Technology
Clean City Offering COVID-19 “Decontamination Service” At The Click Of A Button – Here’s Why That’s A Hard Sell
Clean City a subsidiary of Cassava Fintech recently started offering disinfectant services for homes and businesses. Some Econet subscribers have been receiving the following message from Clean City announcing the service: Contact 0772222541 to request for decontamination services against COVID-19 for your home and office space. Make your health your…
Read More »Video: Zimbabwe Top 5 Import Sources In Millions Of USD 1997-2017
Zimbabwe imports more than it exports and these are the top 5 countries that Zimbabwe has been importing from from 1997 to 2017. Quick NetOne, Telecel, Africom, And Econet Airtime Recharge If anything goes wrong, click here to enter your query.
Read More »Sasai Now Supports Voice/Video Calling With Upto 20 People
Sasai has announced a new promotion that will enable users to participate in video calls with up to 19 other users. The service has been branded Sasai TeamTalk and will be available between 8am and 5pm every Sunday until the end of the month. Press material shared by Cassava takes…
Read More »Zim Romantic Comedy Coming To Netflix
Local movie “Cook Off” has been announced as one of the new slate of titles coming to Netflix soon. The release date is yet to be revealed, but Cook Off becomes one of many African shows and movies coming to the streaming platform, with other African shows such as the…
Read More »POTRAZ Gives Mobile Operators Additional Spectrum For The Rest Of 2020: Internet Use Has Ballooned
The Director General of POTRAZ has announced that movie network operators will be allowed to access additional 3G and 4G frequencies at no cost. Radio spectrum is a finite resource which is used for various radio-communication services which include cellular telephone operations and broadcast television stations. During the Covid-19, Potraz…
Read More »Both EcoCash And RBZ Are NOT Being 100% Sincere And Truthful
The fight between EcoCash and their regulator, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is revealing if nothing more. Of course the current episode started with a directive from RBZ instructing EcoCash to freeze agent accounts that transact above ZW$100,000. EcoCash went to court seeking an urgent reversal, the RBZ responded and…
Read More »Both EcoCash And RBZ Are NOT Being 100% Sincere And Truthful
The fight between EcoCash and their regulator, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is revealing if nothing more. Of course the current episode started with a directive from RBZ instructing EcoCash to freeze agent accounts that transact above ZW$100,000. EcoCash went to court seeking an urgent reversal, the RBZ responded and…
Read More »A Certain Person ‘Spins’ Money When EcoCash Payments Delay Says RBZ Governor Mangudya
So the story of the week has been the directive issued by the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to EcoCash instructing them to freeze the accounts of agents that transact above ZW$100,000 (USD2,000 or USD4,000) per month. Of course, EcoCash went to court to have the…
Read More »US Might Work With Huawei On 5G Network After All
Whilst US-China relations are still not patched up it seems the USA is softening its stance on a Huawei-enabled 5G rollout. After repeatedly urging other countries such as the UK, and France not to use Huawei equipment as they roll out their 5G network, the US Department of Commerce is…
Read More »Video:Growth In Mobile Phone Subscribers For SADC Countries 2000 – 2018
Home » Big Data » Video:Growth In Mobile Phone Subscribers For SADC Countries 2000 – 2018 This is a visualization of growth in mobile phone subscriptions over 18 years in SADC member states. Watch it here. Quick NetOne, Telecel, Africom, And Econet Airtime Recharge If anything goes wrong, click here…
Read More »RBZ Ignored Warnings About Suspicious EcoCash Agents For Months
Most people were surprised by the Zimbabwe central bank moves to instruct EcoCash to freeze the accounts of all agents that process transactions above ZW$100,000 (about USD2,000 or USD4,000 when you use the generous official exchange rate) per month. $100k is a crime The problem with this directive is that…
Read More »New Law Mandating Mobile Money Interoperability Is A Big Step Forward But…
This is a Guest Post and does not necessarily reflect the thoughts and opinions of Techzim. We have a strong filtering process of what makes it to our blog and are confident that you’ll enjoy the article below. Some 10 years ago I wrote an opinion article in the Banks…
Read More »Zim To Participate In Afro-Caribbean eSports Invitational
Zimbabwe will take part in the Afro-Caribbean eSports Invitational taking place later this month (16 & 17 May). The invitational will have 14 of the following countries battle it out on FIFA 20 & Mortal Kombat for PS4; Nigeria; Guinea; Zimbabwe; Ghana; Cameroon; Senegal; Morocco; Jamaica; Guadeloupe; Santa Lucia; Martinique;…
Read More »eSports Federation Of Africa Launches With Intent To Represent African Gamers
The Electronic Sports Federation of Africa has launched with the mandate to become the representative body for esports and gaming in Africa. The organisation believes that the lack of participation by African gamers in global eSports tournaments has been due to the lack of such a body representing gamers. Because…
Read More »RBZ Freezes EcoCash Agent Accounts That Handle Above ZW$100 000 Per Month – Here’s Why That’s Dumb
Another day another confusing decision by the RBZ… The central bank has directed EcoCash and other mobile money service providers (think OneMoney, Telecash & MyCash) to freeze accounts belonging to agents with transaction activity above ZW$100 000. Whilst at this point its fair to say we have become accustomed to…
Read More »Breaking: EcoCash Takes RBZ To Court For Freezing Agent Lines
EcoCash has filed an Urgent Chamber Application at the High Court of Zimbabwe taking the RBZ to court over the recent directive to freeze accounts belonging to agents with transactions over ZW$100 000. An illegal directive In the chamber application, EcoCash makes the case that they were not consulted before…
Read More »Netflix Celebrates Africa Month With Made In Africa Collection
Netflix today announced the introduction of a Made in Africa collection – a curated list of African series, films and documentaries – to celebrate Africa Month and demonstrate Netflix’s commitment to Africa and the African creative community. The collection is available globally at netflix.com/madeinafrica (or can be found on Netflix by searching ‘Made in…
Read More »Newly Licenced Internet Access Provider Believes Their Business Model Will Be Sustainable In Zim
When news broke earlier this week that Dark Fibre Africa had attained a Class B licence from POTRAZ this week, we had a couple of issue we raised in the article and got in touch with DFA as a result. The newly licenced IAP got back to us and provided…
Read More »Govt Working On Net Metering For ZESA, But What Is It?
Minister of Energy and Power Development tweeted earlier today about net metering for ZESA in an open dialogue where he asked for public opinion on the matter. NET METERING IN ZIMBABWE: net metering is currently run under the Regulations below. I am reviewing them at the comment. Would appreciate public…
Read More »NetOne One-Fi VS Econet Private Wi-Fi – Who Offers Better Value? (May 2020)
Econet and NetOne recently adjusted the pricing of their mobile data – as has become the norm. There are 2 bundles that hadn’t been adjusted by either of the two operators in their last 2 tariff increases – the Private WiFi bundle from Econet and the One-Fi bundle from NetOne.…
Read More »Video: Zimbabwe’s Top 5 Export Destinations In Millions Of Dollars 1997 To 2017
This is a visualization of Zimbabwe’s top 5 export destinations by value in millions of USD. Data has been sourced from Observatory of Economic Complexity. Quick NetOne, Telecel, Africom, And Econet Airtime Recharge If anything goes wrong, click here to enter your query.
Read More »[Update] NetOne Revises Bundle Prices; Here’s What You’ll Pay Now (May 2020)
After the outcry by many regarding Econet’s decision to hike pricing of data bundles yesterday, NetOne has followed suit after 24 hours. UPDATE: When this article went up it contained innacuracies. The tariffs in the article were actually effected on the 17th of March. NetOne was yet to effect the…
Read More »[Update] NetOne Revises Bundle Prices; Here’s What You’ll Pay Now (May 2020)
After the outcry by many regarding Econet’s decision to hike pricing of data bundles yesterday, NetOne has followed suit after 24 hours. UPDATE: When this article went up it contained innacuracies. The tariffs in the article were actually effected on the 17th of March. NetOne was yet to effect the…
Read More »Government Is Working On A “National Payment Switch” – Is That Necessary?
There’s been a lot of talk about the new law which will force mobile money interoperability but maybe more important is the fact that the government has revealed that it is working on a new national payment switch. The same section of the Statutory Instrument that mandates mobile network operators…
Read More »No, You Can’t Send Money From EcoCash To OneMoney – Here’s What’s Possible
A number of tweets have led people to believe they can now send money from an EcoCash account to a OneMoney account directly (i.e without the need for an agent). I’ve just tried sending money from my @EcoCashZW account into my @OneMoneyZw account, and vice versa. It now works!! Finally.…
Read More »RBZ Freezes More EcoCash, OneMoney Agents- Strategy Still Not Working
The Herald reports that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has closed down more (undisclosed) mobile money agent lines in a bid to arrest the deterioration in value of the Zimbabwe local currency. According to The Herald, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FTU) of the central bank says that the agent accounts…
Read More »New Law Compels EcoCash- OneMoney Interoperability: Will It Change Things?
Recently, Statutory Instrument 80 (SI80) was effected into law and among the big talking points is the fact that all mobile money operators will be mandated to connect to a national payment switch; It shall be mandatory for every money transmission provider and mobile banking provider shall be connected to…
Read More »Press Release: A New Life Skills Short Course Administered Online
[Wednesday 6 May, 2020] Online education platform, AGRICOLLEGES international, has announced that it will launch a new Joys of Life Skills short course on 18 May 2020. The course is relevant to people from all walks of life and aims to help individuals to deal effectively with the demands and…
Read More »Econet Introduces A Cheaper e-Learning Bundle, Schools Buy It For Students & Teachers
Econet is nobody’s friend right now after the more than tippling in the prices of some of their internet access bundles. The MNO is hoping to warm up to schools and learners across the country with a new bundle tailored for the current reality of students learning from home. Here…
Read More »Ramaphosa Appoints Masiyiwa To Lead Initiative To Secure Coronavirus Protective Equipment
SA President and chairman of the AU, Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed one of Zimbabwe’s most famous business leaders – Strive Masiyiwa to head a private-sector led effort to improve supply personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 crisis. President Ramaphosa informed the meeting that he had appointed Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa…
Read More »Government Announces Victoria Falls Securities Exchange To Attract Offshore Capital
Last night we shared the Government’s COVID-19 19 Recovery & Stimulus Package Budget and among the measures being taken is the launch of Victoria Falls Securities Exchange; Government has already announced the launch of Victoria Falls Securities Exchange (VFEX), in Victoria Falls in order to attract critical offshore capital to…
Read More »Telecel Says We’re Not Closing, In Fact We Are Opening More Shops
There’s a rumor that has been circulating based on a story run by The Herald 5 years ago. The story titled “Telecel shut down” was stumbled upon mistakenly by someone who assumed it was a recent story and begun spreading it. The story grew legs to the point where Telecel…
Read More »Hiring A Developer? Devcenter’s Free eBook Could Be Of Use
Last December, we shared Devcentre’s State of Code Jobs document which shared interesting insights on Nigerian software development trends. The startup has now released a 2-part eBook giving tips on Hiring developers. The document titled 7 Mistakes Managers Make When Hiring Nigerian Developers explores the Nigerian context but I felt…
Read More »Hiring A Developer? Devcenter’s Free eBook Could Be Of Use
Last December, we shared Devcentre’s State of Code Jobs document which shared interesting insights on Nigerian software development trends. The startup has now released a 2-part eBook giving tips on Hiring developers. The document titled 7 Mistakes Managers Make When Hiring Nigerian Developers explores the Nigerian context but I felt…
Read More »NetOne To Follow Econet’s Steps & Increase Bundle Prices
Following the price review effected by Econet, many consumers were ready to jump ship and go to NetOne but it seems most will not get the chance to do so. The network operator has announced that they will also review prices of SMS and data bundles tomorrow; Dear Valued Customer,…
Read More »#EconetMustFall Trends Following Econet’s Latest Data Hike
As you probably know by now, Econet has flexed their trigger finger once again meaning Zimbabweans will have to pay more for mobile data. Price (ZW$) Data allocation (MB) $5.5 20MB $11 40MB $20 80MB $37 150MB $60 250MB $80 600MB $130 1200MB New pricing for daily bundles Data allocation old…
Read More »Econet Increases Price Of Popular Bundle By 225%
The popularity of Private WiFi bundles was on the rise considering that affordable data is almost unheard of in Zim. Econet recently sent an SMS to subscribers informing them that the data and SMS bundles would be getting reviewed on the 5th of May. Dear Customer. Please note bundle prices…
Read More »Econet Reviews Price Of Data Bundles – Here’s What You’ll Pay Now
Econet’s pricing for smart data bouquets has been reviewed as expected and here’s what subscribers will now pay for daily bundles Price (ZW$) Data allocation (MB) $5.5 20MB $11 40MB $20 80MB $37 150MB $60 250MB $80 600MB $130 1200MB Remember the days a $1 used to get you 250MB.…
Read More »[Update] POTRAZ Grants Internet Access Provider DFA Licence To Operate Locally
In March 2019, Dark Fibre Africa announced they were setting up offices locally as part of its expansion into markets outside of South Africa. This was followed up by the Internet Access Provider laying down infrastructure in parts of the CBD. Now the company has announced that they have been…
Read More »Download: Government’s COVID-19 Recovery & Stimulus Package Document
Last week, President ED unveiled a ZW$18 billion Recovery and Stimulus Package with the aim of reviving the economy and provide relief to citizens. Government has now shared a 7-page document which breaks down which sectors the money will be allocated to and how they will use the money in…
Read More »Video: SADC Country Inflation Rates Over 18 Years, Of Course Zim Leads The Race
Home » Video » Video: SADC Country Inflation Rates Over 18 Years, Of Course Zim Leads The Race Ever wondered how bad Zimbabwe Inflation rates have been compared to other SADC countries? Check it out in this video. Quick NetOne, Telecel, Africom, And Econet Airtime Recharge If anything goes wrong,…
Read More »POTRAZ Grants Internet Access Provider DFA Licence To Operate Locally
In March 2019, Dark Fibre Africa announced they were setting up offices locally as part of its expansion into markets outside of South Africa. This was followed up by the Internet Access Provider laying down infrastructure in parts of the CBD. Now the company has announced that they have been…
Read More »DStv Announces Price Increase Coming Into Effect In June
Multichoice Zimbabwe has announced a price increase coming into effect on the 1st of June 2020. The media company has blamed the increase on the 14.5% VAT charge but makes sure to remind subscribers that this is the first upward review in 4 years. Package Current price per month new…
Read More »This Telehealth Startup Is Providing Medical Info To Underserved Africans
You may have heard of Sila Health before. The health startup partnered with Bulawayo’s City Council to launch a mobile app that provides Covid-19 information. The startup is helping the council to disseminate info on COVID-19 via chat bots. Users of the chat bot can also access a symptom checker…
Read More »African AI Platform To Host Webinar On How Machine Learning Can Be Used To Fight COVID-19
Zindi the data science platform that connects data scientists and people who need their problems solved is hosting a free webinar titled “From Models to Medical Care: in conversation with epidemiologists on the scientific frontlines.“ The webinar will see 3 epidemiologists; Prof Wim Delva, Dr Brooke Nichols and Dr Elaine…
Read More »COVID-19: Business Disruptor Or Change Agent?
This is a Guest Post and does not necessarily reflect the thoughts and opinions of Techzim. We have a strong filtering process of what makes it to our blog and are confident that you’ll enjoy the article below. As South Africa enters another week of the national lockdown the world…
Read More »NetOne Board Chairperson Investigated For Appointing Associate To Reside Over Muchenje’s Hearing
The axing of Lazarus Muchenje continues to produce twists and turns akin to a Hollywood blockbuster with latest reports alleging abuse of office by the board chairperson who axed Muchenje for… ABUSE OF OFFICE! Ms Susan Mutangadura who is the acting board chairperson is alleged to have appointed a “suspected…
Read More »Press Release: Vaya Offers Free Delivery Of Medicines For 3 Months
VAYA Express, through VAYA Express Medical Deliveries, is now offering free delivery of medical supplies to assist Zimbabweans in need of critical medicines and drugs during the restrictions imposed due the COVID -19 pandemic and beyond. VAYA Express Medical Deliveries is collaborating with Maisha Health fund (formerly Steward Health) to…
Read More »List: EcoCash, OneMoney Agents Whose Accounts Were Frozen For Suspected Forex Dealings
Posted Sat 02 May 2020Sat 02 May 2020 by Farai Mudzingwa (@FariM9) The RBZ sent out a directive to mobile money operators asking them to block mobile money accounts suspected of “involvement in illicit foreign currency transactions and/or money laundering”. Below is a list of the EcoCash accounts suspended; CALM…
Read More »RBZ Orders Banks To Freeze EcoCash, OneMoney Agents Suspected Of Illicit Forex Deals
The RBZs Financial Intelligence Unit has directed all banks to freeze bank accounts linked to Mobile Money Agents listed in a note that was leaked to the media. Acting Director-General Financial Intelligence Unit Oliver Chiperesa ordered banks to freeze, with immediate effect, all Ecocash and OneMoney agents suspected of involvement…
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