THE Zambian High Commission in South Africa has opened discussions with a South African based company which will see the provision of free Wi-Fi facilities in various open public spaces in Zambia.
This is contained in a statement released to the media by Press Secretary at the Zambian High Commission in South Africa, Nicky Shabolyo
A team of top executives and technocrats from the South African company, Davhuli Mfumo Technologies (Pty) Limited, will arrive in Zambia tomorrow, 11th January, 2016, for meetings with the Ministry of Local Government and Housing on Tuesday 12th, Lusaka City Council on Wednesday 13th, and ZAMTEL on Thursday 14th January. Other meetings with Special Assistant to the President for Project Monitoring and Implementation, Mr. Lucky Mulusa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Zambia Information and Telecommunication Authority are yet to be confirmed.
The team will conduct site visits to possible open public places such as parks, hospitals, clinics, University of Zambia and bus stations before holding another meeting with management at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka on Friday, 15th January.
Those in the delegation are Company Chief Executive Officer Nkateko Khoza, Chief Operating Officer Tebogo Rauwane, Director of Corporate Affairs Glen Mabunda, Special Projects Director Gugulethu Gwamanda, Financial Director Francois Verster and Technical Manager Andries Raaths. They will be accompanied by First Secretary for Economic and Trade at the Zambian Mission in Pretoria, Mr. Mande Kauseni.
Wi-fi is a facility allowing computers, smartphones, or other devices to connect to the Internet or communicate with one another wirelessly within a particular area.
Mr. Nkateko Khoza disclosed during a meeting with Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Mr. Emmanuel Mwamba that the first phase of the project, dubbed ‘Zambia Connected – Free Wi-Fi’, will be in the form of a field study which will be conducted by a team of technical experts.
Mr. Khoza said the purpose of the visit will be to ascertain the technical requirements of installing Wi-Fi in the identified sites of Lusaka, Kitwe and Ndola.
Mr. Mwamba, who hailed the project said access to the internet will bridge the digital divide, allow for 21st Century blended learning, improve communication and in so doing stimulate job creation in various sectors.
He pointed out that Zambia can also boost its reputation as a preferred tourism destination by deploying free Wi-Fi at key tourism sites, thereby attracting more visitors whilst raising the visibility of such sites globally.
The High Commissioner further noted that the impact of this project had the potential to change the trajectory of Zambia’s youth, building the leaders of tomorrow and encouraging them to become citizens of the world.
And Mr. Khoza said once the field study has been conducted and materials ordered to the specification designed by the experts, a training centre will be established to prepare and up skill locals on how the installation will work after which installation of the Wi-Fi will begin in all three cities.
“Upon Commissioning of the project, a training centre will be established. The training centre will equip locals with the skills to install and maintain the project. Once material has been delivered the rollout of the project will begin with locals at the fore. Upon completion of the project, Cooperatives will then be created and formalised among the trained candidates. The cooperatives will be tasked with the maintenance of the project,” Mr. Khoza explained.
The company estimates the total implementation period to be 223 days.
Mr. Khoza said although the cost of the installation of the project will rest with the selected municipalities, the maintenance cost of the project could be cut down drastically through the employment of various funding models such as the establishment of a Business Directory which local businesses would subscribe to, to get their business listed at a monthly cost to the business. The second option would be live adverts on the landing page which could be a lucrative revenue stream towards the maintenance cost of the project.
He cited Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, which is South Africa’s first Aerotropolis, located in the country’s economic hub of Gauteng, as one of the first to boast free Wi-Fi connectivity.
“It is imperative to note that Ekurhuleni going online means a lot more for the African continent, international trade, and its citizens; this is because South Africa’s O.R. Tambo International Airport is the logistical hub of Africa. “
Ekurhuleni went live officially, on the 19th of November 2015.
“Tshwane or Pretoria Metropolitan Municipality has made very progressive strides where free public access internet is concerned. Under the leadership of the Executive Mayor, the City saw the free Wi-Fi project record over one million users by November of 2015. Tshwane Wi-Fi is accessible from a number of sites in and around the city but more excitingly, on city busses for commuters to utilise during their trips,” Mr. Khoza said.
instead of using local companies you go and import ideas from southafrica.find out why zamtel is failing to do so.we had the UNWTO in livingstone and zamtel installed alot of free wifi things ………but no internet was provided through them.
These Liars are full of crapp! They are at it again – NOTHING IS FOR FREE – DON’T BE CHEATED, they just want to be voted back into power – FREE WIFI will give NO ONE EMPLOYMENT, Will NOT PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE, WILL NOT MAKE YOU RICH, WILL NOT PUT ANY MONEY INTO YOUR POCKET!!
Zambia in the sun! This is PF given progress. Remember that at the ballots!
Damn! You should love these PF dreamers! Free WiFi without malaiti!!!!,, zambians will soon be refuges if there is no change
@ 1diot abroad
What about clean drinking water, efficient hospitals, basic medical care, schools, rule of law……..?
You are not ashamed to call yourself “patriot” whilst enjoying “Abroad” at tax-payers expense?
The “PF progress”? Corruption, collapse of economy, destitution, hunger, unemployment, thuggery, incompetence, waste of resources, constant breaches of fundamental rights…………………..
Of course we shall remember “PF progress” in enslaving the future generations with 10 billion loans before casting vote
Mwamba’s chasing another kickback and limelight. ..why can’t you simply refer them to the relevant authorities?
We have computer scientists trained in Zambian Universities. Putting up a Network like the one Mwamba is tripping himself over is easy. All he is bothered about is lining his pockets. A zambian company can get the job done, in fact their are companies in zambia who can do it. Why force UTH management into contracting a foreign company to do a simple job? That same router you have in your home can be used as public network. Amplify the signal, register users and give them passwords to the network. Do we need a dodgy south african company to do that?
Buy a hundred routers and install them in Cafe’s, Hospitals, Bus Stations, Airports, Schools, Colleges, Clinics’ Shopping Malls and all Government Institutions.
Subscribe to broadband services from any reputable telephone companies.
You are done.
You don’t need a Diplomat making this announcement to gain political mileage by hiring his mates, seeking a Ministerial Job from Edgar Lungu back home.
This types of projects must be given to local people.
Another scam for PF to steal from Zambians. Do they still have Eurobonds to steal with?
Priorities, please leave that to the private sector, in the Uk and other developed countries we pay in most public places and where it is free its paid for by advertising, it would make sense if this free Wi-Fi was meant for schools, colleges and Universities, what you are actually doing is wasting money on people who can afford a phone or communication gadget instead of directing resources to help the old, disabled, orphaned and homeless.
Free wi-fi is available in hotels and airports in Asia. Here we have it in shopping malls and hospitals too. Just make sure that same person does not have it for more than 1 hrs at a time.
In shopping Malls and airports its free in the UK and is paid for by advertising, in hospitals where I have been in the UK the first 30 minutes is free then you pay £2.50 for the next 24 hours, there is something fishy about this. I think this is not a priority for the poor Zambian.
The private sector is too greedy.They are very expensive and have too many unexplained outages. This was my experience with MTN data services.
What about “affordable Zamtel”? Unexplained outages? What about ZESCO “managed” fiber-optic?
Wake up man, open your eyes and look arround.
Meant more than 1 hrs at a time
Same trick as zuckerburg is trying in India..and indians are smart and refusing…google net neutrality and zuckerburg and india
…nothing comes for free unless ur a thief…
….
He is also doing it Zambia. ..he kept mentioning Zambia as one of places he is launching his pilot project in his last TV interview.
But why a South African company? Couldn’t Zamtel and Zamnet manage this?
Or any other Zambian company, and I’m reside in RSA and have never heard of that company
Before you think of that!!! People need Malaiti to charge their devices,, and PF has no malaiti,,, what is free WiFi with dead phones and ipads,,,,,,,,
We can give it 10 more years for them to do it…..
Splaka, that is the question. Priorities so misplaced.
There is nothing for free. Someone pays somewhere.
Possibly advertising in public places like Coca-Cola was doing to school wall fences in Zambia paying to promote their poison
where will the money come from to pay for this free wifi ?
This will just be an avenue of stealing money unless Mwamba explains and provides some kind of evidence showing how this is going to be free.There is nothing in the world which is free. South Africa is not as stupid as Mwamba to provide free things for Zambia.
So you have never seen free Wifi before? There are a lot of places with free Wifi in the US and Canada (at airports, universities, train stations etc). Even in Pretoria (Gautrain Stations, CBD and public hospitals) there is free Wifi. You get about 30mb-100mb free per day.
There are community schools whose existence is testimony that government effort at providing education to all is inadequate. Provide for those poor little ones. Give them a decent building at least. Presently they sit on dusty ground share a note book under a hazardous building. After 51 years of independence?
Just imagine the possibilities that comes with free connectivity? Only intelligent minds will appreciate this move.
Not only “intelligent minds” but ONLY INTELLIGENT AND SELFISH SHORTSIGHTED MINDS WILL APPRECIATE THIS MOVE
@ Kangwa, excitement or cool reasoning based on facts? It looks like reasoning and not excitement goes hand in hand with “intelligent minds”
Is it Emmanuel again? Pinch of salt
The mere mention of that name is enough for the ACC to move in and investigate even before anything is put on paper!!
am a IT expert here in south africa at Wits University, this isna brief case company whose director Khoza is facing charges of $2million fraud. Dnt you have Zamtel and Zamnet that have capacity and skills, this is a deal coz who is footing the project. Zambians wake up wats they to praise PF about.
Another nail in the publicly owned Zamtel’s coffin which is forever snoozing as it is full of silly cadres!!
Why not provide free water first? Why wifi? There is no water, erratic electricity and you dream of free wifi. There is no free wifi anywhere in the world, someone has to pay for it. How is this company going to survive if they provide free things?
This is for tracking ..becareful with what u do on the net …..what’s the interest in this ? why giving attention on this matter of no urgency …
I smell rat on this one …I dnt think the transaction s will be straight ….at least some money will go somewhere…
This is a scam! Zambians wake up. The owner of this kantemba company in SA is a known criminal with so many cases in the South African courts. Him and Mwamba now plan to eat free money from the docile Zambians. Zamtel and Zamnet can do a far better job than this con artist. Please know that there is nothing that is good in the world that come for free!
This is great news. Welcome development
Mwamba will go back straight in to jail in Zambia with these deals he has started there are IT proffissionals in Zambia who can do that job but since he wants a kick back he is talking to known crooks in SA.
Every thing PF does involves stealing and denying Zambian companies opportunities for the sake of sales commissions from foreign companies.
Theft and corruption at its highest level. Putting a WI Fi and you engage a foreign company? This must be a bad joke. What is difficult about putting up a wi fi? All you need is couple of routers and a few communication devices the rest is history. This country truly will never develop because its people are very wasteful.
Wi-Fi is simple and straight forward to configure — any ISP in Zambia can do this provided you ask them.
Do we need a South African based company to come do an assessment and tell us where and how to set up wi-fi.
I’m smelling a rat here.
Livingstone has fibers running up and through it, Lusaka has fiber all over, Copperbet, etc. Simply ask the local ISPs to set this up.
#Bufi
#OneZambia
Whyfree wi-fi in hospitals when medical services are expensive.A CT scan at Levy Mwanawasa is K900 and you are talking free wi-fi when bundles can be bought at as low as K3 on average from all the Zambian providers.
There is nothing in this world like free Wi-Fi. All these hot-sports you see around hotels and airports are not free. There is payment made to the service providers of internet.
It looks like a lot of people including Mwamba do not know how these things work. It is not possible for this happen and trust me this will never work.