31 May 2013

The small settlement of Inalegolo in the heart of the Kgalagadi desert appears entirely detached from the cosmopolitan lifestyle.

As a remote area, donkeys and horses are the main source of transport through all the four seasons, hot or cold, rain or sunshine. In most cases the sandy dusty settlement looks very lonely and deserted with a few people walking about and livestock loitering around.

This may mislead one into believing that this community knows little of communication technology and of course ruling out the existence of a fully-fledged information communication technology service centre. The ICT hub popularly known as Ko Caraveneng is an asbestos walled porta cabin housing a modern day cyber café.   

This is where, horse and donkey riders, people from surrounding cattle posts and those who have acquired information technology skills elsewhere meet and connect to their newly found friends and relatives on the world web. As they peruse the web, some connect to social media, others surf for local and international news, while others type their documents.

“We also offer assistance to our customers,” says Ms Matshidiso Mothubi who manages the cyber café, which she stresses esnures that they are connected to the rest of the world. Officially known as a Kitsong Centre, this porta-cabin cyber café is part of the government master plan to connect Batswana living in the rural areas to the rest of the country and the world.

Furnished with two computers, the cyber café also offers paid services such as laminating, typing, school stationery, scanning, paid phone services, faxing and printing. All these services are possible through the solar power generated electricity mounted on top of the porta cabin.    

According to Ms Mothubi, the project, which is operated by the Village Development Committee (VDC), has been steadily growing since 2011 when they officially got it from be Mobile.

“There is potential for growth, our customers want us to offer other services such as cell phone batteries, CDs and digital photos,” Ms Mothubi says. Now that they are forced to submit to market needs as Ms Mothubi points out that they are planning to buy a digital camera, colour printer and CDs.

 Another service they are also planning to offer for the short term is the transfer of funds through the mobile phone. "We are waiting for Botswana Telecommunications Corporation officers to teach us the process," says Ms Mothubi highlighting an impending bright future.

The do-good philosophy is expected to usher in exponential growth for the business and add to the coffers, which are stretched between paying the sole employee and expanding the project. When days are gloomy, the business can make a minimum of P400 in a month but this has not dampened the spirited and determined VDC.

According to the VDC chairperson, Mr Bamotshwere Ghabite, the porta-cabin has brought some services that they used to get as far as Kang. In order to reach Kang, residents have to travel hours of which 36 kilometres is along a gravel road linking Inalegolo with the Sekoma-Kang tarred road.

“Kang is far from here, and even if you manage to find transport to Kang, you are not assured of transport to get you back,” Mr Ghabite emphasises. In most cases residents rely on government and non-governmental associations vehicles servicing the settlement.

 Other than that, donkey carts, donkeys and horses have proved to be reliable transport, but are used mostly by herd-boys and the elderly. And living under those conditions, Inalegolo residents know for sure that the Kitsong Centre is the one thing that enables them to meet and network with the rest of the world elsewhere. ENDS