GZU partners TelOne

Published: 31 May 2018

GREAT Zimbabwe University's Geography Department on Tuesday benefited from TelOne's Corporate Social Investment (CSI) Policy focusing on the environment, education, health and social welfare.

Acting TelOne managing director Joseph Machiva handed over 2000 tree seedlings and 100 bins to the university saying the donation was coming as part of CSI programme under the environment thematic area where they have embarked on environmental rehabilitation through planting trees countrywide.

"It is an honour for me to be standing here today on behalf of the TelOne Managing Director at this event where we are happy to be cementing our relationship with this great university, the Great Zimbabwe University," said Machiva.

"As you may all know, several times during our operation and specifically during the National Broadband Project, we have been doing a lot of trenching.

"In the process we do disturb the environment and this tree planting is our way of penance.

"The 2000 seedlings that we are leaving here are part of the 50,000 total that we are targeting to have planted this year countrywide.

"We are pleased to note that Great Zimbabwe University, is one of our major clients in this region and perhaps in the country as well where we are providing an array of our services.

"TelOne is on a drive to modernise its network and has, since late 2016, been on a roll out programme."
Machiva said through modernisation, they have been able to digitalise their exchange which have greatly improved voice service and broadband offering.

"Furthermore, we have recently been able to deploy backbone fibre between Beitbridge and Harare to complement what we did last year between Bulawayo and Beitbridge as well as Plumtree and Mutare.

"This new deployment has brought our backbone fibre to a total of close to 5000km, one of the widest in the country.

"What all this modernisation has done is to make it possible for us to offer better quality service and reduced prices, in some cases slashing bandwidth costs by as much as 40 percent.

"These are the benefits that Great Zimbabwe University has begun to enjoy and beyond this effort and drive to improve service and the experience of our clients, we are also making a deliberate effort to be more relevant in the lives and operations of our clients.

"We have therefore defined social profit as another key matrix in our business model.

"We are running several programmes among which we have the "provide a bin campaign" through which we have so far provided more than 2 000 bins to citizens in different towns countrywide.

"The objective is to support cleanliness and to maintain zero tolerance to litter and this is part of our sustainable business initiative whereby we are saying as TelOne we are committed to recycling waste in order to make something useful out of it.

"We hope that this gesture will impact the university community in promoting cleanliness," said Machiva.

In his speech GZU Pro-Vice Chancellor Andrew Chindanya who received the donation thanked TelOne saying their partnership will improve quality of life and help the University in achieving their goals.

"We welcome the donation and the growing relationship between Great Zimbabwe University and TelOne," said Pro-Vice Chancellor Chindanya.

"The number of students have risen from 4000 to 14000 and our partnership with TelOne will improve the quality of life and we will achieve our goals," he added.
- hmetro