Telecoms minister Siyabonga Cwele will this week launch the National ICT Forum - conceived over two years ago - in a move that has been criticised as reinvention of the wheel and elusively defined.
This comes after the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) issued invitations to ICT sector stakeholders last week - and notified the media yesterday - that it would host the event on Friday in Johannesburg. This, to "bring together government, labour, civil society and business to discuss critical sector issues that can facilitate the acceleration of socio-economic development".
Cwele says the forum, divided into four chambers (social, economic, governance and security as well as ICTs and the disability sector), is a platform to discuss the best ways to use technology to modernise and transform society, create jobs and address inequalities.
"These engagements should help SA take her rightful place as user of ICT, content developer and applications innovators." The time allocated for the kick-off forum is two hours and, according to DTPS spokesperson Siya Qoza, engagements will then continue to take place, at least three times a year.
Talk shops
Democratic Alliance shadow minister of telecoms and postal services Marian Shinn is sceptical about the engagements, which are essentially the consequence of resolutions made at the ANC's 53rd Policy Conference held at Mangaung in 2013.
In a 2012 Communications Discussion Document the ANC refers to a National ICT Forum, saying it "should be created" and comprise of government, industry and civil society, to "engage on critical issues of mutual interest".
Shinn says Cwele has created another talk shop and "is reinventing the wheel of government/ICT sector engagement". She adds no mention of the event is made on the DTPS Web site or its calendar. "The minister made no mention of it when he presented the department's strategic and annual performance plans in April."
Qoza says the forum is part of government's greater plan to fulfil the goal of "creating a knowledge and information society". One of the ways to do this, he adds, is through the National ICT Forum. "Just like we are doing with the ICT policy review and the broadband policy, [these engagements] are part of how we are setting out to achieve our aims within the limited budget we have.
"We are in the business of pushing outcomes, not just talk shops." Qoza cites the ICT Policy Review Colloquium in 2012 as a case in point. "The outcome of this was that it guided us on the ICT Policy Review, of which the documents have now been handed over to the minister.
"Talk shops lead to tangible outcomes and, as government, we won't shy away from consulting all members of society when it comes to developing policies that seek to improve the lives of South Africans."
Hasty effort
Meanwhile, Shinn has written to Cwele "to enquire why it is necessary to create another consultative body for ICT sector stakeholders, trade unions and government to advise his department on how to implement the vision of SA Connect".
She has also asked the minister to reveal what the launch event will cost, and how it will be financed. "I maintain that this forum is being held the week before his budget speech in a hasty effort to create the impression that minister Cwele is being active in his portfolio, and is a waste of time and money."
ICT commentator Adrian Schofield adds: "It's only two hours so I am not expecting too much in the way of content. Possibly, the idea is to highlight some of the main areas discussed in the National Integrated ICT Policy? We will have to see."
Other industry players contacted by ITWeb for comment declined as they did not have enough information on the forum.
Shinn says the forum flies in the face of the establishment a year ago of the National Broadband Advisory Council which, in terms of the SA Connect broadband strategy, advises the minister on this strategy's implementation.
"Minister Cwele would do well to spend his time, effort and taxpayers' money on actually providing electronic communications for South Africans as per his mandate and not host forums that have unclear objectives."
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