South Africa’sAfrica network industriesNetwork industries, namely electricity, telecommunications, and transportTransport, stand at a defining juncture against the country’s relentless attempts to achieve a higher growth trajectory after years of low growth, especially in the aftermath of the global economic meltdown of 2009. The South African economy has struggled to recover from the global economic crisis which was aggravated by the Covid-19Covid-19 pandemic. For the period since 2009, the economy has grown by less than 2%, making it unlikely to achieve the growth target of 5.4% by 2030 as set out in the country’s National Development Plan (NDPNational Development Plan (NDP)), while unemployment has increased exponentially over the years (Republic of South Africa, National Planning Commission (NPC), 2023). This reality raises questions about the effectiveness role of the network industries as enablers of growth and development. In this chapter, the developmental role and significance of the network industries are revisited as a precursor to the discussion on why regulation is necessary as discussed in Chapter 3.