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Four ICASA councillors 'dismissed'

Bonnie Tubbs
By Bonnie Tubbs, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 14 Oct 2014
Communications minister Faith Muthambi has allegedly given four ICASA councillors the boot, without allowing them to tie up loose ends related to DTT and spectrum allocation.
Communications minister Faith Muthambi has allegedly given four ICASA councillors the boot, without allowing them to tie up loose ends related to DTT and spectrum allocation.

Four Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) councillors have allegedly been given their marching orders by communications minister Faith Muthambi, despite the fact that their terms were legally only set to end in December and January.

According to an insider, outgoing councillors Joseph Lebooa and William Currie (whose terms came to an end on 30 September); and William Stucke and Miki Ndhlovu (whose terms were set to come to an end at the end of October) have been issued with letters from Muthambi, instructing them to present their final reports and vacate their offices by no later than 31 October.

This, despite a proviso in the ICASA Act (Amendment 8(b) of the 2014 Amendment Act) stating "councillors remain in office after expiry of their term of office until the commencement of the term of office of their successors, but the extended term of office may not exceed 45 days".

Attempts to reach the said councillors this morning were unsuccessful. According to Democratic Alliance shadow minister of telecoms and postal services Marian Shinn, ICASA's council was in session prior to publication.

Muthambi's spokesperson Bongiwe Gambu had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication, but said she would prioritise ITWeb's query.

The insider says the "dismissed" councillors had already submitted requests to continue their term for the allocated 45-day period, which council approved.

"The outgoing councillors have been working actively on extremely important projects, which they wished they could be allowed to complete. Some of these projects are the high demand spectrum, digital TV migration, Infrastructure sharing, IMT [International Mobile Telephony] roadmap and commercial radio and TV licensing."

The source goes on to say that, customarily, ICASA councillors receive a farewell party and a R5 000 voucher upon vacating their position, "but for these four councillors there will be no farewell party and no R5 000".

Shinn says the move may open the door for Muthambi to introduce an amendment to the ICASA Act that reduces the size of the council, which she says has been discussed by government on numerous occasions in the recent past.

"I assume so they can more easily control its decisions as it has frequently been at odds with those who are independently minded."

A smaller council would mean a smaller majority would be needed to take decisions.

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