In the latest development regarding the recently suspended mobile data tariff increases, Econet Wireless has published a statement on its Facebook pagedefending its actions, pointing out how it reversed the data tariffs increase on its own and accusing Supa Mandiwanzira, Zimbabwe’s Minister of ICT, of duplicity and misleading actions aimed at discrediting the mobile operator.

In its statement, Econet Wireless says that its board gave the directive to reverse the data tariff increases on the 12th of January 2017. Part of the statement reads,

On 12 January 2017, when it became clear that an exercise that was driven by the Regulator with the full knowledge and participation of The Minister and that we thought would contribute towards leveling the playing field was in fact a farce and a setup intended by the Minister and our competitors who are under the Minister’s control to portray the new Director General of POTRAZ in a bad light and to portray Econet as a gluttonous and insensitive to the public our Board directed us to reverse the data tariff increases. We wrote and delivered a letter to POTRAZ on 12 January 2017 in which we indicated that we would revert to our old tariffs if the regulator did not ensure that all the operators complied with its regulatory notice by end of day 12 January 2017.

The statement goes on to state that Supa Mandiwanzira’s statement issued on the 12th of January 2017 claiming that he had reversed the tariffs was false. Econet has accused Mandiwanzira of duplicity and reversing the gains made in telecoms ever since his appointment. – Techzim