Former Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) councillor Nadia Bulbulia has joined Vodacom as executive head of regulatory requirements and obligations, a spokesman confirmed today.
Dot Field, group executive of corporate communications at the cellular company, says Bulbulia, who recently completed a four-year term at the authority, is already at Vodacom and her appointment was "normal".
However, ICASA chairman Paris Mashile recently raised concerns over councillors joining the public sector after their term of office had expired.
Mashile said the market - when speaking of the need for the authority to be independent - tended to be concerned about government interference, but ignored the potential conflict of interest of councillors joining the private sector.
"Councillors have short tenures and then join the private sector, which could mean their potential employers could attempt to influence the regulatory decisions of ICASA in their favour," he said.
At the time, he suggested that councillors` terms of employment should include an undertaking from government that once the term is completed, a councillor will be deployed within government to ensure a cooling off period.
"Government can deploy such individuals as ambassadors to countries such as Rwanda, thus removing them from access to local ICT players," he suggested.
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