ICT charter still a work in progress

By Itumeleng Mogaki, ITWeb junior journalist

Johannesburg, 05 Apr 2005

Meetings are being held behind closed doors to finalise the ICT charter draft to be released on Friday. This follows a statement issued last Friday, saying the ICT empowerment charter steering committee had reached consensus on all of the outstanding charter issues.

Joe Mjwara, chairman of the steering committee, says last week`s two-day committee meeting was held mainly to get interested parties to sit around the table, to discuss and find a common position on the outstanding issues.

He expresses his confidence in the charter progress, saying that together with other industry players, the committee is working around the clock to finalise the draft.

Mjwara will not comment on how consensus was reached on outstanding issues, but confirms that the final ICT empowerment draft charter will be released on Friday, 8 April.

He says the final draft will be posted on the ICT charter Web site for public viewing, and will contain the latest charter progress by the steering committee.

"We cannot disclose all the information contained in the final draft, but the most important thing is that, by releasing the final draft, we are opening doors for industry players to give comment.

"In order for the codes of good practice in the ICT charter to work, the cabinet still needs to approve all the information contained in it, and immediately after that the charter will be published in the Government Gazette," says Mjwara.

The hearings on 18 and 19 April with various sub-sectors, including labour, government, telecommunications and multinationals, will give all parties involved an opportunity to voice their concerns, he adds.

"We expect to get feedback from the public and various constituencies, and these hearings will ensure all issues are addressed, to prevent further complaints that may arise, specifically those who say the charter is not as representative as it should be."