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ISSUE NO 64 NEWS ROUND-UP & SNIPPETS

ZIMBABWE’S MDC CRITICISE LACK OF TRANSPARENT TENDERING ON LUPEPE DEAL

The Movement for Democratic Change has criticised Zimbabwe’s government for letting contracts "without any transpareny" to those connected to the ZANU-PF party. Vice President Simon Muzenda had to intervene last week to give the go-ahead to a US$3 billion contract for a fibre optic transmission project between Bulawayo businessman Delma Lupepe and the state-run Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (PTC), it was established this week. Lupepe is understood to have sought the support of "political heavyweights" when he felt that the PTC was inordinately delaying the approval of the project which he proposed to the corporation last year.

But telecoms industry experts questioned Muzenda’s involvement because, they said, the contract between the PTC’s Tel-One and Lupepe’s Zimbabwe Express (Zimex) had not gone through tender. Apparently senior PTC officials were also unhappy with the government’s failure to put the project to tender.

One source said: "The Tel-One bosses were pressured to sign the deal with Zimex. We believe political connections resulted in the Bulawayo firm getting the chance to invest in the sector."Under the agreement signed last week between Lupepe and Sizo Mhlanga, the acting Tel-One boss, the Bulawayo businessman’s Zimex will build, operate and later transfer to the government the $3 billion optical fibre transmission link between Bulawayo, Beitbridge, Plumtree, Mutare and Harare.

Tel-One is the new name of the PTC’s mobile and fixed phone line company under an unbundling exercise, now in progress, which will see the splitting of the corporation into several other firms.Tel-One’s Mhlanga this week refused to discuss the Zimex optical fibre transmission project, saying he was too busy attending meetings.Lupepe however charged that some Zimbabwean telecoms companies had lobbied heavily against his proposal, triggering the delays in its approval by the PTC.Industry sources said the deal was only approved by the parastatal’s management after Muzenda and Communications Minister Swithun Mombeshora intervened.

(source: Financial Gazette )

BILL FOR CELLPHONE BUGGING APPROVED

South African Government spokesman, Joel Netshitenzhe, says Cabinet has approved far-reaching legislation that will allow the bugging of cellular telephones, despite concerns from service providers about cost implications.

http://commtech.b2bafrica.com/industry_news/393346.htm

UUNET BOTSWANA OPENS VSAT LINK

UUNET Botswana has gone live with its VSAT (very small apperture terminal) Satellite dish as of 1 June 2001.The dish is fully managed and owned by UUNET and will increase the speed and quality of internet bandwidth and services into Botswana.UUNET identified the potential of the Internet market in Botswana and has invested over million rand in the development and implementation of its VSAT dish.Additionally, to ensure that no errors occur on the link, UUNET invested a month in the testing, alignment and registering of the frequency of the dish prior to going live.

Further offerings are planned for Africa within this year, as it intends to roll-out similar VSAT services into Zambia in July 2001, as it believes that the wireless market offers enormous potential for Africa.

(source: http://www.uunet.co.za )

FREEPLAY’S NEW COMPANY OFFERS REFURBISHED COMPUTERS AT LOW COST

A new computer company is intent on bridging the digital divide by offering refurbished computers to lower and middle income groups at what it claims will be a fraction of the usual cost. FreeCom was developed from the Freeplay Energy Group, the company that revolutionised the self-powered radio and torch industry. FreeCom’s managing director Rob Packham said at the company’s official opening that it expected to produce between 25,000 and 30,000 computers this year.

(source: http://allafrica.com/search.html?string=%22digital+divide%22 via Digital Divide list)

MIKE JENSEN’S STATUS OF THE INTERNET IN AFRICA - MAY 2001 UPDATE

Mike Jensen’s report on current Internet connectivity in Africa lays out the available facts. He also provides commentary on the difficulty of obtaining facts with accuracy. The report is not confined to current connectivity, but looks at policy and future plans to increase and improve Internet access throughout Africa. (source: http://www.demiurge.wn.apc.org/africa/afstat.htm )

SENEGALESE PRESIDENT ANSWERS QUESTIONS LIVE ON THE WEB

Me Abdoulaye Wade, the President of Senegal, will answer questions live from 5 to 6 pm gmt, Saturday 23 June a few days before his official visit to France. This is an RFI project with Metissacana and Canalchat as partners. You can enter this live chat from Metissacana’s homepage www.metissacana.sn (link Me Wade Chat). Me Abdoulaye Wade is believed to be the first African State President to participate in a live chat on the web. The themes to be covered will include: the franco-senegalais relationship, the crisis in West Africa, Senegal’s role in the African Union and democracy in Sengal and more generally in Africa.

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