Blog

Gosai, who is also from Durban, was among the 180,000 people who downloaded Zello after Zuma’s arrest. Users subscribe to channels to communicate with each other by sending live audio files available to anyone listening to the channel.

Zello was originally designed to help people communicate and organize after natural disasters. With Wi-Fi or a data connection, people can use it to broadcast their location, share tips, and communicate with rescuers or survivors of a hurricane, flood, or other emergency. In the United States, Zello found support in the 2017 rescue operations following Hurricane Harvey. According to Rafael Varieras, Zello’s vice president of operations, the app is also used by taxi drivers, ambulance workers and delivery staff who want to send voice messages hands-free. Since Zello is a voice platform, it is faster than typing and does not require literacy skills.

But recent events suggest that the use of Zello is increasingly being used to connect people in riot zones. For example, in the hours after the last Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the number of downloads has skyrocketed to 100 times. Cuba also saw a surge in downloads amid protests against shortages of food and medicine. Unsurprisingly, the event prompted several countries to ban the app, including China, Venezuela, and Syria.

Without a formal emergency response system like the US 911, South Africans are increasingly turning to Zello to coordinate emergency ambulances and patrols around the area. According to a blog post on the site, one channel, the South Africa Community Action Network, boasts 11,600 paid members who donate to emergency services such as ambulance services, as well as over 33,000 non-paying members.