When President Thabo Mbeki returned to a rural WSSD legacy project he had promised to stay involved with, the high-profile guests seemed very impressed. Mbeki subtly raised concern over the cost of communication, however.

In August 2002, President Thabo Mbeki and HP`s CEO Carly Fiorina announced that Limpopo province would become the venue for the second of three HP-led public-private partnerships known as i-Communities – the first having been established in Kuppam, India.