Hikes, nosy neighbours afflict Zimbabweans in quest for mobile connection [Video]

As the sun sets over Zimbabwe’s Matobo Hills, boys throw stones to chase baboons away. Their goal isn’t to enjoy the view of dusk but to search for a mobile network without interference from wild animals.

Silozwe, a village less than 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the southern city of Bulawayo, the southern African country’s second largest, sits in a connectivity black hole.

To an outsider, the daily stream of villagers clambering up the hill might look like a pilgrimage to a rain-making ceremony, but it’s a communal trek to make phone calls, send messages and check social media.

“Grown up as I am, it’s hard for me to get up the hill, and sometimes I still fail to connect,” said Sakhile Sibindi, 60, a grandmother who walks five kilometres to reach the spot from her home.

Rural connectivity issues are not unique to Zimbabwe.

About a third of the world’s population, or 2.6 billion people, do not …