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Zimbabwe Intensifies Crackdown On Starlink Traders

1 year agoFri, 26 Jan 2024 14:59:42 GMT

Zimbabwe Intensifies Crackdown On Starlink Traders

Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) director-general Gift Machengete has warned companies illegally advertising and distributing internet services and gadgets from Starlink, which is not licenced to operate in Zimbabwe, that they will be prosecuted.

There has been an increase in the number of local businesses promoting Starlink on social media platforms, particularly Facebook.

Speaking in an interview with The Herald, Machengete revealed that an illegal commercial courier, Macrotop Zim (Pvt) Ltd based in Msasa, was arrested recently after the company was caught delivering Starlink kits to customers.

The company has reportedly been delivering the parcels to customers after the production of proof of payment at its headquarters in Harare CBD.

POTRAZ confiscated two customer receipts after being produced as proof of payment to collect parcels.

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The company was reportedly found with items labelled with the customers’ names and Zimbabwean contact telephone numbers.

Machengete said the parcels were ordered from China and destined for delivery in Zimbabwe. He said:

Either customers come personally to collect, or the parcels are delivered to their doorstep.
Paperwork is set to be done on Monday in preparation for a court appearance. Because the parcels were far too many, we seized only 10 parcels which we took to ZRP Licence Inspectorate.
We also took their health licence, and on Monday they are required to produce all the company documents at the police station.
We are now planning to come up with our POTRAZ seal which we will use to seal such premises when they have too many parcels for us to confiscate.
These traders who were selling Starlink products broke the law and they were arrested and they will be prosecuted because they did something that is against the law.
If you bring Starlink equipment here, you have not been authorised by Potraz as per the law.
If you are found with it you will be arrested. Starlink or any other satellite company is allowed to operate in Zimbabwe provided they are licenced.
You need a licence to operate in the telecommunications sector and that is the law.
We are waiting for Starlink to submit the relevant information that is required by the regulator.

Zimbabweans are increasingly eager to ditch local internet service providers for Starlink due to their poor service and high cost of data packages.

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26 Comments

Anonymous · 1 year ago

Truth is starlink works!! Very well!! And considering that you buy data from Econet let's say $20 per month. But you can't do anything on that data. It expires before you finish it. Or you are forced to use it for things you don't want just to finish the data. Also if zanupf wants to censor internet. They can shut down potraz anytime they want.. With starlink once you buy the equipment. Yes it's expensive!! $700-$1000 !! But once you get it . What ever package you pay for you get!!! In full!! And fast speeds!! 10× faster than and local service provider. Zimbabweans we are tired of paying for service that we don't get. Econet and them be advertising speed of 100mbs !! But you will never get that. We are the most expensive country for internet in the entire!! Sadc region!! Yet we are one of the most impoverished countries!! Zambia Wich is also land locked has fast cheap internet. Yet they have already approved starlink!! Zim government is a bunch of blood sucking ****s!! They won't allow starlink because they would have to sacrifice their control over the information the Zimbabweans can access. And also starlink is refusing to bribe them to get a licence!! So they hate that obviously!! Lol

Anonymous · 1 year ago

Best is for every star link kit coming better charge sthing than resist us. This tech is so powerful that it will take potraz and ditch it very far near extinction. VaMachengete fungai zviri nani zvekuita than resist imi muine star link mumba menyu

Observer · 1 year ago

I remember back in the late 90s PTC /ZBC filed a lawsuit against citizens who posessed satellite dishes and where accessing DSTv . They wanted the subscribers to pay ZBC. Subscribers won the lawsuit (obviously). It seems POTRAZ is lagging behind the tech race , they should just expedite Starlink authorization instead of focusing on legal deterrents. Starlink avails the advantage of tech innovation. Why derail progress & development? Cry my beloved country!

Consumer · 1 year ago

Because potraz is a bunch of stu_pid useless people who have the power to abuse the people's rights.

Anonymous · 1 year ago

Not enough been put in the pocket yet to allow a licence.

Buy4Zim · 1 year ago

Chimero too much. A StarLink dish does not have to be permanently fixed to the wall so how do they find out that you have one? Sellouts galore. Nxaa!

.... · 1 year ago

Chihurumende chembavha chihurumende chezanu, chihurumende chehudzvanyiriri. Kana makasarudzwa nevanhu Itai zvido zvevanhu. Vanhu vanoda internet inoshanda zvakanaka uye yavanokwanisa kubhadhara. Netone inove company yehurumende haisi kukwanisa kupa vanhu internet inoshanda zvakanaka saka munoda kuti vanhu vaite sei? Vogara murima here ? Itai zvido zvevanhu imi **** imi

Ndini · 1 year ago

You can Will never win war with Elon musk

Anonymous · 1 year ago

Elon will take over sooner or later, these ISPs are all Kak

🚩 · 1 year ago

Roaming is not illegally, I can roam in South Africa with econet, just the same with starlink it operates in Zambia, in Zimbabwe, it would just be roaming. By banning Starlink, Zimbabwe is just inviting under the radar internet service providers.

Muzeketwa · 1 year ago

on roaming you use a local internet provider. yo land in Zimbabwe with a t mobile contract. The phone automatically connect to netone. Netone provides data . Charges your T Mobile. T Mobile then Bill you in currency yekwawabva. This one provides internet through satellite. You pay provider outside zim. Zim gets nothing. In simple terms. Poaching customers

skun · 1 year ago

hapana chavari kuwana from starlink that's the problem...he must just send an email to Elon and tell him his product to be used abcd zvopera izvo..tosiwa be technology just coz one dhara rakatsamwa becoz harina kupihwa Ka something nxaaa..

Cecil John Rhodes · 1 year ago

@mampentsa Starlink is kit that allows one to get connected to the internet. Some are saying it's cheap to use it than all ISP. Because you are like me ISP is short for Internet Service Provider. If government is arresting people over the kits then it's true that it is good. Government does not want the poor to enjoy quality services

Anonymous · 1 year ago

Starlink is for the poor ? When it costs $1000+ in the black market at $55 a month ? Lol you have a funny definition of poor

Kaiser Sozés · 1 year ago

stone age primitive thinking, fighting time when the whole world is moving forward, times have changed you can no longer control what people hear or see like you used to KUDHARA IKOKO!

mampentsha · 1 year ago

.... Ivo vanamakuruwani mudzimba dzavo nanayo starlink whatever yacho iyoyo!

kkk · 1 year ago

zvazara ghetto redu more than eight ma star link

mampentsha · 1 year ago

I belong to 'yesterday'. would you kindly explain to me what starlink is, it's data charging regime and so on .. . I would love to have one especially given that they are fighting it coz it means it works.

Gook · 1 year ago

vanhu vatema hamuna njere . Muna 1982 varungu vakaenda ku court vachipikisana ne PTC yaida kuvarambidza ma satellite dish PtC ikaruza ndasaka tese tave ne ma DStv decoders. zvino zvmakafzinga varungu muchaita sei?