According to Starlink’s website, the hardware will cost $350 with a $50 monthly subscription and Starlink mini for $200 and a $30 subscription. Unlike in other African countries where Starlink offers local currency pricing, customers in Zimbabwe will be charged in dollars. 

Starlink’s launch in Zimbabwe comes as the satellite internet service continues to make inroads into African countries despite regulatory troubles. In August, the company launched in Botswana—its sixth country in southern Africa.

In September 2023, Zimbabwe’s regulator the Postal & Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) announced that Starlink applied for a license. The regulator would later crack down on unregistered users smuggling in Starlink devices from neighbouring Zambia, warning that they were breaking the law.

In October 2023, some Zimbabwean legislators argued that Starlink’s operating license should be rejected because Musk’s other comapny, X, was being used to allegedly disparage the country’s leadership, including President Emerson Mnangagwa.

In May 2024, President Mnangagwa said the telco regulator approved the licence and a local company, IMC Communications, was appointed the official sole and exclusive reseller.

The misconduct allegations, filed by an anonymous complainant, made headlines earlier this week and reportedly led to several members of the company’s executive team threatening to resign.

One of the allegations was that Mupita  transferred responsibilities of MTN South Africa’s CEO to the unnamed executive.

The investigation found no evidence of improper conduct, and attempts to engage with the complainant were unsuccessful, MTN said in a statement on Friday.

“In its deliberations, the board accepted the report finding and is of the view that the matter has been addressed and is now closed. The board further expressed its full support for the Group Chief Executive Officer and the MTN strategy.”

The outcome of the investigation is a sigh of relief for Mupita who has come under fire over the favouritism allegations which raised serious questions about corporate governance at Africa’s biggest telco. On Tuesday, Mupita assured employees that MTN had governance processes in place to address their concerns.

Mupita also reportedly garnered the support of ten of the company’s 15  following the allegations.

Since 2021, MTN’s South Africa subsidiary has seen numerous high-ranking executives leave the company. These include CEOs Charles Molapisi, Godfrey Motsa, CTO Giovanni Chiarelli, chief strategy officer Marco Gagiano, chief sales and regional operations officer Phillip Besiimire, chief technology and information officer Michele Gamberini and chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer, Jacqui O’Sullivan.

There was a demonstration of a generative AI-powered dictation product which enables the virtually impaired to transform their spoken words into written words.

“Through the cloud-powered database, this product enables the virtually impaired to type and draw just like you and me,” the presenter tells the wide-eyed audience.

At the keynote stage, David Brown, vice president of AWS compute and networking, showed how Ghanaian health tech startup mPharma uses cloud computing to scale its inventory management solutions to hospitals. 

“Every modern business is a data business and cloud computing allows them to focus on using this data to build products without having to worry about the intricacies of how to manage it,” Brown tells the audience.

Capitec, South Africa’s largest bank by clients with over 22 million customers, has also deployed its robocall-detection product on AWS. The product informs customers whether they are talking to a legitimate Capitec staff or a potential fraudster. 

“So far we have analysed over 5 million calls which helps our customers stay safe and protected from potential fraud,” said Blessing Mgaga, Capitec’s division executive of retail client experience delivery.

Whether it is bringing medicines closer to homes, helping the virtually impaired write down their thoughts or tackling digital fraud, one thing is clear–cloud computing use cases in Africa are expansive. With AI taking the foray and enabling innovators to build even more products, cloud computing will play a vital role in providing the requisite compute power to bring the innovations to life.

“Startups whose only value proposition was an alternative to load shedding are seeing that they have to change their business models very quickly,” one investor who asked not to be named told TechCabal. 

On Facebook Marketplace, some customers are selling their backup solar power systems for 80% less than the original price, reflecting slowing demand as the national grid becomes more reliable. One customer listed their Growatt 5kW backup solar system, which retails around R35,000 ($2,000) for R6,000 ($337).

According to a report, between January and May 2024, rooftop solar panel installations climbed by 2.7% compared to 31% in the same period in 2023.

A kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity on the Eskom grid costs around R3.30 ($0.19), while a kWh of solar current costs around R2 ($0.11). 

While the cost of solar systems is projected to decrease by an average of 10% annually, Eskom tariffs are projected to rise by 44% in 2024, making the former a cheaper alternative for most households.

In July, Hohm Energy, a solar startup that raised an $8 million seed round, entered administration after struggling to meet debt obligations. 

Hohm Energy grew aggressively as load shedding peaked. However, when power cuts decreased in mid-2024, the company could not eliminate the sticky costs it had acquired to drive the growth of its solar offering.

Despite load shedding being a significant driver for adopting alternative energy sources, there are other factors like cheaper electricity tariffs and adopting cleaner energy sources. It means there are still opportunities for clean energy startups.

“We have actually grown at a faster rate after the high levels of load shedding because tariffs continue to increase by as much as double digits,” said Vincent Maposa, founder of Multichoice-backed Wetility “People are seeking ways to save especially in this tough macroeconomic environment.” 

Wetility’s software product allows customers to manage and monitor their power systems and usage remotely. 

“Although a decrease in load shedding has seen a decrease in solar system installations, people are still looking to get the most value for money because of inflation and other factors and that’s where Plentify comes in,” said Jon Kornik, the founder of Plentify, a load management platform.

Despite Eskom’s improving power generation capabilities, the national power company bleeds cash because of high debt and operating costs. It passes these costs to consumers in the form of higher tariffs. This means that although consumers will enjoy a better power supply, they will pay more. This will continue to provide a rationale for alternative energy startups.

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The hardware will cost P4,820 ($363), shipping for P314 ($24) and P688 ($52) for the monthly subscription. 

Starlink’s launch in Botswana comes after one year of engagements with the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA). The company submitted its licence application in early 2023 but got the licence in May 2024. Starlink’s application was rejected in February 2024 citing missing information, people familiar with the matter said. The regulator denied the claims.

In February 2024, BOCRA banned the use, sale and importation of Starlink kits in the country. In May, President Masisi met with a delegation of Starlink’s executives in Dallas, Texas and said he advised BOCRA to license the service.

In Botswana, Starlink enters an internet service provider market dominated by mobile network operators including BTC, Mascom Orange and other broadband internet providers including Nashua and OPQ.

Botswana is the sixth country in southern Africa to have Starlink after Zambia, eSwatini, Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar.

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In Indonesia, the company will not immediately pursue a banking license but will offer its lending product, Merchant Cash Advance, to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It used a similar strategy in Vietnam.

“We see a massive opportunity with good profit potential in the small business lending space in Indonesia and the region,” Tyme Group chair Coen Jonker told TechCabal. 

“We can also build our brand faster because it takes a lot more time and money to get a full banking license and infrastructure up and running.”

Founded in  2018 by Coenraad Jonker and Tjaart van der Walt, TymeBank focuses on low-income earners and SMEs.

Backed by Tencent, British International Investment, and Patrice Motsepe’s Africa Rainbow Capital (ARC), TymeBank has raised $316 million. It is currently raising a $150 million Series D round and plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange by 2028.

With over 60 million SMEs and limited access to traditional financing, Indonesia presents a market opportunity for TymeBank to grow its merchant lending business. It has disbursed $100 million to over 60,000 small businesses in South Africa.

The company’s Phillipines operations reported a 2.47 billion Philippine pesos ($42 million) loss in 2023, its first full year of operations. According to Jonker, the company aims to break even in 2025 and achieve full-year profitability in South Africa in 2024.

TymeBank will reach 10 million customers in South Africa and 5 million in the Philippines by October 2024. “In the Philippines, we have achieved half in two years of the total customer base that we achieved in South Africa over six years, so that is an amazing growth story,” Jonker said.

In the meantime, the Southeast Asia market’s combination of a friendly regulatory environment and expansive potential market has TymeBank focused on the region. In the future, the bank will not rule out an African expansion, with Jonker saying the move is a question of “when and not if.”

The company has also restricted intercountry ride requests to curb a trend which has mostly involved Bolt users in Nigeria and South Africa.

On Thursday, several accounts on the social platform X posted screenshots of the trend where a Bolt user in either Nigeria or South Africa would request a ride in one of the countries and then cancel it after the driver accepted. 

“We understand the impact this situation has had on our driver-partners in Nigeria and South Africa. We are committed to ensuring a safe, reliable, and secure experience for all members of our community,” said Yahaya Mohammed, Bolt’s country manager for Nigeria.

The trend is believed to have started from South Africans who made fake ride requests to prank Nigerian drivers and canceled the request when the driver arrived at the location. Nigerians, in retaliation, pranked South African drivers. Both countries have a history of online rivalry.

It is unclear what the motivations of the fake ride requests is beyond internet trolling. But it raises question about intercountry ride requests and how they can be misused by bad actors. For ride-hailing drivers, the trend is a nightmare.

“I drove from Cape Town to Stellenbosch to pick up a customer only to realise it was a fake request,” one Cape Town-based driver told TechCabal. “That’s almost 50km worth of fuel gone because of internet jokes.”

“This is inconsiderate to our plight. At a time that fuel is scarce and also expensive, no reasonable person should be doing this,” said one angry driver in Lagos.

As Bolt does not reimburse drivers for the fuel spent on cancelled rides, some have resorted to refusing long-distance requests until the situation is addressed by Bolt.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include more context to the trend and a quote from a ride-hailing driver in Lagos.

Headline inflation in July rose to 3.5%, in line with the bank’s target.

“We hope that this decision will assist to stimulate the economy,” Bank of Botswana governor Cornelius Dekop said at Thursday’s MPC meeting.

Botswana inflation is projected to slightly increase in the medium term but still stay within the bank’s 3-6% target. It is expected to average 3% in 2024.

By reducing the lending rate, the bank hopes to boost Botswana’s economy by encouraging lending. In July, the IMF announced that Botswana’s economic growth would be 1% in 2024, lower than an earlier projection of 3.6%. 

The slow economic growth has been driven by a sharp decline in diamond trading and mining activities which account for 80% of exports, one-third of fiscal revenues, and one-quarter of GDP.

Botswana’s diamond production was down 24% in H1 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year, according to a report by De Beers owner Anglo American.

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In 2019, Botswana introduced SmartBots, free WiFi routers in public spaces. Five years on, the project has scored significant wins, with over 1.6 million users. Internet penetration has also increased from 42% in 2019 to 77% in 2024, with the accessibility provided by SmartBots for low-income groups being a significant contributor.

SmartBots routers—placed in public facilities including clinics, schools, and dikgotla (traditional courtyards)—have speeds of up to 10Mbps. Over 1,100 public facilities have been fitted with SmartBots routers. On average, more than 130,000 users access the internet via SmartBots daily, and the government plans to connect more than 500 villages soon.

Botswana’s small and widely dispersed 2.4 million population makes providing telecommunications infrastructure expensive for telcos, which pass on the cost to consumers.

*Kago and *Tumelo, two 15-year-old Form 2 students, use SmartBots to access learning resources—that’s what they tell their parents. They spend most of their time watching football highlights on YouTube and scrolling TikTok. Nevertheless, before SmartBots, the youngsters would not have access to the World Wide Web as they do now.

“We are here every evening because the internet is free, there is no password, and it’s close to where we stay, so we can leave late in the evening,” Tumelo tells TechCabal. 

“Our biggest mission is to connect all the settlements in the country and then move to the concentrated but isolated farming areas,” said Pontsho Pusoitsile, permanent secretary at the ministry of communications, knowledge and technology.

The user base for SmartBots has grown over the years and is widely diverse, ranging from students to senior citizens. For the youth, the use cases for SmartBots include accessing social media, applying for job opportunities, downloading music series and even trading forex, which has again popularity among Botswana’s young population amidst rising unemployment levels.

21-year-old *Daniel arrives at the Tshwaragano Clinic SmartBots hotspot at around 5:30 pm after he leaves work. He is there at least four days a week and can stay until night surfing the internet. He uses the internet for social media, updating his phone software and pursuing his side hustle, forex trading.

”The free internet is helpful because I’m learning forex and my friends say with enough wits, I can make easy money,” Daniel told TechCabal.

However, SmartBots is not without its problems. The service uses a household-grade router, so its speed depends on the number of people on the network. Most users target off-peak times, typically mornings and evenings when the most ardent users, students are either in school or at home.

55-year-old *Mooketsi usually arrives at the Monarch kgotla SmartBots hotspot at around 7 pm when the student traffic starts to disperse. He uses the WiFi at least 3 days a week to download revision material for his 11-year-old daughter who is preparing for her Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE). 

“I want her to pass and eventually go to the University, so this revision material I downloaded will help her a lot,” he told TechCabal.

While SmartBots’ password-free Wi-Fi is a convenience, cybersecurity experts warn of the potential risks of using the open network. The lack of password protection raises concerns about user vulnerability to cyberattacks.

“If a malicious party accesses the router, they can easily hack users as the service does not use a password or any form of verification,” said Larona Olebile, a cybersecurity professional.

Officials at the Ministry of Communications, knowledge, and Technology did not immediately respond to questions about SmartBots’ cybersecurity concerns on SmartBots. However, users do not seem concerned about the security risks. Everything else is secondary as long as they can freely access the internet.

“Le rona re bata tshwana le bana ba malwapa a mangwe,” said one user. Loosely translated, it means “We too want to be connected like the rest of the world.”

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The company has entered business rescue, a process that helps financially distressed companies get help, and has laid off an undisclosed number of employees. Under South African law, business rescue lasts three months. Within that time, a business rescue practitioner must investigate the company’s affairs, convene a meeting of creditors, and advise on the company’s prospects.

“We are working with legal counsel to get a better understanding of a way forward, but Hohm is currently not trading,” Franc Gray, CEO of Hohm’s parent company, Spark Energy, told TechCabal.

CEO Tim Ohlsen left the company last week, people familiar with the matter said.

After Ohlsen’s resignation, managing director Ryan Steytler took over the company leadership and decided to put the business into business rescue. Gray alleges Steytler made the decision unilaterally and against shareholder advice.

Steytler and Ohlsen could not be reached for comments. 

Founded in 2021, Hohm Energy’s flagship product is a solar marketplace that lets customers digitally determine their solar energy requirements and access loans for rooftop solar installation. 

The platform also enabled solar installers to design, manage, and finance projects. As South Africa’s load shedding worsened, renewable energy alternatives like Hohm enjoyed more demand.

By February 2024, the company claimed to have generated over 17,000 custom solar rooftop designs worth $190M and $90M in financing applications to implement them. Ohlsen told TechCabal in February the company was on track to be profitable by the end of 2024.

Hohm rapidly increased its headcount in anticipation of growing demand for solar, said Bas Hochstenbach, managing partner of E4E Africa, one of Hohm’s investors.

However, as grid electricity improved in South Africa, Hohm’s business started to show the first signs of cracks. 

“Hohm had a lot of sticky costs and could not act quickly enough to restructure that cost base as revenue tapered off because of slowing demand for solar,” said Gray.

Hohm also had lax governance structures in its early days which impacted the efficiency of its operating model. It only formed a board in early 2024 ahead of its seed round, said one investor who asked not to be named so they could speak freely.

Gray also claimed there could have been more transparent reporting of the company’s health by Hohm’s management, which would have enabled Spark to offer sufficient help.

“At the moment, the goal is to create the best outcome for all parties concerned in a situation that is not ideal,” one investor said.

Parent company Spark plans to invest more money in the business after the rescue process, but under a new business model and management team. 

*Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article referred to Hohm’s parent company as Spark Energy Services. It has now been corrected to Spark Energy.