Communications minister Solly Malatsi has nominated four candidates for appointment to the decision-making council of communications regulator Icasa.

In December, Malatsi was sent a list of six shortlisted names to choose from after MPs had selected six candidates from an initial list of around 20.

Now that Malatsi has selected candidates for appointment, the names go back to the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications and the national assembly for final adoption. Once done, the national assembly will send the final names to Malatsi, who will issue appointment letters to the successful candidates.

The chosen candidates are:

Karabo Mohale: Mohale holds a master’s degree in development studies from the University of Sussex, a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Mancosa, a BTech in marketing from Tshwane University and a national diploma in marketing. She has served as the executive deputy chair of the National Youth Development Agency and currently chairs the board of the Tshwane Institute for Continuing Education. She is also pursuing an MSc in economic policy at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Charley Lewis: Lewis holds a PhD and a master’s degree in the management of information systems from Wits. He has extensive experience in ICT policy, legislation, regulation and markets, as well as education and training. He previously served as a councillor at Icasa and currently works as a consultant in the ICT sector.
Joshua Tshifhiwa Maumela: Maumela holds a PhD and a master’s degree in artificial intelligence from the University of Johannesburg as well as a master’s degree in economics from Waseda University in Tokyo. He is a registered professional engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa and currently works as a senior machine learning engineer at Vodacom.
Andrew Dibi Matseke: Matseke holds a BSc in electrical and electronics engineering and has an MBA from the University of Cape Town. He has a postgraduate diploma in project management and is a member of various professional engineering bodies. He currently works as an independent consultant.

Of the six names sent to Malatsi for consideration in December, Melusi Mthethwa and Cassandra Gabriel were excluded from the final list of candidates.

“A properly staffed and independent regulator is essential to ensuring fair competition, protecting consumer interests and enabling an environment conducive to investment and innovation,” Malatsi said in a statement.

‘Awkward conversations’

Portfolio committee chair Khusela Diko said in December that challenges in the ICT sector that the new councillors will have to wrestle with include an outdated policy and legislative environment; the need to contend with the fast pace of technological change; the advent of streaming services that have disrupted the broadcasting sector; the regulation of postal services; and the fast-expanding e-commerce landscape.

Read: MPs send Icasa council shortlist to Malatsi

Diko said the new councillors will need to have “awkward conversations on behalf of the people of South Africa” and stand firm in the commitment to deploy spectrum in a way that benefits “the interest of our people as a whole”. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media

Get breaking news from TechCentral on WhatsApp. Sign up here