Technikari - a Techzim podcast

The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) recently released its sector performance report for Q3 2021 and yet again data is king in the country with usage continuing on the up because of the pandemic. However in saying that, the quality of data has been iffy for a very long time because there are more of us who are using base stations that might be at capacity. We talked about the state of data in Zimbabwe and how the government can make it easier for mobile network operators, who are suffering losses, to be able to meet the demand for mobile internet services.

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Buying a second-hand car in Zimbabwe is a game of Russian roulette because good looking cars are sometimes on their last legs and the bad ones... well... We took a dive into the second-hand car market on Facebook, car sales and imports, and the different buying habits of the various tax brackets. Additionally, we looked at preserving value for your safety and to sell on as well as how ZUPCO pretty much forced us all to need a car.

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Today I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Michael Sibanda or I am sure most of you would know him by his TikTok handle @PabloZW1. He is one of the funniest guys online and it's no surprise that he has garnered 23.5K followers on TikTok since his first post in August.

Check out his social media with handles below:

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The e-passport rollout is so confusing. When should we start applying for them? What about those who got regular passports recently? Why should we have to pay at CBZ and then at the Passport office? Is this another one of those things that is only being done because we are getting into election season? If the government was struggling with conventional passports do we have the materials and suppliers to meet the tsunami applications for these new and complicated e-passports?

We tried to make sense of these questions and more...

You should also check out:

https://www.techzim.co.zw/2021/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-zims-new-e-passport/

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Owning a car in Zim is a bit of an extreme sport. There are no easy breaks because importing one can be a nightmare and getting one locally comes at a ridiculous premium. After getting your car you'll have to contend with the cost of that first service. This can be a pleasurable experience if the previous owner met all the service intervals or a money pit if they treated the car like a disposable asset.

Once on the road, you'll have to contend with mushikashikas and Honda Fit drivers who think the road belongs to them. These specimens usually create lanes where none exist as if everyone who is in the traffic jam is somehow stupid. The only reason traffic is backed up is because road infrastructure was not developed to remain in step with the influx of vehicles. Furthermore, we have a near non-existent public transport system meaning that the only way to consistently get from A to B is by saving up and getting an Ex-Jap.

On top of all of that, the roads themselves are so poorly maintained that everyone looks like they are warming their tires readying themselves for the F1 safety car to go back into the pits.

We had a conversation about these topics and more with some prices and the likes on buying a "new to you" car, the cost to maintain it and even more pain points about owning a car in Zim.

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Early last week we reviewed a US-based local startup called Imets. The company moved into the diaspora grocery remittance space and is akin to Instacart which basically means that you can shop through the isles of OK Zimbabwe, Spar and other local stores, in the diaspora, for your loved ones back home. Or if you are local looking to save time you can shop through the stores you know from the comfort of your home In either case, the groceries will be delivered.

I had the pleasure of talking to Milton Shonai, the co-founder of Imets to know more about the startup as well as ask about:

You can download Imets for yourself with the links below:

Also, check out our review of the app and service with the link below:

https://www.techzim.co.zw/2021/11/imets-is-zimbabwes-version-of-instacart-and-more/

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Remittances or money transfers are big business these days, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were projections in early 2020 that forecasted a dip in remittances but the opposite was the case as saw last year Zimbabweans in the diaspora sent back US$1 billion which was a record sum.

2021 looks to be picking up where 2020 left off because according to the Mid Term Monetary Policy Statement remittances or money transfers to Zimbabwe were up 73% from the figure recorded during the same period in 2020. To find out more about the space we are joined by Matt Coquillon the founder of Mama Money.

We discussed the origins and motivations of the company as well as Mama Money's longstanding relationship with Zimbabweans in the diaspora.

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We held a Twitter Space breaking down a study that was done by The Zimbabwe Blockchain Technology Think Tank called "Towards Virtual Asset Regulation and Adoption of Blockchain Technology in Zimbabwe's Context".

The think tank itself comprised of

We were joined on the Space by members of The Zimbabwe Blockchain Technology Think Tank to discuss the study as well as go over the regulatory landscape, pain points for value preservation and entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe. Here is a recording of the space for all those who weren't able to be part of it as it happened.

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Shelter or accommodation is one of those things that bring about anxiety. This could be in an existing property or if you are looking at moving to a new one. We have spoken at length about the local financial system, highlighting the quirks and deficiencies that are presently plaguing Zimbabweans. However, it's often easy to forget that the property market, be it residential or commercial, gets caught up in the ripples emanating from Zimbabwe's economic situation.

https://www.propertybook.co.zw/

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Earlier this year Shumba Money, a local remittance or money transfer startup, announced that it would be slashing fees for transactions to Zimbabwe. This wasn't something out of the ordinary because we had seen something similar from Senditoo last year. However, Shumba Money is a relatively young player in the game and we were curious about why/how they were able to do this.

To answer this question and to get to know more about the business, we spoke to Shumba Money's founder, Andrew Dauramanzi.

If you are looking to buy ZESA Tokens, airtime, NetOne data bundles with money in your EcoCash wallet and more. Dail *405#.

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