Zimbabwean villagers climb mountains to make phone calls

Villagers in Nekavandama, Ward 12 of Hwange District, are enduring extreme hardships to access mobile phone network coverage, often scaling mountains and climbing trees in areas infested with wild animals just to make a call.

Despite Zimbabwe attaining independence 45 years ago, residents say they remain digitally disconnected from the rest of the world.

Speaking to Southern Eye, Ward 12 councillor Jowani Chuma said the lack of mobile network infrastructure in the area has had far-reaching consequences, including the flight of essential government personnel such as teachers, which is compromising education delivery.

"We are losing a lot of critical staff here to other areas with better network connectivity," Chuma said. "We have three local schools and every term, we have teachers transferring to other schools with better infrastructure, which is a loss to our learners as the situation leads to poor pass rates."

He said even school heads are forced to climb hills to maintain communication with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.

"The situation is dire - even accessing instructions from the ministry becomes a struggle. Everyone, including myself, has to scale dangerous terrain just to receive official communication," Chuma added.

Villagers also lament the dangers posed by wild animals such as elephants, which roam the mountainous terrain where phone signals can be found. They say the risk is particularly high at night, and women are often unable to attempt the climb due to safety concerns.

"If I do not climb the mountain, I can miss important notices like council meetings," Chuma said. "Only a few brave men can go there during the evening."

Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Lovemore Moyo, weighed in on the issue, describing the situation as "disheartening" and urging mobile network service providers to urgently upgrade infrastructure in rural Matabeleland.

"It must be noted that it is not peculiar to the Hangwe area, but it affects other parts of the region," Moyo said. "The absence of a reliable network is retrogressive and affects businesses within the vicinity, especially the tourism sector."

He said similar challenges are faced in northern parts of Matobo District, where residents also resort to climbing trees and rocky outcrops, often risking snake bites, to connect to the network.

"We feel hard done and abandoned by service providers," Moyo said. "Obviously, the availability of good communication networks will certainly aid development in any given location."

Villagers and leaders alike are calling on network operators and the government to prioritise digital connectivity as a key pillar of development, especially in marginalised and rural communities.