HCC Director of Works, Engineer Philip Pfukwa, said the local authority had notified the mobile operators of its plan to withhold licenses for base stations until they regularised the booths.
“Council cannot afford to waste its limited resources on demolishing the illegal Eco-cash, Tele-cash and One-wallet structures across the city. So we will not approve any base stations for mobile operators until they get rid of their people at undesignated places, especially where there are no toilets,” said Pfukwa.
According to the latest council minutes, eight base stations were approved in March, yet more are sprouting. Avondale Ward 7 Councillor, Beadle Gwasira said the disorderly manner and rate at which the cash transfer agents were mushrooming in his ward was worrisome.
“Avondale Shopping Centre is now congested with these illegal cash transfer agents, which are becoming an eyesore. TM Supermarket offers the same services for all networks, yet just outside the shop an illegal agent vendor is doing the same. Just a stone’s throw away an Econet Shop is providing same services. It is high time we restore order,” he said.
Meanwhile, Econet through its National Healthcare Trust Zimbabwe recently launched the Energise the Chain programme where it is using its base stations to power refrigerators to assist hospitals to store critical vaccines and medicines.
Post published in: News