ZIM DATA PRICE INCREASE: I am on holiday – Minister Mandiwanzira

ICT minister Supa Mandiwanzira says he is currently on holiday and will get to the bottom of the shocking data price increases by some service providers on Wednesday.

Subscribers to the country’s largest service provider Econet woke up to an increase of up to 2,500% off a dollar for a megabyte of data. Telecel was advertising a Happy Day bundle of $1 for 150MB valid for 24 hours with $2 set getting you twice that amount.

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The actions come on the back of an announcement by the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe that it was introducing a ‘floor’ price for all data and voice calls.

On Twitter Mandiwanzira said:

#DataCost. Seen your Qs. I'm on leave until Jan 30 & out of the country since Boxing Day. On return to work, I will get to the bottom of it.
— Supa Mandiwanzira (@SupaCollinsM) January 11, 2017

Mandiwanzira will probably have an active interest in what is going on given he has made technological innovation the main focus of the legacy of his tenure as minister. An expensive data regime will put paid to that, Not to mention that section of ZimASSET that says tech innovation is important to the growth of Zimbabwe’s economy.

Of course there is an acting minister in place but he has been eerily quiet throughout this.