South African optical fibre cable manufacturer Yangtze Optics Africa Cable (YOA Cable) is celebrating ten years of optical fibre cable manufacturing in South Africa, marking its development from a greenfield project into a leading local manufacturer serving the country’s telecommunications and fibre network sectors.

Established in 2016, YOA Cable is a joint venture between Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC), one of the world’s leading optical fibre manufacturers, and South African technology group Mustek Limited. The partnership combines YOFC’s technology, research and manufacturing expertise with Mustek Limited’s local market knowledge and commercial capability.

One of YOFC’s earliest manufacturing operations outside China, YOA Cable established its South African operation at the Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone, close to the Port of Durban and strategically positioned to serve local and regional markets.

The company manufactured its first locally produced optical fibre cable seven months after construction of its original facility began. Within five years, yearly production reached one-million fibre kilometres. In 2025, YOA Cable moved into its R160-million, purpose-built 14 000 m² manufacturing facility and reached the two-million fibre kilometre yearly production milestone within its first year of operation.

YOA Cable CEO Pieter Viljoen says the anniversary provides an opportunity to assess the company’s progress by more than its physical growth.

“Production capacity and technology are important measures of progress, but the trust and strong relationships we have built with our customers matters most. YOA Cable has earned its place and reputation in the market by delivering consistent quality, dependable service and products developed with a clear understanding of South African network requirements.”

For majority shareholder YOFC, the company’s development demonstrates the value of combining international manufacturing capability with leadership and decision-making rooted in the market it serves.

“YOA Cable has developed into an integrated South African business in which manufacturing, technical expertise, sales and customer support work closely together,” says YOFC senior VP Jan Bongaerts. “That connection between the factory, the customer and the market has been central to the company’s progress and success over the past decade.”

Mustek Limited CEO Hein Engelbrecht says the joint venture’s success reflects the complementary strengths of its shareholders.

“What began as a shared investment in the potential of South Africa’s fibre market has become a manufacturing business we can be proud of. YOA Cable demonstrates that world-class technology can be produced locally, by local people, through a partnership that brings together complementary strengths.”

The development of South African technical and manufacturing expertise has been central to YOA Cable’s growth. Employees who entered the company without previous optical fibre experience have developed specialist capabilities, progressed into positions of greater responsibility and contributed to the operating knowledge now embedded within the business.

“One of the strongest capabilities we have built over the past ten years is the depth of expertise and skill across our organisation,” says Viljoen. “This collective expertise enables us to support our customers at every stage, from manufacturing and technical performance to customer service and operational support, with a shared focus on excellence and consistency.”

Close collaboration with customers has enabled YOA Cable to develop products for South African deployment conditions and commercial requirements. The company works with telecommunications operators, fibre network operators and distributors to address technical performance, durability, installation requirements and total lifecycle cost.

Cable networking systems distributor Cable Feeder Systems CEO Sam Honeyborne says this responsiveness has shaped the companies’ longstanding relationship.

“The strength of our partnership is that we develop solutions together for the realities of the South African market. From fibre-to-the-home to prepaid fibre rollouts, that combination of technical expertise and customer understanding helps us deliver durable, cost-effective products that make commercial sense for network operators.”

As YOA Cable enters its second decade, fibre-to-the-home, enterprise connectivity and broader broadband deployment will remain important markets. Growth in cloud computing, AI and data-centre infrastructure is also creating new requirements for fibre density, performance and interconnectivity.

Bongaerts says YOA Cable can draw on the wider YOFC group’s research, innovation, products and international experience as these requirements develop.

“Data centres and AI are changing both the scale of demand and the technical expectations placed on fibre infrastructure. YOA Cable’s opportunity is to connect YOFC’s global research and product capability with the needs emerging in South Africa and the wider regional market.”

For its local customers, YOA Cable will continue to provide access to advances in optical fibre technology while preserving the advantages of local manufacturing, responsive technical support and collaborative product development.

Dube TradePort Corporation CEO Hamish Erskine says the company also represents a wider industrial development success.

“From Dube TradePort’s perspective, YOA Cable’s significance extends beyond the success of one company. It demonstrates the value of manufacturing close to the market and developing products for local conditions. That is the kind of industrial capability South Africa needs to build, and its success creates confidence for further manufacturing investment.”

Looking to the company’s second decade, Viljoen says YOA Cable will remain focused on the competitiveness of its customers and the changing technical requirements of the networks they operate.

“The next decade will be shaped by how effectively our customers’ networks keep pace with the rapid growth of data, cloud services and artificial intelligence. YOA Cable provides a vital link between the Southern African market and YOFC’s global research and leading-edge optical fibre technology. By combining that innovation with local manufacturing, market knowledge and technical support, we can help our customers meet emerging network demands and remain competitive in an increasingly connected economy.”