SOMETIMES, they put on raincoats or opt for umbrellas and brave the rains as they find their way to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints along Waterfalls Avenue in Harare just to enjoy free Wi-Fi connection.
From morning ’til sunset every day, youths are gathered next to the church’s perimeter fence.
And when it gets dark, the silent congregation of different age groups gathers with their faces illuminated by the glow of smartphone screens.
The gathering is not for sermons, but for salvation of a different kind: Free Wi-Fi.
Nothing unites residents like free Wi-Fi in a struggling economy, where data is expensive.
Among the crowd, recent university graduates stand out, their youthful faces fixed with a mixture of hope and anxiety.
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“I usually come here at 3pm just to check my emails,” said job hunter Tawanda Kare, a recent graduate from the University of Zimbabwe.
“I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics last year. I am home seriously hunting for a job; I have been applying for jobs, but haven’t received even an acknowledgement that they received my application.
“Data is very expensive and I feel bad when my parents keep buying me things like data after they struggled paying for my tuition fees up to university level.
“For, this reason, I have been coming to sit outside this church just to apply and check my emails.”
The church’s free Wi-Fi is their only portal to a world that might offer them a future beyond their country’s borders.
Twenty-seven-year-old Cosmus Shumi from Ardbennie told NewsDay Weekender that mobile data prices, which are punitive, are one of their setbacks which give them headaches when they think of applying for jobs.
“Pakaipa mdara (it’s not looking good). Last year, I missed a job interview.
“I saw the email three days after the interview dates when a friend connected me via hotspot,” said Shumi in a somber tone.
“It’s not that, I’m very sure that I was going to get the job, but that experience of going through an interview makes a huge difference and it gives hope.”
“Sometimes, I just come here to watch YouTube videos,” admitted Tanaka, a 20-year-old who finished high school three years ago and has never been employed.
“It helps me refresh my mind. It’s better than sitting at home, just thinking about how hard things are.”
Thomas Musoni, the director of communications of the Church for the Northern region, said they were offering academic programmes to their church members, some of who access the free Wi-Fi.
“The church is offering an academic programme to its members and the general Zimbabweans who are interested in getting affordable university education,” Musoni said.
“This is a church-owned by a university based in the United States. So we are doing online lecturers, so internet access is a requirement in this world.
“For this reason, we offer open Wi-Fi for members to be able to come and study at whatever time they want to submit their assignments.”
He added: “We didn’t want to inconvenience our students by creating passwords, and naturally in our community, people are quick to discover where there are free services to be enjoyed.
“So we see people gathered around the periphery of our building to just access free Wi-Fi.
“The signal is managed in terms of which and what websites these youths visit, even though we know that some youths can find a way to access blocked websites.
“However, we structured the Wi-Fi to prevent access to pornographic websites and any other websites that are inappropriate. As a church, we don’t want to expose youths to such websites.”
Meanwhile, the Southern African Telecommunications Association (SATA) announced during an opening session of the SATA2025 conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa, last year that it was working towards introducing a standardised flat data roaming fee across the Southern African Development Community (Sadc).
However, a 2024 graphical comparison of Mobile Data Prices in the Sadc Region report presented by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe shows that Zimbabwe has comparable data prices to other countries in the region.
5GB of private Wi-Fi data costs US$9 on an Econet line, while 5GB of Mo’Gigs data costs US$7 on NetOne lines.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services Vusumuzi Moyo said the ministry has established 288 digital information centres that were rebranded from community information centres to reflect modern trend, with 70% of them operating out of former Zimpost premises.
In an interview, ICT minister Tatenda Mavetera said: “We need to implement aggressive measures under NDS2 to ensure that mobile data is affordable.
“The government is currently finalising a statutory instrument following the approval of a downward review of costs incurred by our telecom players, including licensing fees.
“Furthermore, we are rolling out free Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide currently at an advanced stage, having procured 1 000 routers.
“Following a successful pilot project in Wedza, we are now collaborating with local authorities to identify strategic locations for these hotspots.”
Mavetera emphasised that high data costs should not block progress, adding that by deploying over 300 Starlink kits and equipping digital hubs, the ministry is providing the youth with free, universal access to online education and government platforms.
The cost of living in Zimbabwe and unemployment rate rise steeply on a daily basis especially among the youth.
The free Wi-Fi at the church has become a lifeline, a digital escape in a desert of economic despair.
For many young people, the internet offers a crucial escape from the relentless pressure of unemployment and economic uncertainty.
They scroll through social media, watch funny videos, and connect with friends, finding solace and distraction in the digital realm.
It is a temporary reprieve, a chance to forget, however briefly, the harsh realities of their lives.