By 
By Ross Moyo
Before dawn in Mutambara, Chimanimani East, hundreds were already queuing. Not for airtime. For doctors.
NetOne marked its 30th anniversary there with a free OneHealth Medical Outreach — general consultations, chronic disease screening, cancer screening, eye exams and free medication — in partnership with ZimSmart Villages and supported by Mutapa Investment Fund CEO Dr John Panonetsa Mangudya.
“Today the doctors came to us,” one elderly woman said. It became the headline TechnoMag carried.
That same model was repeated in Mutasa District last month, where Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and Manicaland Minister Misheck Mugadza attended. Muchinguri-Kashiri said:
“As we pursue the aspirations of Vision 2030 and implement NDS2, we must continue to harness innovation, technology and partnerships to improve the quality of life of our people. Healthcare is fundamental to development because healthy communities are better positioned to participate meaningfully in the social and economic development of our country.”
That outreach is part of a nationwide initiative targeting 30 districts and approximately 90,000 households — 3,000 per district. It is the proving ground for the 100 mobile kiosks to be launched in Chinhoyi.
From Post Offices to Three-Wheelers
ZimSmart Villages has built its reputation by installing telehealth kiosks inside ZimPost offices — 17 equipped so far of a potential 250. Funded by NetOne, the Ntunungwe Tele Health Kiosk in Bulilima, Matabeleland South, opened last year, was launched by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and opened by ICT Deputy Minister Dingumuzi Phuti.
It incorporates AI-driven devices, a sub-post office, secure video conferencing, and support from trained nurses or community health workers.
The new three-wheelers take that concept mobile. Zimbabwe has just 1.7 doctors per 100,000 people, less than the African mean of 2.6 and far from WHO’s 1 per 1000 recommendation. Starlink connectivity, licensed in May 2024, is now helping connect two of the centres with high-speed satellite.
Chief Operations Officer Tawanda Njerere said: “Technology only becomes meaningful when it solves a real problem for people. Through our collaboration with NetOne, we are using connectivity as a bridge between rural communities and healthcare professionals.”
Why This Anniversary Matters
NetOne now accounts for 46.14% of Zimbabwe’s rural base stations, according to 2025 POTRAZ reports, making it a key bridge across the digital divide. Its slogan “The World In One” is being reinterpreted.
Magadzire: “When a mother can access healthcare closer to home, when a child receives care, when a family receives information that can protect their health — that is connectivity making a difference. That is what we mean when we say we want to go beyond connectivity.”
The Mutapa Fund’s Dr Mangudya captured it earlier: “Organisations entrusted with serving the nation should always ensure that their success is reflected in the well-being of the communities they serve.”
At 30, NetOne is investing in a simple but important principle: a healthy population is the foundation of a healthy nation.
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