@ibutho.lomoya: The same Section 14 of the Consumer Protection Act that lets you cancel a fixed term cellphone contract early also quietly creates a month to month continuation when your contract term ends and you do nothing. I call it a ghost contract because so many people don't realise it exists until their debit order suddenly doubles. Here's what happens legally, you signed a 24 month deal with a juicy promotional rate. Month 24 comes and goes. You don't upgrade, you don't cancel. The CPA says the contract automatically rolls over onto a month to month basis. That is the ghost contract, you didn't sign anything new, but it's alive and running. Now, during the fixed term, your low monthly price was a promotional discount tied to that specific 24 month period. When the term expires, the promotion dies. The contract then reverts to the standard rate, which can be double or even triple what you were paying. That R169 can legally become R600, and the network is not breaking any law because the promotional pricing was always linked to the fixed term. Kodwa here is your power. On a month to month contract, you are no longer locked in. You can cancel at any time by giving just 20 business days' written notice. There is no massive cancellation penalty, because there is no remaining term to break. You simply pay for the notice period and walk away. Also, the CPA says the supplier must inform you 40 to 80 business days before the contract expires and explain your options. If they never told you the promotional rate was ending and a ghost contract was about to kick in, that silence could be a breach, and you may have grounds to challenge that price jump. That ghost contract is not illegal, but it's also not a trap. Once you know it exists, you can give notice and leave. I'm not saying don't let your contract roll over. I'm saying know that doing nothing doesn't mean nothing changes. Your price moves, but your freedom to leave also gets stronger. That's the fun fact they don't put in the brochure. #kekeville #edutainment #ConsumerRights #CellphoneContracts #MzansiLaw

Keith Mahlangu

Open In TikTok:

Region: ZA

Saturday 02 May 2026 14:40:07 GMT