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Langa clarifies his position

By Rodney Weidemann, ITWeb Contributor
Johannesburg, 24 May 2005

Following yesterday`s announcement that the Portfolio Committee on Communications is drawing up a shortlist of candidates to fill a vacancy on the council of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), the regulator`s chairman has clarified the process.

According to ICASA chairman Mandla Langa, who will step down from the post at the end of June, the vacancy is for a councillor only, as the new chairman will be drawn from the existing council members.

"It is the duty of the nation`s president to decide on who will be the new chairman, and while he has a number of mechanisms to help him choose the candidate, there is no imperative for him to consult the outgoing chairman," says Langa.

He says, however, that there are many good people at ICASA, and that it shouldn`t therefore be a problem for the president to make his decision.

Asked where he thought his future lies, Langa was non-committal.

"I am studying opportunities in both the public and private sector and have looked at a number of options, but have made no decisions as of yet.

"It is not something to rush into, as there is a whole wide world of possibilities available to me," he says.

It was also announced at the beginning of the Parliamentary hearings into the draft Convergence Bill that the parliamentary portfolio committee has approved a shortlist of six candidates for the vacant post.

Related stories:
Langa to leave ICASA
ICASA awaits auditor report
Date set for Convergence Bill submissions
Minister`s intention vs ICASA`s interpretation

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