Cape Town - The slow rollout of broadband internet is at the centre of a broadside fired by the Cape Chamber of Commerce at the Department of Communications this week.
In a strongly worded statement referring to “recent events surrounding allegations of misconduct within the Department of Communications” and increasing frustration felt by business, the chamber accused the department of failing to meet targets and properly govern information and communication technology (ICT).
Media reports concerning Communications Minister Dina Pule had created uncertainty and had affected the confidence of ICT businesses, said chairman of the chamber’s ICT portfolio committee Roderick Lim Banda.
But department spokesperson Siyabulela Qoza said on Thursday various forums kept the minister informed of business thinking and none of it was negative.
Lim Banda said: “Over the past year, there have been repeated calls for (the minister’s) resignation amid allegations of nepotism and corruption, the decline of institutions such as Telkom and the SABC, the lack of progress in meeting targets and lack of governance in ICT tenders.
“To be fair, the minister has inherited the legacy of a problematic image when it comes to government’s ICT leadership and delivery. It has affected the confidence of the business sector and industry for some time. Tender corruption, continued delays in the spectrum allocation, a lack of any clear policy for many years and grand promises with no concrete evidence of supporting tactics are just some of the irritations chamber members have voiced concern over.”
There has been a spate of recent reports suggesting financial improprieties in the department and the ministry.
Qoza said the minister had met her ICT policy review panel, on which the chamber was represented, on Monday.
Pule had held quarterly meetings with “the leaders of telecommunication network operators and other ICT companies”.
“No business people have ever raised concerns about uncertainty and business confidence, precisely because they are party (to) or are aware of the developments within the sector,” Qoza said.
Independent ICT specialist Arthur Goldstuck of World Wide Worx said business felt slow delivery of infrastructure by the government and tardiness in licensing of LTE and 4G technology, was hampering the industry.
Rural areas especially were being left behind, as private business could not afford to invest in their own infrastructure in sparsely populated areas.
Paul Esselaar, vice-chairman of the chamber’s ICT committee and an ICT attorney, said most of the development and innovation in ICT had been despite the work of the national government, not because of it.
“There can be little doubt that the minister has failed to reduce corruption and facilitate ICT development, and we believe that South Africa deserves better.”
Qoza said the ICT policy review panel had committed itself to working around the clock to ensure that the country would have a robust ICT policy by next year. - Cape Argus