Online Reporter
Mthabisi Tshuma and Ivan Zhakata in Mawabeni, Esigodini
GOVERNMENT has commissioned the country’s second digital centre in Mawabeni, Matabeleland South, a development hailed as a major step in bridging the country’s rural-urban digital divide.
On Wednesday, the first Digital Centre at Tshelanyemba in Maphisa was commissioned.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera said the centre signified the Government’s commitment to inclusive digital transformation.
“It is a privilege to stand here with you today as we witness another historic step in Zimbabwe’s digital journey.
“Yesterday, in Tshelanyemba, we turned a page by opening the first Digital Centre under our new national brand. Today, in Mawabeni, we are writing the next chapter,” said Minister Mavetera.
She said the digital centre would provide farmers, students, traders, artisans and youth in rural Matabeleland South with the same opportunities as their urban counterparts.
“For the young learner, it is a library without walls. For the farmer, it is a market gate.
“For the entrepreneur, it is a showroom. For the family, it is a service desk,” she said.
The facilities, previously known as Community Information Centres, have been rebranded as Digital Centres to reflect their expanded role in integrating technology into learning, agriculture, healthcare, trade and governance.
Minister Mavetera said the initiative was in line with President Mnangagwa’s pledge that “no one and no place will be left behind” in the march towards Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy.
She said there were national programmes linked to the centres, including the Digital Skills Ambassadors initiative, which will see young people trained in digital literacy and deployed to communities.
“Next week, nominees for Digital Skills Ambassadors from Matabeleland South will receive training and certification in Bulawayo,” she said.
Other initiatives include the 1.5 Million Coders Programme, aimed at nurturing a new generation of software developers and digital entrepreneurs.
Minister Mavetera commended the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) and other partners for supporting the roll-out, while challenging the Mawabeni community to fully utilise the centre.
“Do not let it gather dust—let it shine as a beacon of opportunity,” she said.
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Bongani Ndlovu