“…we will revoke their licences”
By Langton Ncube| Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security minister Supa Mandiwanzira has threatened to withdraw licences of internet providing companies which caused the Tuesday internet blackout.
Mandiwanzira said the internet black out which occured on Tuesday had cost the country millions of dollars in lost revenue.
The minister threatened to revoke the licences of the telecommunications which supply internet if they were to be found on the wrong side.
“I had a meeting with the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) director-general (Gift Machengete) to discuss the situation,” Mandiwanzira told NewsDay.
“We have agreed that Potraz will look into it and see what really happened. They are now going to make sure that service delivery is at the top all the time and find out what really happened and why did the redundancy services not come into play,”he said.
The country suffered an internet blackout from approximately, 11:30 hours to 17: 15 hours after a fibre outage occurred on Liquid Telecoms Zimbabwe’s main fibre line close to Beitbridge Border Post. Liquid’s main fibre line was reportedly cut by a tractor on the South African side.
Mandiwanzira said he was told that a tractor accidentally cut one of Liquid Telecoms’ main fibre lines in South Africa while Harare City Council workers accidentally cut one of Telone’s main fibre lines in Kuwadzana.
“This should not happen, there should be redundancy plans in place and I wonder why these did not kick in. If we find that these companies were not truthful with us, we will revoke their licences,”he said.
8 Replies to “Mandiwanzira Threatens To Withdraw Internet Licences”
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Minister should stop these unnecessary threats because we have lived for many years with these kind of threats from the Mugabe regime. If you revoke their licences then what? Where are you going to get another operator who will bring in their equipment and have it running within a short period of time? Emotional intelligence is required for some of our ministers who still believe that making threats will work out for them. Threats do not work Mr. Minister but constructive dialogue does. Liquid is a private company and it has invested a lot of money into fibre optic technology without any assistance from government.
You talk of revocation of Internet licences as if they are just granted for free. Is it not that that these operators paid for these licences through their noses? Let us use our heads not emotions to think Sir. Your Potraz is collecting a lot of money from these operators but there is nothing that is ploughed into network development. Can Potraz tell the nation how much money they collect from these operators annually. This is why we have always said that we need someone who has an IT/Telecomms background in this ministry not these news readers we have. Mr. President please give us people who know their portfolios very well not these guys who just loot from organisations under their purview. Minister’s record is very tainted with corrupt practices.
After revocation of licences then what!? Don’t just be emotional and suspend all senses. What was to be gained if it was intentional?
Arrogant fart.
i suspect some form of sabotage , cant have two accidents of the same nature at the same time .
Do you have black currency in form of Dollars, Pounds or Euros or any other currency? ……
Threats ! Threats and more threats! Its all they know and i doubt they will change that way of doing things.
This is what characterised the Mugabe era…..threats, threats and threats!! What for? Can’t you be nice with business ?? They too have lost revenue can’t you get it!!
Mandiwanza pliz stop it with your threats what have you ever done besides threatening businesses hope you are working on your project for presentation next week in cabinet KKKK