Cheaper internet in Zimbabwe needs more than just the ICT Ministry & POTRAZ

It’s not inconceivable to believe that some thought that a somewhat generational representation in Parliament in the position of Ministry of Information, Communications, Technology and Courier Services (or Ministry of ICT) with the appointment of Tatenda Mavetera would change things for the better. On the face of it, it was somewhat a step in the right direction from an age demographics standpoint.

However, the expectation that one minister can tame the storm that is the telecommunications industry in Zimbabwe is seriously unfair… The reason why it is unjust is because the telecoms sector in Zimbabwe is suffering from one complex and at the same time a singular disease that has been ill-treated by a combination of ignoring the symptoms, the incorrect application and prescription of remedies, and the perpetuation of decades-old agendas…

When looking at it from the consumer's perspective, it appears that there has been a systematic collapse of fundamental business principles from the operators. This observation, it should be said, is not invalid. It simply doesn’t peer deep enough into what the actual disease could be.

To get closer to the answer of what might be causing the astronomical increase in price from access to the wider internet (beyond bundles for WhatsApp and social media) is to look at our own experiences from an individual level in Zimbabwe.