An ICT charter steering committee member has lashed out at government, saying it is failing empowerment in the ICT sector, as - after seven years of development - the charter is still no closer to being gazetted.
Andile Tlhoa'ele argues that, despite the industry's commitment to proactively embrace BEE, as well as government's transformation agenda, its sector charter has yet to be approved for gazetting by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The DTI's most recent deadline, to have the charter ready for gazetting, came and went at the end of April - with no word as to why the finalisation of the charter has again stalled.
In March, Thabo Masombuka, the DTI's director of BEE partnerships, stated the April deadline was likely, despite objections to the charter from the Electronic Industry Federation (EFT).
Objections from the EFT included claims that the targets were unrealistic, uneconomical, and that no draft consultation was done. The body also insisted that an economic impact analysis be conducted.
Tlhoa'ele states these objections have been resolved and the steering committee had reached consensus on the document. “The ICT charter has been signed and handed to the DTI for Sector 9(5) gazetting.”
To this end, Tlhoa'ele maintains he knows of no reason why the charter has not been passed for gazetting. He argues that the blame for the delay of the charter once again lies squarely with the DTI.
The DTI has responded saying that the April deadline has not been realised, as it is in the process of ensuring the ICT charter is in full alignment with government's BEE framework - a reason the department has been giving for the past five years.
The charter has been dogged by delays since June 2003, when the process of writing the document started. In May 2005, a “final” document was released, but this process was interrupted by the launch, in 2005, of the DTI's BEE codes, with which the charter needed to be aligned.
ITWeb could not establish this morning whether the DTI has a new timeline for finalising the document.
Boiling point
The industry has proactively embraced BEE, as well as government's transformation agenda. But, instead of being rewarded, government has failed empowerment, argues Tlhoa'ele.
He says the industry faced many disagreements regarding the charter and, while not every party was happy, consensus was reached on key issues. Now, once again, the charter has stalled. “Transformation delayed is transformation denied,” he adds.
“The issue of the charter will not be resolved until we, as an industry, act like it is a priority. Industry has a big part to play in ensuring the success of the charter,” states Motse Mfuleni, secretary general of the Black IT Forum (BITF).
He points out that, since government has once again failed on its promise that the charter would be ready for gazetting by the end of April, any development will now be halted as all attention will be focused on the Soccer World Cup.
Mfuleni attributes the failure of the past seven years in part to the lack of a leader in this space. He maintains the BITF should have provided that leadership. He says the organisation has drafted a new constitution and has listed the charter as one of its top priorities.
He says the black ICT industry and emerging enterprises are preparing to get more assertive with government, encouraging the industry to take a leap of faith as the industry only stands to gain.
Related story:
ICT Charter again reaches final stages
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