The Democratic Alliance (DA) has released its government scorecard, rating president Jacob Zuma and his Cabinet ministers for their performance during the past year.
With an average score of 4/10, for Zuma and his Cabinet, few of the ministers whose portfolios affect the ICT industry performed particularly well, says the DA. The one exception to this is science and technology minister Naledi Pandor, who scored an above-average 80% for her performance this year.
"All-in-all, Cabinet is not performing well, and it is apparent in our national discourse and daily experiences. South Africa faces an unprecedented number of serious challenges, and South Africans are struggling to make ends meet," says DA.
Minister of telecommunications and postal services Siyabonga Cwele (4/10)
The opposition says it found it difficult to discern Cwele's grasp of policy, as he has not made any bold moves to date. "In his July budget speech, minister Cwele made a number of commitments - none of which have been realised."
The biggest challenge facing Cwele, says the DA, is the battle for control between his department and communications minister Faith Muthambi.
"Minister Muthambi has turned into a tenacious foe as she halted the release of the long-overdue revised digital broadcasting migration (DBM) policy that she promised to release by end of July 2014. It still has not seen the light of day.
"Cwele also promised to set a date for the digital broadcast 'switch-on' by the end of October. He failed to meet this deadline because the DBM policy has not been approved by Cabinet."
The opposition has accused Cwele of adopting an attitude that seems to be more understated and conciliatory. "He saw no need to treat as urgent the untangling of the mess created by the split of the former department, almost shrugging his shoulders that getting this all sorted out may take three years.
"The sector - and the economic and social development opportunities it supports - will suffer greatly from this laid-back attitude."
The DA adds that Cwele has yet to show any in-depth understanding of the state of SA's ICT sector, or comprehension of the urgency to get policy moving. There are no signs that he is the minister of telecommunications that SA so desperately needs, the party adds.
"If he waits for a presidential compromise in the turf war with minister Muthambi in the interests of ANC-collectivism, he will fail to give South Africa the ICT environment it needs."
Minister of communications Faith Muthambi (1/10)
The DA says the newly-created "Department of Propaganda" was always going to be in the spotlight. "But nobody could have predicted just how much. Since her appointment to the Cabinet in May, minister Muthambi has managed to make a real name for herself - for all the wrong reasons.
"Muthambi's first blunder as minister of this department was to announce a state communications task team stacked with Zuma loyalists such as Jimmy Manyi, Vusi Mona and Hlaudi Motsoeneng. This did nothing to dispel the perception that she was creating a propaganda machine for the embattled president."
The DA claims Muthambi has little or no regard for the constitutionally enshrined independence of the SABC, after she announced she wants to take away Parliament's power to recommend the appointment of SABC board members and transfer it to herself.
"The minister has no qualms about interfering in other entities as well. It emerged in October that she had sent a letter to ICASA councillors giving them a month to vacate their offices, in contravention of the ICASA Act which gives the minister no such authority."
The DA says Muthambi's performance appears to have already upset many in her own party, adding that her turf war with Cwele, over who gets to control digital terrestrial television, is also unlikely to have helped her cause.
Minister of science and technology Naledi Pandor (8/10)
"The minister has a clear vision of what is required to promote the science and technology sector in the country. This is evidenced by the ministerial review that she commissioned in 2012.
"In her second stint as minister of science and technology, after being deployed to the home affairs ministry, she is now again starting to focus on the recommendations contained in the report of the review."
Pandor has a good understanding of the interface between higher education and training, and the promotion of science and technology and specifically the nurturing of fresh, young researchers, says the DA.
"To the minister's credit she also realises the importance of investment in research and development and the importance of innovation to create economic growth. She has set a target of 1.5% of GDP spend on R&D.
"Hers is one of the best managed departments as can be seen from the unqualified audit report it received. The main problem that faces this department is the limited budget it receives from treasury."
During the period under review, there were no major problems in terms of which Pandor had to hold officials to account, notes the DA.
Transport minister Dipuo Peters (3/10)
"Minister Peters' vision remains unclear. This is evidenced by her avoidance of our questions, both in Parliament and outside Parliament, on whether she will take into consideration the recommendations that will come out of the Gauteng Makhura panel on the economic impact of e-tolls.
"The minister continues to flip-flop on this issue as she attempts to please all factions within her party, while also remaining loyal and deferential to president Jacob Zuma."
The DA argues that Peters should prioritise ending e-tolling once and for all, by bringing the recommendations of the Makhura e-toll panel to Parliament.
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