Lupane District in Matabeleland North is on the verge of a major digital breakthrough, with fibre optic connectivity expected to reach the area by the end of the year.

The project, being spearheaded by TelOne, forms part of a nationwide programme to strengthen Zimbabwe’s digital infrastructure and connect remote areas to high-speed internet.

According to TelOne managing director, Engineer Lawrence Nkala, the company has already laid about 150 kilometres of fibre along the Bulawayo–Lupane route.

“We have now reached Lupane and plan to light up the district and surrounding communities soon,” Nkala said. “Our goal is to complete the remaining stretch to Victoria Falls as we mobilise more resources. This link is vital because it connects Bulawayo to the tourism capital and extends further into Zambia and Namibia. We are confident that by year-end, Lupane will be online.”

The Bulawayo, Lupane, Victoria Falls fibre link is part of a USD15 million investment, with more than USD3 million already used on trenching and cable laying. Once complete, the network will deliver internet speeds of up to 800 gigabits per second, among the highest in the country.

The initiative is expected to unlock new economic and social opportunities for the region, particularly in business, education, and communication.

“Fast and reliable internet will boost e-commerce and improve business efficiency. Transactions will be smoother, and network disruptions will be a thing of the past,” said one local resident.

Another community member added: “Access to affordable high-speed internet will transform education here. Learners will benefit from e-learning just like their counterparts in cities, and that could improve pass rates.”

The development also complements Zimbabwe’s recently launched National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2026–2030), which aims to shift the country towards a knowledge-based economy, promote cultural values rooted in Unhu/Ubuntu, and use AI to bridge development gaps between urban and rural areas.

Once complete, the fibre project is expected to position Lupane as a key digital hub in Matabeleland North and further cement its role as the provincial capital.

Abel Karowangoro, recently in Beijing, China 

The media plays a vital role in shaping national identity, promoting culture, and recording history. China stands out as a country that has used its media systems not only as a channel for information dissemination but also as a tool for nation-building.

Zimbabwe can draw valuable lessons from China’s model to strengthen its own media landscape and ensure that the nation’s story is told by its own people.

China’s media landscape operates through a well-organised four-tier system that integrates communication across national, provincial, municipal, and local levels. At the national level, major outlets such as the Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television (CCTV) function as the authoritative voices of the state, disseminating government policies, cultural values, and national achievements to both domestic and international audiences.

Provincial and municipal media serve as bridges between the central government and regional communities, focusing on local development, economic initiatives, and the distinctive characteristics of each province, while maintaining alignment with national objectives.

At the grassroots, local and community media outlets capture the everyday lives of citizens, safeguarding local traditions, dialects, and cultural practices that contribute to China’s diverse social fabric.

Collectively, this tiered structure ensures that communication flows effectively from the centre to the periphery, allowing every segment of society to be represented.

Through print, broadcast, and digital platforms, China’s media system not only fosters internal cohesion but also enhances the nation’s image on the global stage by promoting its culture, values, and developmental narrative.

Lessons for Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, too, has a rich history, vibrant culture, and abundant natural resources.

However, the local media often focuses on political contestation and conflict rather than nation-building. This imbalance can weaken the collective identity and overshadow the country’s achievements and heritage.

Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said Zimbabwe needs to embrace communication development across all sectors.

“Media should not only inform but also educate, empower, and inspire pride in being Zimbabwean,” He said.

Our ancestors built a legacy of resilience, innovation, and cultural depth, from the Great Zimbabwe civilisation to the liberation struggle.

“It is the responsibility of today’s media to preserve and promote these stories.

If we do not write our own history, others will write it for us and often from perspectives that do not reflect our true identity.”

Sharpening Skills and Building Home-Grown Media Capacity

During an engagement by Professor Cheng from Communication University of China, he emphasised that developing countries must embrace home-grown media applications and technologies in order to encourage effective communication.

He noted that while the process may be difficult at first, persistence and innovation will lead to growth.

“That’s how China’s media started,” he said, encouraging nations like Zimbabwe to develop their own communication systems step by step.

Echoing this sentiment, Professor Wang Yao urged developing countries to come up with innovative ways of writing their stories, focusing on cultural exchange and local content development in every sector that forms the backbone of the nation.

Professor Cheng’s and Professor Wang’s words are a reminder that media development is not just about technology; it’s about sharpening skills, media skills, and mastering the art of information dissemination.

True communication is not about creating passive viewers or followers, but about ensuring that users actively comprehend and engage with the information shared.

It’s about communicating seasoned, well-researched, and meaningful information that builds trust and understanding.

China Champions Cross-Continental Media Collaboration

The theoretical framework provided by Chinese academics is powerfully reinforced by concrete government-led action.

Beijing recently became a hub of cross-continental dialogue as the Chinese government hosted the Seminar on Regional Online Media for Belt and Road Countries.

Organised by the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) and executed with the China Broadcasting International Cooperation (CBIC), the event drew thirty-two media professionals from Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries, including a delegation of 9 media professionals from Zimbabwe.

Throughout the 14-day seminar, participants engaged in vibrant discussions and shared their diverse voices and experiences.

A key highlight was a study tour to state-of-the-art institutions that have embraced cutting-edge technology in media production, providing the delegates with invaluable, hands-on insight into the future of the industry.

Ms Zhou Jinhong, Director-General of the International Cooperation Department at NRTA, set a visionary tone.

“All we come from different countries and different regions, but we are united by the BRI,” she declared, framing the seminar as a platform for deepening audiovisual and broadcast ties.

She highlighted initiatives like the China-Africa Broadcast and Audiovisual Cooperation Innovation Program, designed to co-create content that resonates across borders.

Acknowledging the challenges of the digital age, Ms Zhou said, “new tech, artificial intelligence, and big data are increasingly posing challenges to media… We are waiting to learn to communicate and share experiences.”

Her call for depth learning and investment in skills was a direct invitation for collaboration.

Mr Xiong Zhihui, Chairman of CBIC, underscored this mission.

“The aim is to build important platforms, sharing experiences—countries have accumulated various experiences,” he said.

He outlined practical platforms for capacity building, merging traditional and new media, and invited professionals to help with skills transfer, emphasising that “the future of the media is in this between countries.”

This high-level seminar is a clear signal: China is ready for collaboration. It is actively creating frameworks and pouring resources into helping developing nations, like Zimbabwe, build resilient, modern media ecosystems.

The focus is on a two-way exchange, fostering a media future rooted in mutual benefit and shared prosperity.

Strengthening Community Media

For Zimbabwe, the path forward is clear. We must actively engage with these opportunities for cooperation while fiercely nurturing our own talent and content. It is imperative that Zimbabwe utilises these platforms to speak its local richness.

This is not a task solely for major state-owned institutions like Zimpapers and ZBC; it is a responsibility for all media institutions. It is their right and their duty to write the nation’s story.

Community radios, online startups, and independent production houses have a crucial role to play in telling the Zimbabwean story.

Each region, be it Matabeleland, Manicaland, Masvingo, or Mashonaland, has unique traditions, languages, and histories that deserve recognition. By focusing on local heritage, all media can help preserve culture while contributing to national unity.

Moreover, the media should highlight developmental initiatives, innovations, and cultural events that uplift communities. Positive storytelling does not mean ignoring challenges; it means balancing criticism with constructive dialogue and celebrating progress.

China’s success in building a powerful media system that reflects its culture and history offers important lessons for Zimbabwe. More importantly, China has demonstrated a genuine commitment to sharing this expertise through concrete platforms for cooperation.

A strong, independent, yet patriotic media can be the foundation of national pride and unity.

Zimbabwe’s journalists, broadcasters, and writers must now take up the responsibility to tell the nation’s story truthfully and positively, leveraging both our own innovation and the collaborative bridges being built.

Because if we do not write our history, no one else will do it for us, and certainly not in the way we would want it to be told.

A mining syndicate operating in Zimbabwe’s formal gold market is believed to have illegally diverted more than 120 kilograms of gold — valued at in excess of US$10 million — over a period of under two years, according to production data and internal documents obtained by investigators.

The company at the centre of the investigation, Podhill (Pvt) Ltd (Silobela, Kwekwe District), is co‑owned by Chinese national Zuo Wenzhong and Australian businessman Moham Karim. The business is accused of under‑declaring its output while running large‑scale unrecorded gold smelting operations.

According to official filings, Podhill declared less than 4 kg of gold for 2024, despite internal mine records showing it processed over 3,000 kg of ore every month and produced multiple gold batches off‑book.

Investigators say that in December 2024 the company’s carbon‑in‑pulp (CIP) processing line yielded nearly 1.5 kg of gold per batch, with payment notes showing transactions as high as US$16,000 handled via a partner identified as “Talib”. Yet only 300 g of that was officially delivered for refinement.

Between May and June 2024, Podhill’s heap‑leaching operation reportedly processed more than 3,000 kg of feed material and generated at least US$117,000 per smelt run, revenue investigators believe was never declared to Zimbabwe’s tax authority or the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ).

Further financial analysis shows that small but very pure gold batches (flotation amalgam) were privately sold at US$70 per gram — significantly higher than the official price — to undisclosed buyers tied to foreign markets.

The syndicate is reported to have used private air cargo, cash transactions, and trusted couriers to move smelted gold from Zimbabwe’s Midlands Province to refiners in Dubai and China.

Podhill is controlled through a 95 % share held by Generous Resources (Pvt) Ltd, which is under Zuo’s control. Other linked companies identified in the probe include Milhub, as part of the wider network moving gold outside state oversight.

Key individuals named in the investigation include general manager He Huayang and director Duan Yuanbin, both Chinese nationals, along with associate Mohamad Taleb and business partner Moham Karim. They are alleged to have managed a sophisticated scheme that masked illegal extraction and export as legitimate mining.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Minerals and Border Control Unit is reportedly investigating the affair, with financial records, ledgers and photographs now forming part of the evidence being traced through the interconnected companies.

Industry watchers note that Zimbabwe’s gold sector is vulnerable to such diversion because gold is high‑value and low‑bulk, making it susceptible to leakage into international markets via weak enforcement and porous borders.