Democratic Alliance MP Marian Shinn has accused President Jacob Zuma of decision making that is “beyond logic” after the publication on Wednesday of a proclamation in the Government Gazette meant to provide clarity about the responsibilities of his communications and telecommunications & postal services ministers.
TechCentral revealed earlier on Wednesday that communications regulator Icasa will now report into both communications minister Faith Muthambi on broadcasting-related matters and into telecoms minister Siyabonga Cwele on telecoms and postal services matters.
“The only people who must be celebrating the publication of the ‘clarity’ on the sharing of responsibility of Icasa’s operations — as set out in the latest gazette — are the lawyers who stand to make buckets of money from hourly charges as they steer their clients through this minefield of regressive regulation in the ICT sector,” Shinn said.
“To keep Muthambi happily entrenched in her unnecessary empire of propaganda, Zuma has clearly demonstrated that his decision making is beyond logic.”
She said the president’s decision to split the old communications department after the May election to create the two new departments plus the latest proclamation (the second since the departmental split) fly in the face of the ICT policy review process currently underway. This review process should streamline the regulatory environment for the era of converged communications, she said.
“Now we have a tragic attempt to unscramble the omelette of convergence and add layers of complexity and confusion to anyone trying to operate in and grow our ICT sector,” Shinn said.
“This move will only exacerbate the rate at which ICT investors prefer to put their money north of our borders if they want to ready themselves to participate in Africa’s nascent ICT boom. This move will cost us economic growth and jobs in a nation that is bursting with ICT talent looking for a conducive environment.”
She added that other African nations, including Kenya, Mauritius and Botswana, which have “more favourable global ICT rankings than South Africa”, will “benefit from our backwards slide down the global rankings and into the quagmire of pre-convergence thinking”. — (c) 2014 NewsCentral Media
