Derrick
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- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
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Getting Internet in the “platteland” of our country can be an interesting affair. At the time of writing this I am sitting in the Fran-Mari coffee shop in the centre of the smallest town I have had the pleasure of visiting in a long time. Edenburg in the Freestate. There is a tiny art shop with Internet access for sale at R8 for the first 10 minutes of use right next door to the coffee shop with a per minute fee of 70c after the 10 minutes is up. What kind of connectivity it is I cannot say because the shop is closed on Saturdays due to religious reasons.
You are thus dependent on mobile Internet of your own provisioning here. I am connected to my phone via my laptop’s Bluetooth connection, which gave me a couple of hiccups at the start of use but a reboot of my phone turned out to be the required remedy. Now it is a semi-steady GPRS connection in Edenburg, roughly 80km outside Bloemfontein. I am not the only person using the little coffee shop as refuge against the midday sun. Another laptop user with a mobile connection made his appearance shortly after I set up shop at my table.
Sitting here, I cannot help but wonder what impact faster connectivity, better roads and infrastructure would have on these small towns. The roads are gravel roads to a large degree with the main roads running through town, tarred by what seems an ancient craftsman, whose good work is now falling apart. Make no mistake, Edenburg is a quaint town with friendly people and a sense of purpose, but this is one of many towns the government seems to be neglecting when it comes to basic infrastructure development and expansion. People have to do it themselves here. Potholes are fixed by the people who use the road. Some people even plant grass in the holes.
I was surprised to find out that surrounding farms still phone using the old “nommer asseblief” system with an old plug and talk switchboard still in place. It suits them because calls to other folks on the line can be done for free. I nevertheless didn’t expect it in the 21st century. No wonder everybody here uses mobile phones for their telephony needs even if you only have MTN reception on one side of the house and Vodacom on the other. It is an interesting experience on the “platteland” but it is magic. Good people, good food, good times! A faster 3G connection would have been nice though… and fewer potholes…
You are thus dependent on mobile Internet of your own provisioning here. I am connected to my phone via my laptop’s Bluetooth connection, which gave me a couple of hiccups at the start of use but a reboot of my phone turned out to be the required remedy. Now it is a semi-steady GPRS connection in Edenburg, roughly 80km outside Bloemfontein. I am not the only person using the little coffee shop as refuge against the midday sun. Another laptop user with a mobile connection made his appearance shortly after I set up shop at my table.
Sitting here, I cannot help but wonder what impact faster connectivity, better roads and infrastructure would have on these small towns. The roads are gravel roads to a large degree with the main roads running through town, tarred by what seems an ancient craftsman, whose good work is now falling apart. Make no mistake, Edenburg is a quaint town with friendly people and a sense of purpose, but this is one of many towns the government seems to be neglecting when it comes to basic infrastructure development and expansion. People have to do it themselves here. Potholes are fixed by the people who use the road. Some people even plant grass in the holes.
I was surprised to find out that surrounding farms still phone using the old “nommer asseblief” system with an old plug and talk switchboard still in place. It suits them because calls to other folks on the line can be done for free. I nevertheless didn’t expect it in the 21st century. No wonder everybody here uses mobile phones for their telephony needs even if you only have MTN reception on one side of the house and Vodacom on the other. It is an interesting experience on the “platteland” but it is magic. Good people, good food, good times! A faster 3G connection would have been nice though… and fewer potholes…