Episode Notes

Brand identity/branding has long since been a cornerstone of any company or collective. If your potential customer can't distinguish you from a competitor or make you out at all, then sustainability is going to be difficult. This not only speaks to your logo or commercials but also of your internal branding as well as your products and services. To get a picture of what it takes to stand out as a brand or company I was joined by John and Elizabeth Murinye who are the founders of Zarura, a local brand strategy firm.

They have worked with companies like Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, Irish fintech firm Billout, Gomba Educare and many others. We explored the concepts of brand strategy, visual design and aesthetics as well as what makes a brand memorable.

You can check out some of Zarura's work with the link below:

1. Branding your startup
2. Zarura Rebranding Zimbabwe
3. TelOne Branding Rethink
4. Rethinking ZTN

Techzim's market app has been zero-rated meaning you don't need data to buy NetOne airtime and data bundles with money from your EcoCash wallet, or pay for DStv via ZIPIT and many other services. Download the Techzim Market App with the links below:

• https://techzim.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/techzim-market-1.9.6.apk…
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.techzim.marketplace&hl=en&gl=US

Find out more at http://www.techzim.co.zw

Episode Notes

This evening (14/02/2022) we held a Twitter Space to talk about the 10% Excise Duty or Tax that will be levied on internet packages and VOIP services. The news was communicated by ZOL Zimbabwe in an email to customers and we were joined by our community on Twitter to go over it.

Find out more at http://www.techzim.co.zw

Episode Notes

Takudzwa Shamhu is a local developer who works for Pleo, a Danish fintech firm that creates solutions to manage business expenses. We recently had a chat with him about his very interesting journey from working at Telco after graduating to ending up in Europe. Oh... and how he built Wa-Faya's app in just six months.

He shared also shared some of the lessons he learned from his journey and how Zimbabwean developers can take advantage of international opportunities.

Find out more at http://www.techzim.co.zw

Episode Notes

Zimbabwean inventor Maxwell Chikumbutso has reportedly created a radio-frequency powered television. This means that there is no power cable and the TV is powered purely by radio waves similar to WiFi and Bluetooth. > Maxwell Chikumbutso via The Herald > "With an RF-powered generator embedded on a TV set, it is now possible for many people to enjoy watching TV whilst they are off-grid. For me, this started off as a dream in 2003, but today it's now a reality. We have successfully developed a solution that powers televisions, smartphones, laptop computers, fridges just to name a few. > "Goodbye to electric wired home appliances. Welcome to the future with the world's first Free Energy powered 55" UHD Samsung TV. The dawn of wireless self-powered gadgets is here!" The concept isn't new because Samsung debuted a radio-frequency powered TV remote at CES 2022 which also has a small solar panel on the back. However, what Maxwell Chikumbutso has done, if true, could mean that conventional electrical infrastructure is a thing of the past because it will all be antenna arrays. TVs, smartphones and all other devices will be radio frequency powered

But is this even possible?

Maxwell Chikumbutso of Saith Technologies is back – Claims generator powers 10 houses at once

Cover Image Credit: The Herald

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Episode Notes

I was joined Uk-based comedian Mukudzei "King" Kandoro Majoni to talk about his recently concluded stand up tour the Prodigal Son. We also talked about, the rigours of life in Zimbabwe, how his diaspora experience is going, stealing twenty-five dollars that were meant for school fees and more.

Intro Track: Bensound The site is Bensound.com

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Episode Notes

The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) recently released its sector performance report for Q3 2021 and yet again data is king in the country with usage continuing on the up because of the pandemic. However in saying that, the quality of data has been iffy for a very long time because there are more of us who are using base stations that might be at capacity. We talked about the state of data in Zimbabwe and how the government can make it easier for mobile network operators, who are suffering losses, to be able to meet the demand for mobile internet services.

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Episode Notes

Buying a second-hand car in Zimbabwe is a game of Russian roulette because good looking cars are sometimes on their last legs and the bad ones... well... We took a dive into the second-hand car market on Facebook, car sales and imports, and the different buying habits of the various tax brackets. Additionally, we looked at preserving value for your safety and to sell on as well as how ZUPCO pretty much forced us all to need a car.

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Episode Notes

Today I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Michael Sibanda or I am sure most of you would know him by his TikTok handle @PabloZW1. He is one of the funniest guys online and it's no surprise that he has garnered 23.5K followers on TikTok since his first post in August.

Check out his social media with handles below: TikTok: @pablozw1 Instagram: @Pablo_zw1 Twitter: @Pablozw1 YouTube: youtu.be/dmTylzcjnNk

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Episode Notes

The e-passport rollout is so confusing. When should we start applying for them? What about those who got regular passports recently? Why should we have to pay at CBZ and then at the Passport office? Is this another one of those things that is only being done because we are getting into election season? If the government was struggling with conventional passports do we have the materials and suppliers to meet the tsunami applications for these new and complicated e-passports?

We tried to make sense of these questions and more...

You should also check out:

https://www.techzim.co.zw/2021/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-zims-new-e-passport/ https://www.techzim.co.zw/2021/12/why-does-cbz-have-a-monopoly-on-e-passport-application-fees/

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Episode Notes

Owning a car in Zim is a bit of an extreme sport. There are no easy breaks because importing one can be a nightmare and getting one locally comes at a ridiculous premium. After getting your car you'll have to contend with the cost of that first service. This can be a pleasurable experience if the previous owner met all the service intervals or a money pit if they treated the car like a disposable asset.

Once on the road, you'll have to contend with mushikashikas and Honda Fit drivers who think the road belongs to them. These specimens usually create lanes where none exist as if everyone who is in the traffic jam is somehow stupid. The only reason traffic is backed up is because road infrastructure was not developed to remain in step with the influx of vehicles. Furthermore, we have a near non-existent public transport system meaning that the only way to consistently get from A to B is by saving up and getting an Ex-Jap.

On top of all of that, the roads themselves are so poorly maintained that everyone looks like they are warming their tires readying themselves for the F1 safety car to go back into the pits.

We had a conversation about these topics and more with some prices and the likes on buying a "new to you" car, the cost to maintain it and even more pain points about owning a car in Zim.

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