“15 Years Ago I Was the CEO of Mxit”: Ex-Mxit Boss Now Working in Townships To Connect SA
- The former CEO of Mxit is now running a company bringing fast, affordable fibre internet to South African townships
- Fibertime offers customers 100mbps uncapped internet for just R5 a day, with no debit orders or contracts
- South Africans online had a lot of feelings about the business, and about how the pricing made them feel they were being overcharged
Source: Instagram
A man who once ran one of South Africa's most iconic apps is now doing something completely different and people are talking. Alan Knott-Craig, the former CEO of Mxit, posted a video on 10 April 2026 on Instagram showing exactly what his new company, Fibertime, is doing on the ground in townships. The clip starts in his living room before shifting to a township, where he walks people through how the whole thing works.
In the video, Alan points to a pole planted in the township with fibre cables running down from the top. That fibre gets dropped into every home and shack in the area. He then shows one of the Fibertime routers already installed inside a shack, explaining that residents get 100mbps uncapped internet for R5 a day. This is with no monthly contracts or upfront payments.
What is Fibertime?
Fibertime is built around the idea that fast internet should not be a luxury. The company installs a free router in every home when it arrives in a new community and sells daily vouchers so people can pay as they go. There are no debit orders, no bank statements needed and no slow wireless connections. It's simply just fibre, straight into the home. According to the Fibertime website, the company is currently rolling out across townships and moving as fast as it can to reach every community.
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For many South Africans already paying for fiber, R5 a day for 100mbps uncapped is hard to believe.
Watch the Instagram reel here.
Mzansi praises ex-Mxit boss's township work
People flooded the comments section on Instagram user @alan.knottcraig's clip with a mix of nostalgia, excitement and questions:
@karabokevin_ said:
"Wait, did you just say 100mbps?! 😮😮"
@rogercliveallan wrote:
"Bro Mxit was the shi**, my best life 🔥🔥🔥"
@grant.mouton added:
"Ah, Mxit, the good old days..."
@tanianwhitney gushed:
"First of all, thank you for Mxit 😭♥️ Also, please bring Fibertime to the southern suburbs of Cape Town."
@yado_442 joked:
"The man who started it all 😍😂😂."
@andre_w1cks_pencil questioned:
"R150 for a 100meg line uncapped. Crazy!"
@keanan_lambrechts asked:
"R150 a month for 100mbps uncapped… Sounds like the taxpayer is subsidising."
@johanbothapotties questioned:
"So only for the townships?"
@henk.de.leeuw joked:
"How do I get one of these poles in my house? 😂"
@speradidiza asked:
"Can you give me the source code for Mxit?"
Source: Instagram
More township living and internet stories
- Briefly News recently reported on a shack that got a full transformation, and how the before and after left Mzansi completely speechless.
- A 23-year-old salon owner from Pretoria built a structure in her backyard that people are calling a five-star experience, and the photos tell the full story.
- Another shack went viral for what was hidden inside, and South Africans could not agree on how to feel about it.
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Source: Briefly News
