Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      WhatsApp founders hated ads – Meta is adding them anyway

      19 June 2025

      China’s car factories run cold as price war masks deep overcapacity

      19 June 2025

      Yellow Card, Visa in deal to hasten stablecoin uptake in Africa

      19 June 2025

      Jaltech backs solar firm Wetility in R500-million capital raise

      18 June 2025

      MTN CEO edges Vodacom rival in pay stakes – but just barely

      18 June 2025
    • World

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025

      Yahoo tries to make its mail service relevant again

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Icasa remains a councillor short

    Icasa remains a councillor short

    By Craig Wilson27 March 2013
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Icasa signage alt 640

    The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) remains one councillor short after Rubben Mohlaloga, the person named for the position by communications minister Dina Pule, was charged with fraud late last year.

    Nevertheless, Icasa says it is able to function effectively and hopes the vacancy will be filled soon.

    The Icasa Act stipulates that the authority has nine councillors but until last month it was three short of that figure. In February, two new councillors, Nomvuyiso Batyi and Katharina Pillay, joined the council, with Mohlaloga having been expected to fill the third vacant slot.

    However, in December, Democratic Alliance MP Marian Shinn called on Pule to take “whatever legal steps necessary” to withdraw Mohlaloga’s appointment after reports came to light that he had been charged for allegedly defrauding the Land Bank of R6m. He was arrested in October 2012 and is out on bail of R20 000.

    Shinn says that when Mohlaloga was interviewed by parliament’s portfolio committee on communications in September last year, he had not been criminally charged and, thus, could honestly have said at the time that there was no criminal record against him or any other conflict of interest that could disqualify him from the appointment.

    However, Shinn says the charge had come to light by the time Pule made her appointments in late November and the information about Mohlaloga’s troubles should have been revealed to the minister.

    Parliament is responsible for drawing up a shortlist of candidates for Icasa’s council, with the communications minister making the final choices from that list.

    The DA opposed Mohlaloga’s inclusion on the shortlist of prospective councillors that was sent to Pule because the party felt he was insufficiently qualified for the position. Furthermore, Shinn says that if Mohlaloga failed to inform the department of communications about the criminal charges against him, “this casts doubt on his integrity and suitability for the post”.

    Because Mohlaloga was named by parliament, Pule now needs to ask parliament’s legal advisors to indicate how she goes about having parliament’s approval revoked.

    Icasa spokesman Paseka Maleka says the authority is legally required to have nine councilors, but that its hands are tied as the ability to appoint councillors rests with the communications minister. He says the regulator does, however, remain capable of making decisions.

    “Icasa can still take decisions in the same way it did when there were three vacancies,” he says. “It doesn’t affect decision making.”  — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media



    Dina Pule Icasa Katharina Pillay Marian Shinn Nomvuyiso Batyi Rubben Mohlaloga
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleMarian Shinn: from PR to politics
    Next Article Vodacom hires top banking executive

    Related Posts

    Up to Icasa whether Starlink gets a licence: Malatsi

    11 June 2025

    Home affairs faces backlash over ID database fee surge

    9 June 2025

    Karoo collision: Starlink vs science in South African skies

    9 June 2025
    Company News

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025

    Sage brings together HR leaders to explore the future of payroll and people management

    18 June 2025

    Altron: a brand journey, a birthday celebration and a bet on Joburg’s future

    17 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.