50

Documented incidents (3)

• Please Call Me Legal Battle (high, 2024) — The South African Supreme Court of Appeal ordered Vodacom to pay Nkosana Makate significantly higher compensation for inventing the 'Please Call Me' service, after a decades-long dispute over fair profit sharing.
• Data Price Gouging Investigation (medium, 2020) — The South African Competition Commission forced Vodacom to slash data prices following a market inquiry that found mobile data costs were excessively high and hurt poor consumers.
• Tanzania SIM Registration Shutdown (medium, 2022) — Authorities deactivated millions of SIM cards linked to Vodacom due to biometric registration issues, raising concerns over digital exclusion and metadata privacy in the region.

Documented good deeds

• Renewable Energy Pivot — Vodacom signed a major 'wheeling' agreement with Eskom to source 100% of its electricity from renewable energy projects by 2030.

Ethical alternatives

• Telkom SA — More competitive data pricing structures and higher transparency in local labor practices.