South Africans have reason to celebrate today as Minister Malatsi’s addressed to the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technology, to make clear that the newly gazetted policy direction aims to ensure that empowerment in telecommunications benefits as many South Africans as possible.
The draft policy direction has the potential to be a significant enabler to empowerment, as every South African can benefit from better internet access. Rural communities can look forward to a vastly expanded broadband network, and for those struggling with high internet prices, they can look forward to potential price drops as competition in the market increases.
For too long the uneven application of empowerment practices in the ICT sector codes have kept competition out.
By providing clarity on what additional forms of transformation may be considered in the sector, Minister Malatsi is enabling the growth of broadband internet access and driving prices of internet down.
The Minister’s draft policy direction has been in the making for months.
We saw today that President Cyril Ramaphosa said “Starlink did not come up in discussions with the US”; this is independent government policy, which backs Malatsi’s position.
The DA looks forward to seeing more broadband internet access for South Africa at lower prices, and hopes no political grandstanding will get in the way of what South Africans need: More internet, at a lower cost.