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Adrian Schofield: reversion to pre-digital era

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 26 May 2014
Adrian Schofield, director and immediate past president, Institute of IT Professionals SA.
Adrian Schofield, director and immediate past president, Institute of IT Professionals SA.

ITWeb asked Adrian Schofield, director and immediate past president, Institute of IT Professionals SA, for his reaction to the Cabinet shuffle.

1. What is your general reaction to the split between telecoms and postal, and the "reconfiguration" of the DOC? Initially, very puzzled, as it does not make sense in terms of the essential contribution of ICTs to South Africa's future. The "new" Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) is a reversion to the pre-digital era and seems to deliberately separate broadcasting (content) from service provision. What is (and will be) confusing is that DTPS is mostly what the old DOC was and the new DOC is mostly concerned with controlling how and what South Africans see and hear (the "Propaganda Ministry").

2. What is your take on the new ICT sector ministers and deputies? I am saddened that Yunus Carrim has been side-lined. Siyabonga Cwele has not succeeded in his previous portfolio and is best known for his ex-wife's role as a drug dealer. Faith Muthambi was discredited as a municipal manager. How can they be expected to command respect as senior leaders of this country's government?

3. How do you think the new structure will work in terms of organisation and goal delivery (broadband, spectrum, NDP, digital migration, etc)? At this stage, one can only guess. There will be a significant delay before anything happens, while the new structure is created - separating the players from the "old" DOC and its portfolio organisations, changing premises, setting up infrastructure, committees, etc. More wasteful expenditure, in my opinion.

4. What does this mean for SA's telecoms/ICT sector, which was already a R180 billion industry in 2012? A much tougher job to get the message to government about the critical role of ICTs in the country's future. The new structures appear to prevent any holistic approach to the use of converged technologies in building a better society and a stronger economy. The sector will continue to grow, because the global market forces are much stronger than the national ones. The local executives will have to form a strong lobby to bridge the gap between the political objectives and the market realities.

5. Would it not have made sense in your mind for an ICT ministry (converged) in light of the movements that we are seeing in business (Telkom, BCX, Vodacom, Neotel, MTN, Telkom Mobile, etc)? Of course it would. The logical way forward was to give Yunus Carrim a strong mandate to build on his caretaker work and continue to work with stakeholders in a coordinated manner.

6. Will the latest move undermine any progress SA has seen under the leadership of Carrim, in your opinion? Or will it advance the sector? It is hard to see how this will improve matters. Apart from the inevitable chaos of the transition to the new structures, the separation of the regulator from the DTPS is likely to cause problems because the focus of the DOC will not be on licensing technology for growth and development but on controlling its use for political purposes.

7. How important is a track record and experience when it comes to the appointment of ministers of critical sectors like telecoms and DOC (ie, former state security's Siyabonga Cwele and Faith Muthambi)? Unfortunately, it does not matter how important it is to have meritorious ministers. Politics rules! Every enterprise is a reflection of its leadership.

8. Any other comment? There are three other ministries that give cause for grave concern. In spite of the acknowledged failure of South Africa's education system to provide the skills we so desperately need in all sectors, the ministers of basic and higher education remain in place. This means we are unlikely to see any new efforts to improve our standing in the STEM disciplines, leading to a critical shortage of new entrants into the ICT and engineering fields for the foreseeable future. Similarly, the appointment of Lynne Brown to the DPE does not inspire confidence that the SOEs like Eskom, Transnet, Sentech, Broadband Infraco will be encouraged to make their mark in the converged world.

Good news - Naledi Pandor at science and technology (although there was nothing wrong with Derek Hanekom in that role).

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