Yesterday, tengai.co.zw a new Zimbabwean e-commerce startup went live. The platform offers an online classifieds solution, much like what we have all gotten accustomed to when it comes to the benefits of such a service.
Unlike other online classifieds, Tengai has entered the market with free listings, a free SMS function for contacting anyone with a listing and more importantly, zero-rated access to its platform, for Econet broadband subscribers.
Thatās where all the noise started. Some readers argued that Tengai, though registered and fully operational as an entity that is not a subsidiary of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe or the Econet Group, has ties to the mobile operator and is leaning on this association in a way that violates net neutrality.
Some questioned this independence, largely because of the fact that Tengaiās team lead is listed as part of Econetās e-commerce division while the founder of Econet, Strive Masiyiwa, also has a stake in the startup. One reader, identifying herself/himself as Tapiwa wrote;
Itās not really āoutside of Econet wirelessā if tengai has overlapping ownership and management with Econet.
The arrangement seems very sketchy, especially since there are no explanations for the arrangements (it would be easily explained had it been a joint-venture with an established company like OLX)
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Someone called Pachena wrote;
EXACTLY ā what do they take us for? He was hired into Econetās E-COMMERCE division, launches an E-COMMERCE platform that gets preferential treatment form Econet, and is linked to the Econet founder ā but they wanna tell us its āindependent?ā They seem to be possessed by the Saith Technologies demon!
One reader called Tinman wrote;
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Another reader and local startup entrepreneur Raymond Swart wrote;
Who is James trying to fool, if he is involved in the project and is employed by Econet then it is related to Econet Zimbabwe and the Econet Group.
Did Econet & Classifieds.co.zw ever discuss a possible joint venture along these lines or is Econet just looking at whatās working out there and trying to own the whole pie? This is not the āWe want to work with startupsā attitude Econet claimed to have at the Broadband Forumā¦
Telecel/Netone/{Telone} how about you guys team up with classifieds.co.zw to make it zero rated and give Econet/tengai.co.zw a run???
The flurry of comments that accompanied the article on the Tengai launch carried strong opinions largely against this zero-rated advantage that this startup is carrying with the issue of an unfair playing field being brought up. Comparisons were also drawn with other mobile operators in other markets. Another startup entrepreneur, Clinton Mutambo expressed his disappointment with this comment;
Ray, Iāve never been as disappointed in these people or the entire ZimbabweAN ecosystem as I am today. They fool people but in truth, they are trying to carve up the nation using the same tactics the politicians use. Zanu PF and Msasa, in my opinion are one and the same thing. While Strive Masiyiwa is busy āinspiringā young people on social media, they do the exact opposite as a collective. Iām personally not happy with this. Like you, I have the courage to use my real name & identity in saying so. Zimbabwe is broken as a nation, we are all looking out for ourselves and the more we do it, the more damage we inflict. Itās a rot.
This is cronyism. This could very well be corruption. Econet is a listed company, they hire some guy. Who funds it all? Now itās a private projectā¦ But itās not. We are told of trusts and all other elaborate rubbish to hide.
My opinion on Zero rating is that it seeks to enforce the barriers that the internet defeated. Before, you needed an unfair advantage such as corruption, nepotism, race, tribe etc. The internet gave us all hope. But some evil elements who hide behind trusts want to destroy the only lifeline that young people have.
I gave up on the āreal worldā a few years ago because I believed and still believe that the internet is the only real equaliser in this world. Actions like this are really sad. Especially the very cowardly action of trying to sway public opinion by commenting behind a veil.
I blame us as an ecosystem. For every evil that is committed, we sulk and just complain. So the villain becomes more daring. Itās the same thing with politics isnāt it. They want everything for themselves.
What has happened today is unprecedented, even the controversial folk at Rocket Internet have a clear understanding with MTN & TIGO: NO ZERO RATING. The lie you are told about needing to give people a taste of the internet is rubbish. If thatās true then zero rate all local content. Market forces solve all, including data and consumption.
These people have not made any investment in the local ecosystem. In fact theyāve done nothing but look out for their own interests. While MTN, Safaricom, TIGO, Vodacom and others invest ā they only care about themselves.
This is sad.
The general sentiment from the comments against this arrangement (not all of them were negative by the way, there were many comments passed praising the overall look and function of Tengai) is that net neutrality is being violated by this Tengai/Econet arrangement.
What are your own thoughts on this issue? Is there any violation or is TengaiĀ merely taking advantage of Ā a relationship that exists in business?
