In the Research ICT Africa After Access 2018 survey, which covered 10 African countries including South Africa, non-users said the price of smart devices was the main reason people were not connected to the internet. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
As the sun sets over the Matobo Hills in Zimbabwe, boys throw stones to scare off baboons, not to enjoy the sunset but to find a mobile network that's safe from wildlife.
The village of Silozwe, less than 50 kilometres from Bulawayo, the country's second-largest city in the south, sits in a communications black hole.
To an outsider, the villagers' daily climb up the hill may look like a pilgrimage for a rain-making ritual, but it's actually a communal journey to make calls, send messages and check social media.
“For me as an adult, it is difficult to climb the hill and sometimes I still can't connect,” said Sakir Shibindi, a 60-year-old grandmother who walked five kilometres from her home to the site.
Rural connectivity issues are not unique to Zimbabwe.
The United Nations has set a goal of making internet available to everyone by 2030, but says that roughly one-third of the world's population, or 2.6 billion people, do not have access to the internet.
“The Internet is a vital tool for accessing information, employment opportunities and education.
“Those without meaningful access are likely to be left behind,” the U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union said in a report last year.
About one in four people in sub-Saharan Africa uses a mobile phone to connect to the internet, but 15% of the population lives in areas without mobile phone coverage, according to telecommunications industry group GSMA.
The Matobo Hills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its distinctive boulders, provide some respite for the residents of Silozwe.
But there are obvious drawbacks, such as the risk of prying connection hunters tapping into phone calls, Shibindi said.
“When you connect, you have no privacy,” she said, stopping there on the way home from a routine medical check-up.
“Sensitive family issues end up being known to the whole village.”
“If someone falls ill in the middle of the night, they cannot come here and call us. If they die, they will stay with the body in the house as they cannot call for help,” Shibindi said.
Some locals have found creative workarounds.
It is common to see people attaching their mobile phones to branches in their gardens or tying them to tree limbs in a desperate search for network coverage.
Anna Tiyo, 42, whose husband works in South Africa, stumbled upon a tree with good signal and set up a makeshift network station using an old metal barrel.
“One day I got bored of walking in the fields in the sun so I sat under this tree and watched videos on my phone,” she said.
“I started getting WhatsApp messages and that's how I discovered this networking spot,” she said.
Others ask bus drivers and shopkeepers to deliver messages in writing or verbally.
In a country with high rates of poverty and unemployment, living in offline areas can be costly for people looking to do business.
Bukosibetsu Moyo, a 29-year-old building contractor, said the lack of coverage had meant he was unable to make payments over the phone or mobile phone, which meant he had lost customers and suffered financial losses.
“Most of my clients tell me they can't reach me for days,” he says. “They end up hiring someone in the city who they can easily find online.”
According to the Zimbabwe Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, mobile phone penetration in Zimbabwe is over 97 percent, with more than 14.5 million active subscriptions in a country of 16 million people.
The government has acknowledged that internet connectivity is a problem in rural areas and has pledged investment, recently launching a program to provide computers to rural schools.
“We now have a state-of-the-art fibre optic network, a National ICT Policy and a Smart Zimbabwe Masterplan,” Communications Minister Tatenda Mabetera wrote to X in March.
“These efforts will transform Zimbabwe into a digital powerhouse, boosting our economy, improving lives and connecting us to the world.”
But progress has been slow and many villagers feel ignored.
“We are part of this country and we have the right to the same opportunities as people in the cities,” Tiyo said.
The country's communications ministry did not respond to a request for comment. — Zinyange Antony AFP