The middle of nowhere has been keeping a secret.
And we’re off to find out what it is and how it can change Africa.
South Africa has one of the highest internet penetration rates on the continent.
But despite that, people who live in remote places like this
say they don’t use the Internet.
Two of the biggest barriers, according to research:
affordability and accessibility.
Mankosi is made up of 12 villages.
Home to over 6,000 people.
And until late last year there was no electricity here.
Running water is still a luxury.
But they have a cheap and stable wi-fi network.
They built and registered their own internet service provider.
I'm wondering if I can buy a voucher.
Yes, you can buy a voucher.
How much does it cost?
25 rand ($1.70; £1.30).
Only 25 rand, it lasts a whole month.
Mama Sigcau is one of the elders who convinced other villagers that the internet would bring
development here.
She’s one of a handful who sell vouchers that gives residents and visitors uncapped
wi-fi for under $2 a month.
Did you you know what wi-fi was before it came here?
No, no, we didn’t know.
We didn’t know anything about wi-fi.
It is when it came and connected
and then we see this is something that gives us a better life.
And at school people do their homework, everything.
Even though I don’t have TV, I can see news, everything.
South Africa’s data prices are still among the most expensive on the continent.
According to the latest research, out of Africa’s six leading economies one gigabyte of data
would cost you seven times more here than in Egypt.
That’s three times more expensive than in Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana.
So why is Mankosi wi-fi so cheap?
Seven years ago researchers from the University of the Western Cape, with the help of the
community, built a mesh network here.
It’s a cheap, low-energy system using scattered node devices rather than a central mast or
beacon that’s used by traditional telecoms networks.
These nodes communicate with each other.
An important feature is that it’s solar powered.
So, we are at the home of one of the headmen of the villages that make up Mankosi.
This is known as Ncgobo and once a month community members meet here as part of the co-operative.
It functions much like a business.
And this is the board meeting.
Except it’s owned, operated and maintained by villagers.
They collect the money made from selling wi-fi vouchers.
This is funnelled into community projects.
The name of the network is Zenzeleni.
It means 'do it yourself'.
And 33-year-old Zuko Tshitshi is the embodiment of the slogan.
Previously unemployed and unskilled, he’s now the resident technician.
Looks like there’s a problem with our connection here.
The village built this mast themselves
at a fraction of what telecommunications companies quoted.
At the beginning when this dream came to our village I thought it’s impossible, you know.
We can’t make a network because we never studied the network.
It’s impossible.
But as the time goes, I saw this was going to be real, that’s why I put my effort trying
to learn everything technically.
My dream has come true now.
I like to prove people wrong.
When I see the kids using the internet they know the internet they are using was made
by the people they know, from here in the same village.
It’s like...
I’m a God to them.
We want to know where they buy the internet,
we want to know what they are doing with the internet.
While Zuko maintains the infrastructure others are trying to understand
how the internet is used.
These researchers are doing a survey.
Professor William Tucker oversees the project.
We are interested in seeing the different usage patterns
because we want to learn what are the barriers
to people adopting the technology
and what are the things they are actually using it for.
One of the biggest barriers is access to devices that support the network.
We are searching for the cause of globalisation.
At this local school students make use of smartphones.
We are about 60km from Mankosi in an area called Zithulele
and this village is the latest one to get online.
How difficult it is to balance the traditional way of life with bringing advancement in the
form of wi-fi or this network?
Yeah, yeah it’s not easy.
Retaining traditional community values and combining it with advanced technology,
to me that’s what a rural community network is.
It’s like this meeting of two worlds.
The youth will come and do things that we can’t even think of.
I think it’s amazing.
Community networks like this one could be a way to connect Africa to the global village.
Driven by the innovation and energy of the youth – the people of Mankosi say this is
just the start for Zenzeleni.
This is my dream now.
It is inside my heart now, I can’t run from this now anymore.