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

      The little-known company disrupting Eskom’s monopoly

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      Chief sub-editor wanted – help shape South African tech media

      16 June 2025
    • World

      Yahoo tries to make its mail service relevant again

      13 June 2025

      Qualcomm shows off new chip for AI smart glasses

      11 June 2025

      Trump tariffs to dim 2025 smartphone shipments

      4 June 2025

      Shrimp Jesus and the AI ad invasion

      4 June 2025

      Apple slams EU rules as ‘flawed and costly’ in major legal pushback

      2 June 2025
    • In-depth

      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

      South Africa unveils big state digital reform programme

      12 May 2025

      Is this the end of Google Search as we know it?

      12 May 2025
    • TCS

      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

      TCS | Sentiv, and the story behind the buyout of Altron Nexus

      3 June 2025

      TCS | Signal restored: Unpacking the Blue Label and Cell C turnaround

      28 May 2025
    • Opinion

      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

      Digital giants boost South African news media – and get blamed for it

      29 May 2025

      Solar panic? The truth about SSEG, fines and municipal rules

      14 April 2025

      Data protection must be crypto industry’s top priority

      9 April 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
      • 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 » Set-top box battle turns nasty

    Set-top box battle turns nasty

    By Sunil Gopal25 March 2015
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    namec-scuffle-640
    Police intervene at the Birchwood Conference Centre

    A conference on small and medium enterprises hosted by the department of telecommunications & postal services was thrown into disarray on Tuesday after police were called in to remove the president of one of the factions of a warring grouping of black industrialists interested in South Africa’s multibillion-rand digital television migration project.

    Amid allegations of guns being openly displayed and of harassment, police were called in to remove Keith Thabo, the president of one of the factions of Namec, from the conference after claims that he and his bodyguards intimated the leadership of the rival Namec faction, led by secretary general Adil Nchabeleng.

    Professor Kunene, the deputy secretary general of the Namec faction led by Nchabeleng, claims Thabo came to the conference on Monday with the “sole purpose of intimidating the true leadership of Namec”.

    He says Thabo’s “empowerment raiders” came into the Birchwood Conference Centre on the East Rand with “huge armed Nigerian bodyguards”.

    In text messages sent to TechCentral, Nchabeleng claims Thabo’s men intimidated the Namec representatives. “They [police] found ammunition and loaded guns on them. The SAPS has opened [a] case.”

    Describing Thabo’s men as “hit squad”, Nchabeleng says they acted like the “state security VIP protection service”.

    Namec deputy secretary general Professor Kunene posted the above tweet from Tuesday's event
    Namec deputy secretary general Professor Kunene posted the above tweet from Tuesday’s event

    “They were using a VIP protection car with a blue light,” he says.

    Thabo tells TechCentral he is not aware of any incident and declines to comment further.

    At the conference on Monday, Nchabeleng’s Namec disputed Thabo’s leadership of the body.

    Thabo was meant to speak at the conference on Monday, on behalf of Namec. However, he was removed from the programme after conference director Mashilo Boloka was made aware that the leadership of Namec had written to telecoms minister Siyabonga Cwele in September last year following the split with Thabo.

    Kunene claims that the department of telecoms has recognised Namec — the one led by Nchabeleng — as the true representative of the organisation. “We reported this matter to the minister as these guys are crooks. They came here to silence our voices.”

    Kunene says small and medium enterprises represented at the conference argued strongly in favour of the use of encryption in government-subsidised TV set-top boxes in order to protect the local manufacturing industry. He says this will be published in a report still to be released by the department.  — © 2015 NewsCentral Media



    Adil Nchabeleng Keith Thabo Mashilo Boloka Namec Professor Kunene Siyabonga Cwele
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleVodafone could rebrand as Vodacom worldwide
    Next Article Telkom, MTN still talking, 18 months on

    Related Posts

    Government shelves the Woan

    10 March 2022

    Icasa puts the Woan on the back burner

    19 November 2021

    Icasa has erred on temporary spectrum withdrawal

    6 September 2021
    Company News

    Huawei Watch Fit 4 Series: smarter sensors, sharper design, stronger performance

    13 June 2025

    Change Logic and BankservAfrica set new benchmark with PayShap roll-out

    13 June 2025

    SAPHILA 2025 – transcending with purpose, connection and AI-powered vision

    13 June 2025
    Opinion

    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

    Digital giants boost South African news media – and get blamed for it

    29 May 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.