Bridging Divides in the Eastern Cape

Fifty villagers signed up to learn, when Zenzeleni Network’s trainers took laptops and digital skills across a river!

The Mankosi Solar Community Hub is an off-grid computer lab run by Zenzeleni Networks, an award-winning South African non-profit focused on closing the digital divide. Their primary focus is on the deployment of affordable, accessible and quality internet to rural communities in the Eastern Cape province, facing levels of unemployment up to 90% and limited access to basic services.

The Mankosi Solar Community Hub opened in 2021 to provide meaningful technology access and services in Mankosi village and the surrounding communities. It offers a range of internet cafe-type services, accredited digital literacy training, after-school student support, help with scholarship applications, resume building and a safe space for community training initiatives. These include upcoming design thinking workshops to help seed small businesses in the community. Additionally, lab staff sell locally-affordable refurbished digital devices –  supplied and subsidised by Computer Aid International and Dell Technologies – towards closing the gap in device access while developing a model of financial sustainability in areas with limited economic economic activity. 

Mngcibe village is located within sight of Mankosi, yet the presence of the Mdumbi river means that travel between villages requires a 40km round trip using irregular and costly transportation. This community had almost no reliable or affordable internet access until recently when they were connected to Zenzeleni’s internet network. The people there are now excited to learn more about, and access, technologies.  

The Mdumbi river which separates Zenzeleni’s Mankosi Solar Community Hub with Mngcibe village

To reach that population, Zenzeleni’s team took laptops easy to transport and crossed the Mdumbi River. Fifty residents signed up for a course in digital literacy and internet hotspot maintenance, with the first group of fourteen completing an introductory training session on computer basics and components.

Zenzeleni’s hub manager, Gladys Sigcau, with students from  Mngcibe village

Training took place in Mngcibe village  – around 20 km from Zenzeleni’s Mankosi Solar Community Hub

Limited access to electricity in Mngcibe village was solved by pre-charging laptops using the hubs stable solar power and transporting these to Mngcibe.

“Our experience in Mngcibe shows what happens when you bring opportunities to communities, instead of waiting for them to come to you,” says Gladys Sigcau, Zenzeleni’s hub manager. “The excitement and commitment we saw shows that people are ready – they just need access.”

The Zenzeleni team plans to bring Mngcibe villagers to the lab for further training in the coming months, continuing to build the digital skills that open doors to opportunity. This is just the beginning. As participants progress through the program, they will gain skills to access educational materials, complete job applications, fill out online forms, and stay connected with family – things that so many people in the world take for granted! 

Zenzeleni’s Solar Community Hub was deployed with support from Dell Technologies and Utelize.

The Mankosi Solar Community Hub sponsored by Dell Technologies and Utelize is

located on the grounds of a local school in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is around 1.5 hrs drive from Mthatha, the nearest city