Minister of communications Siphiwe Nyanda debuted the refurbished Zibambeleni Telecentre, in Muden, KwaZulu-Natal, yesterday.
The telecentre was established in 2003 as a joint initiative by the Department of Communications (DOC), the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) and the Zibambeleni Development Trust, which is an NGO that caters for the community in and around Muden, consisting of about 5 000 people, the department said.
DOC spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso said with this refurbishment the centre received new equipment, including 15 new computers and a printer. The centre now also has Internet connectivity.
In addition to providing access, the centre also offers computer literacy and business management training, through a partnership with the National Youth Development Agency and Microsoft SA's Unlimited Potential Programme, according to the DOC.
“We... have a responsibility to position information and communications technology as a vehicle to address the social challenges that continue to characterise everyday life in our communities,” said Nyanda in his speech.
This launch is in line with the department's mandate to roll out ICT infrastructure throughout the country, with a special focus on previously disadvantaged areas, to ensure ICTs help to achieve socioeconomic goals, said Rikhotso.
Although this is the only one in the area, USAASA has 162 national telecentres, he added.
Life changing
“ICTs can play an integral role in helping people access information for all sorts of things and improving their lives,” said Rikhotso.
The living conditions of people with Internet access can change dramatically, since they can now search for jobs online or discover enterprise opportunities, he noted. Citizens will now also become less dependent on the government to carry out services that they can do on their own with this access.
“If you have Internet access, you can access anything, so, for example, you can apply for your ID online or find out where the nearest Home Affairs office is. So anything that you would normally have to call in for you can do at the centre. They'll be able to do themselves whatever they previously depended on government to do for them.”
This independence makes people more empowered, according to Rikhotso.
Nyanda highlighted the training that would be done at the centre. “Computer training is a critical tool in the quest to bridge the digital divide and towards the creation of a knowledge economy.”
Room for growth
The DOC said the community of Muden and its surrounding areas will have access to government services through the use of the ICT tools provided at the centre.
But both Nyanda and Rikhotso identified a problem that emerged from the numbers. “If we're talking about 5 000 people we can't depend on 15 computers. There are 15 villages at the moment that will be making use of this telecentre, and they are situated far apart. According to the definition of USAASA, there must be access to Internet and ICT tools every 20km. This means we can do with more investment and we still have a way to go,” said Rikhotso.
Nyanda agreed that more investment needed to be harnessed in establishing community self-help centres like this telecentre. “There's a need to continuously engage the private sector and civil society to partner with government, as we continue to seek lasting solutions to the many challenges facing our young democracy.”
He said he is aware that the centre has faced some challenges, like network connectivity. He attributed the challenge of low service levels to a lack of market competition and to the rural landscape. “These challenges can be overcome with the introduction of wireless technologies and the determination to train as many people towards varying proficiency levels.”
He assured that the DOC, along with USAASA and state-owned signal distributor Sentech, would increase the capacity of this centre to be able to deal with the demand from the community.
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