The unique castle in South Africa’s capital which became a telecommunications hub
Bronberg Castle in the East of Pretoria is a valuable high site that served as a telecommunications hub before it was transformed into a guesthouse and wedding venue.
In 2013, when electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa was still mayor of Tshwane, the South African capital had embarked on an ambitious project to launch an extensive free Wi-Fi network.
The organisation supplying the network was Project Isizwe, the brainchild of Alan Knott-Craig Jr, who was the former CEO of iBurst and Mxit.
Forbes reported that Project Isizwe had taken up residence in Bronberg Castle, where it established its network operations centre (NOC) and used the property as a Wi-Fi high site.
Not long after launching Project Isizwe, Knott-Craig co-founded a business called Herotel, which aimed to consolidate several smaller wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) under one banner.
Herotel also operated out of Bronberg Castle. However, after a dispute with the owner, the companies moved out of the iconic property.
MyBroadband spoke to representatives of Bronberg Castle Lodge, who said that Herotel moved out seven years ago, which would be around 2019.
“The premises are not used for telecommunication services any more. It will only be a guesthouse going forward,” they said.
While the castle may no longer be used for Herotel or Project Isizwe’s offices and NOCs, at least a dozen antennas are still visible on the roof of the building.
Therefore, it remains prime real estate for wireless networks, even while it now serves as a picturesque getaway within the capital city.
“Bronberg Castle Lodge is a unique mountain-top destination in the prestigious suburb of Faerie Glen, Pretoria East, offering a blend of luxury, privacy, and natural beauty,” the venue stated.
“We feature exclusive accommodation options — Castle View with panoramic vistas and Nature’s View in a tranquil forest setting — along with a scenic outdoor function venue and a secluded mountain lapa retreat.”
Change of tack at Herotel
Knott-Craig is no longer involved at Herotel. He was effectively ousted from the company in 2022 following an acrimonious dispute with the company’s co-founder and leadership.
While Herotel still operates a wireless network for customers without access to fibre, it has also built an extensive fibre network for underserved communities in South Africa.
Herotel is the third-largest fibre network operator in South Africa, with over 606,388 homes covered by its network, of which 273,289 have a fibre drop installed.
It is a closed-access fibre provider, which means it provides end-user services directly and does not work through third-party ISPs like Afrihost, Axxess, and Mweb.
In December 2025, the Competition Tribunal approved a merger in which South Africa’s largest fibre network operator, Vumatel, acquired control of Herotel.
Vumatel and its parent company, Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH), first announced the acquisition of a 45% non-controlling stake in Herotel in February 2022.
That had increased to 49.96% a few months later. The plan to acquire all of Herotel was first announced in August 2022.
The tribunal’s approval last year aligned with a Competition Commission recommendation greenlighting the transaction in March 2025.
Like that recommendation, the approval was subject to certain conditions to address competition and public interest-related concerns.
These included that Vumatel would remain an open-access network and continue providing services to third parties on transparent and non-discriminatory terms.
Vumatel is also prohibited from using Herotel’s metropolitan backhaul, FTTH or FTTB infrastructure to provide wholesale FTTB, wholesale FTTH, or other wholesale services.
It may use Herotel’s infrastructure to provide wholesale services if they are offered on an open-access basis with non-discriminatory terms.
In addition, it may not procure or receive any services from the Herotel Group unless such services are offered on an open access basis and on non-discriminatory terms by the Herotel Group.
Another condition is that Vumatel may not reduce its rollout plans for its lower-income Vuma Reach product in favour of rollout through the Herotel Group.
“Vumatel shall pass 540,000 premises (not already passed as at the implementation date) in Reach Areas within three years from the implementation date,” the tribunal ordered.
Maziv, the holding company for CIVH’s assets, previously told MyBroadband that it would not change anything about how Herotel operated as the company had found a model that worked for it.
Photos of Bronberg Castle
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