I am South African so yes, I don't have any imperial ambitions in that regard. But having said that, Lesotho is rather dependant on South Africa (as OP hints). My question was really whether he was an outlier or whether his friends or immediate environment had a lot of (aspiring) coders.
In Southern Africa in general there was probably < 5% internet penetration back then.
In Southern Africa in general there was probably < 5% internet penetration back then.