Diepsloot deserves free wi-fi

AMONTH ago, I visited an internet cafe in Diepsloot to e-mail my work to my news editor before rushing off to a wedding in the North West.

After I had e-mailed everything, I got the shock of my life.

I had assumed I’d be charged per minute but I was wrong.

The owner expected me to pay a separate charge for each of the three attachments sent on one e-mail – R5 for the 15-minute internet use, and then extra R15 for each attachment.

I was left baffled by this as he arrogantly showed me a price list on the wall, detailing the very same charges he had told me about. It’s a rip-off. I told him he can rip-off other people who don’t know how these things work, but not me.

I found his opportunistic stance puzzling but this also got me thinking about the glaring disparities between townships governed by the City of Joburg.

While young people can freely access the internet through free wi-fi services provided in areas such as Soweto, those in areas like Diepsloot continue to be marginalised, unable to freely search and apply for jobs online.

Surely if Diesploot is part of the City of Joburg, how then can it be that internet access remains so elusive and an exclusive preserve of the few?