The following speech was delivered during a virtual sitting of Parliament today.
Honourable Speaker,
We have a problem.
We have a huge problem in that this government has made it undesirable for the best minds in our country to avail themselves to serve on boards of SOEs.
You will say that the problem is that salaries are better in the private sector. But that is not the only reason, is it?
It is also because they know that they will be harassed, bullied, and forced to compromise their integrity by a government that wants independent boards to toe the ANC line.
There are many patriotic South Africans who will gladly take up the mantle to do country duty.
But they are simply unwilling to subject themselves to the mistreatment that many a good board member has had to suffer at the hands of government.
It is time for the ANC to clean up its act in order to attract the best of minds across industries to join in building a better future for our people.
We need to attract talented mavericks, innovators, upstream swimmers, and not dry, boring “we have always done it this way,” squares and unquestioning yes-men.
The problem of a lack of talent was clearly visible when we interviewed candidates to serve on the ICASA Council.
So difficult was our task, that of the nine names required to provide to the Minister, we could only scrape together five.
It is not to say that the candidates before us today are not apt, some were. But “apt,” is not what we are looking for. We are looking for the best.
So, we want to make it very clear to those who will eventually appointed to the Council that if it will not be an easy ride for you.
You will do right by the people of South Africa, and deliver excellence and progress.
A key failure by ICASA that has been apparent as our country is in lockdown is the lack of internet access.
ICASA’s own report found that 93% in South Africa have smartphones, with 99.7% 3G coverage across our country.
Now imagine if that was coupled with affordable data. Those smartphones would not be mere communication devices but an important tool for access to an economy that has left many locked out.
Affordable data would have made the fight against Covid-19 easier with digital innovations such as telehealth which allows healthcare professionals to use technology to communicate with patients without being in the same room using phone calls, video chats, emails, and text messages.
If you look at international trends in this regard, South Africa is far behind. In the US, the UK, Finland, Taiwan, and in parts of Europe, telehealth has been incorporated into their healthcare systems.
Telehealth is the future, and ICASA must facilitate it by ensuring access to affordable data.
The access to the internet is no longer a nice-to-have but a necessity, and one could venture – a human right. It is key to survival in a digital world.
The first order of business when this Council takes office must be the finalization of the Draft Regulations on Mobile Broadband Services. These cannot be delayed as is the usual order of business.
The anticipated spectrum auction that is key to lowering data prices also cannot be delayed.
The point is this. The Covid-19 pandemic will mean that there will huge changes in the global economy. It is those countries that have prioritised innovation and technological solutions that will survive.
Many will be left behind, including South Africa. This will deepen the unemployment and poverty crisis facing our country.
South Africa can emerge from this period stronger and more connected to the global society and economy. To achieve this, government should be finding new solutions to old problems.
Key to this is ICASA. We of course want ICASA to succeed because its failure will mean that South Africa fails. It is for this reason that we will be uncompromising in our oversight. ICASA, we on you like a bad perm.
Click here to contribute to the DA’s legal action challenging irrational and dangerous elements of the hard lockdown in court