Stories

Given the fast deteriorating economic environment, the Econet management took in February 2000 perhaps its most significant strategic decision: to reduce the exposure to Zimbabwe by developing other markets in Africa and beyond. The vision of the company, which had been “To provide telecommunications to all the peoples of Zimbabwe” (IPO prospectus August, 1998), was now reformulated “To provide telecommunications to all the peoples of Africa.”

(481 VIEWS)

ZANU-PF will become irrelevant as soon as Robert Mugabe leaves the scene, either through death or retirement, the United States and German ambassadors to Zimbabwe agreed at a meeting in…

The United States’ bid to isolate Zimbabwe hit a roadblock in 2007 when it tried to block the country from becoming Vice-President of the World Food Programme in 2007 but was thwarted by Latin American countries.

(62 VIEWS)

Econet was quick to launch its prepaid cellular service. The combination of this innovative product and the goodwill it had accumulated with the people of Zimbabwe over the five years of court battles for the license would take it to a position of market leadership in just three months, even though PTC’s cellular service (Net One) had been launched nearly two years earlier in September 1996.

(113 VIEWS)

Debate about Western sanctions on Zimbabwe has been raging on for nearly a decade. The main question has been whether they are targeted at individuals or at the country or…

The United States has allocated Zimbabwe a 2 131 tonne sugar quota for the current year, though Zimbabwe is still under US sanctions which were renewed for another year in March this year.

(75 VIEWS)

The dates for the High Court hearing of Econet’s appeal were set for September 18 and 19, 1997. After the hearing, Justice Sandura’s assistant informed the press that because of the huge amount of documents that needed to be studied, a decision would be made only by the end of the year.

(81 VIEWS)

Former Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith never forgave the British for bringing about majority rule in 1980. Up until his death he believed that blacks were incapable of thinking for…

Confusion still surrounds the number of undocumented Zimbabweans in South Africa. Some reports say there are about 1.2 million. One British peer yesterday put the figure at 500 000. But the guessing game will be over at the end of this month as South Africa will start deporting those staying in the country illegally if it sticks to its deadline.

(90 VIEWS)

Econet now presented a 100 page letter to the Government Tender Board (GTB), which was made up of senior civil servants and came under the Ministry of Finance, outlining its objections to the award of the license to Telecel.

(175 VIEWS)