Category: zimbabwe

Source: Econet data market share drops 2,1% –Newsday Zimbabwe

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe

TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe posted a 2,1% decline in its market share for data and internet traffic during the final quarter of 2022, according to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) report.

Conversely, NetOne increased its market share by 2,1% in the period under review.

“Overall internet and data traffic has been consistently growing over the course of the year, in spite of depressed demand across other markets.

“Internet and data has also been relatively price inelastic, illustrating its growing importance as a basic commodity. Econet continued to dominate the market share for internet and data traffic (74,5%), owing to its huge active mobile subscriber base as well as its wide network coverage.

“However, in the quarter under review, Econet lost market share by a margin of 2,1%. Conversely, NetOne gained market share by 2,1%, while Telecel maintained their position,” Potraz revealed.

However, information technology experts said these changes were typical across the country since consumers were price conscious.

“Those quarterly shifts I wouldn’t take them seriously because Zimbabwe is price sensitive,” information technology expert Farai Mudzingwa said.

“You will see that if today NetOne raises tariffs, people will leave and go back to Econet. If Econet does the same, they will leave it for NetOne. Those movements are quite common if you are looking at the trends between those reports.”

In the period under review, a total of 33 576, four terabytes of mobile internet and data were consumed.

This represents a 3,4% increase in internet and data traffic from 32 473,1 terabytes consumed in the third quarter of the year.

Potraz said the year 2022 saw the opening up of the economy, post the COVID-19 pandemic.

It said e-learning and e-conferencing continued to be the new norm, post-COVID-19, further accelerating internet and data usage rates.

“With the large-scale rollout of 5G and other advances, 2023 will likely be an important year for the telecommunications industry. We are likely to see new applications we have never considered before, as the Internet of Things ecosystem takes centre stage,” the report said.

“Although 5G is very much in the ‘build’ phase right now, as people come to truly understand its capabilities and limitations, we can expect to see the next generation of solutions based on 5G.”

The total number of active mobile telephone subscriptions was 14,3 million, as of December 31, 2022.

This represents a 1,8% decline from 14,6 million, recorded as of September 30, 2022.

The report shows that Econet was the only operator to record growth in active subscriptions in the quarter under review.

“Telecel and NetOne’s active subscriptions declined by 16,9% and 9,6%, respectively, which outweighed subscriber growth recorded by Econet and resulted in total mobile subscription decline by a margin of 1,8%,” the report said.

“All the three mobile operators experienced fluctuations during the course of 2022. However, only Econet surpassed its December 2021 active subscriber base, further cementing its lead position.”

NetOne and Telecel lost subscriber market share by 2,4% and 0,5%, respectively.

Conversely, Econet gained subscriber market share by 2,9% in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Source: Electoral Bill, bad news for CCC –Newsday Zimbabwe

A NUMBER of sitting opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) councillors and MPs may be barred from contesting the upcoming elections if the Electoral Act Amendment Bill is signed into law.

The heavily criticised law was gazetted last year and seeks to, among other things, disqualify aspiring candidates with criminal records.

At the moment, it is in the Second Reading Stage.

After the Second Reading Stage, it goes to the Committee Reading Stage and then Third Reading Stage.

If it sails through and is signed by the President before polls, it will be implemented during this year’s elections likely to be held between July 26 and August 26.

Among a litany of changes, the Bill seeks disqualification of previously convicted persons from contesting in national elections.

Legislators or councillors will be disqualified if they commit physical violence or dishonesty crimes and get convicted within a period of 12 months before the date of nomination as a candidate.

Several CCC sitting legislators and councillors, including other aspiring candidates, are facing various criminal offences and may be barred from contesting if the Bill is signed into law.

If a candidate has a criminal conviction, they will only be allowed to contest if their sentence has been reduced to less than six months, pardoned or if their conviction is set aside.

Some of the CCC’s sitting Harare councillors with pending cases include Herbert Gomba, Denford Ngadziore, Kudzai Kadzombe, Stanley Manyenga and Godfrey Kurauone.

Kurauone has since skipped the country’s borders.

Sitting CCC Members of Parliament with pending cases include vice-president Tendai Biti, acting national organiser Amos Chibaya, acting deputy chairperson Job Sikhala, Joanah Mamombe, Godfrey Sithole, Costa Machingauta and David Chimhini.

Also, vice-president Lynette Karenyi-Kore and aspiring legislator Vimbai Tome have pending cases.

CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere was convicted last week by a Harare magistrate and fined US$500 or three months in jail for publishing falsehoods prejudicial to the State.

Sikhala is now left with two months to clock a year behind bars on charges of inciting public violence and obstructing the course of justice.

Lawyer Chris Mhike said the proposed law was unjust.

“The proposition to bar the potential candidates stipulated in the Bill is, obviously, grossly unfair and inimical to fair contestation in a genuine democratic system,” Mhike said.

“That unfairness is especially detectable in present-day Zimbabwe, wherein lawfare is intensely pervasive. It is our hope that the limitations suggested in the Bill never see the light of day, specifically under the current socio-political and legislative framework.”

The CCC has said the proposed law is calculated to block jailed Sikhala and others from participating in the general elections set for this year.

“This amendment is calculated to ensure our members who are facing targeted prosecutions and are victims of clear weaponisation of the law to silence the opposition do not stand as candidates,” CCC said in a statement.

“This implied disqualification clause for parliamentary candidates violates and is ultra vires the Constitution.

“The Constitution sets out the only competent grounds for disqualification of members of parliament in sections 121, 125 and 129. Crucially, there is no mention of disqualification due to prior conviction before tenure of office.”

An armed robber in an eight-man gang who raided ZX Fuels premises in Southerton, Harare, early yesterday was killed during a shootout with security guards in a reaction team called to the premises. Police recovered US$35 050 from a satchel the dead man was carrying along with a pistol and implements to commit criminal activities. Investigations revealed that the gang, who were wearing masks and

TWO girls aged 12 and 13 drowned on Sunday while they were swimming in a disused quarry pit near Donnybrook Racecourse close to Mabvuku on the eastern outskirts of Harare. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the drowning. The bodies of the girls were taken to a hospital mortuary for postmortem, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed. Cases

Mary Mubaiwa’s trial on charges of attempting to kill Vice President Constantino Chiwenga by unplugging the hospital life support system and attempting to sneak him out of the ward continued yesterday, with the third security officer giving his testimony. Mr Andrew Mugari, who was one of the security officers who accompanied Vice President Chiwenga to South Africa to seek medication in 2019,