Parliament's communications committee yesterday selected Khulile Boqwana and William Stucke as its preferred candidates for nomination to the vacant Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) councillor position.
In terms of the law, Parliament has to draw up a list one-and-a-half times the number of vacant positions from which the communications minister has to make a selection and then re-submit it to the legislature for final ratification.
The candidates were selected from interviews with seven nominees out of nine, as two withdrew their names before the hearings commenced.
Boqwana is regulatory manager for Telkom Media (now Super Five Media), and Stucke is treasurer for the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) and has his own IT business interests.
All the political parties agreed to the two nominees, with Boqwana being selected as the first choice. The names will now be presented to the National Assembly next week, which will then present the list to communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda for him to make a selection.
Ismail Vadi, chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications, says he expects the minister to wrap up the process by the second week of September.
“The post has been vacant for about a month now and I think the minister understands the urgency of it,” he notes.
During the committee's deliberations yesterday, all members were adamant the preferred candidates should have strong technical and regulatory skills. However, they were concerned that no women had made the final cut.
ANC members put forward as their choices Boqwana and Edmund Baloyi, who is the advisor to ICASA chairman Paris Mashile. The Democratic Alliance nominated Josephine Mabotja, regulatory specialist at Telkom, and Stucke. The Independent Democrats nominated three candidates, namely David Vannucci, a post-doctoral engineering graduate, Boqwana and Stucke. Congress of the People nominated Stucke and Zandile Mxaku, a managing partner in an ICT consultancy.
Boqwana impressed all the parties with his knowledge of the Electronic Communications Act, but there was some reservation as to whether he had a strong enough personality to deal with the turbulent world of ICASA.
Stucke likewise also impressed with his technical skills and knowledge of the law. However, concern was expressed by the ANC members that he seemed to come from a particular background and could push ISPA's agenda on the regulator. There was also a question over his business interests, which would have to be disposed of before taking up the position.
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