Internet Cafés Boost Zimbabwean Business
More commonly held to be one of Africa’s more troubled countries, certain areas of the present day Zimbabwe apparently have an almost cosmopolitan feel, thanks to the emergence of wireless coffee shops.
Since the introduction of the US dollar, the café and restaurant culture in all of Zimbabwe’s key cities have been blossoming, with competition to find a seat when eating out during the day becoming increasingly difficult.
Not only are coffee shops appearing in the more obvious settings such as in art galleries or museums, but large wholesalers and local supermarket chains are also introducing coffee spaces to their establishments. And what is the common theme, other than the coffee, that is attracting consumers to frequent these coffee shops? According to a former resident of Zimbabwe returning years later, it is the wireless Internet access, with most visitors not actually spending much more than a dollar on their coffee but then spending a couple of hours making full use of the connection with the online world.
Whilst this new trend is clearly good for consumers – and business people who use coffee shops to network and strike deals, the owners of such outlets are unsurprisingly not really benefiting from the situation, since tea, coffee and cake sales are barely sufficient in covering overheads. As one of the more cynical owners commented, “We need to start charging people who sit here all day surfing the net.”
Seemingly enjoying their change in lifestyle, “having gone without for so long,” Zimbabweans are making the most of the situation whilst they can, amidst fears of power cuts, water woes and nationalisation.