A full six months after President Jacob Zuma announced he would split the department of communications in two, his office appears set to issue a new proclamation to determine the transfer of functions between the new departments of communications and telecommunications & postal services.
The Democratic Alliance has said the decision to split the departments has led to a turf war between telecoms minister Siyabonga Cwele and communications minister Faith Muthambi.
A presentation set to be delivered by the communications department in parliament on Tuesday appears to confirm this. In the presentation, Muthambi’s department will say two meetings at ministerial level coordinated by the presidency to address the transfer of legislative functions “have not yet produced the required results”.
“The presidency will be making the required intervention to resolve this matter,” the presentation notes say. “A new proclamation is being considered by the presidency in this regard.”
Zuma’s decision to split the department has thrown South Africa’s already long-delayed digital television migration project into further disarray, with confusion over which of the new departments will manage it. Both Cwele and Muthambi have made public comments on migration.
Delays in the project are holding up the allocation of radio frequency spectrum needed by telecoms operators to deliver next-generation mobile broadband to South African consumers.
The communications department will tell parliament on Tuesday that it has “requested further engagement” with the telecoms department “on what could be considered for transfer while awaiting the proclamation”.
“We are awaiting their response,” the department will say in its presentation.
Following the split of the old department of communications, a range of legislation has been assigned to the new department. This includes the Broadcasting Act, the Film and Publications Act, the Media Development and Diversity Agency Act and, controversially, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa Act.
The SABC and government’s communications arm, GCIS, also report into the new department, prompting the DA and others to describe it as the “department of propaganda”. — © 2014 NewsCentral Media