Parliament’s communications portfolio committee is concerned about the “prolonged” leadership instability and governance issues at the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA).
This, as committee members, led by chairperson Khusela Sangoni-Diko, conducted an oversight visit to some of the department’s entities this week, including USAASA.
In a statement, the committee says the visit was to engage USAASA on governance and institutional stability, financial management and audit outcomes, the Universal Services and Access Fund (USAF) operations and programme delivery, operational realities, as well as ongoing challenges related to poor project planning and implementation.
Of particular concern are slippery project timelines, which often result in unspent allocations intended to connect underserved communities, it states.
During the visit, the legislative oversight body also raised concerns that USAASA has operated with different interim boards since 2018.
“This prolonged reliance on temporary governance structures, compounded by the excessive use of acting appointments at executive level, including the chief executive officer (CEO), has created uncertainty and weakened strategic direction.”
USAASA is an entity under the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) portfolio. Itwas established to help roll out universal connectivity with government and private sector partnerships. It’s also been involved in SA's multibillion-rand digital TV set-top box rollout.
The entity previously came under fire for failing to deliver, abuse of funds and low staff morale. In 2018, the public protector issued a damning report on the USAASA board of directors, following a complaint related to governance, abuse of power and malpractice.
It has also witnessed several board changes in recent times and remains without a permanent fix for theCEO role.
However, in October, DCDT minister Solly Malatsi appointedadditional members to join its executive council, in an effort to bring much-needed stability to the entity.
According to the portfolio committee, the board will, at its next meeting, consider a project implementation plan for the appointment of a permanent CEO, emphasising that decisive action is long overdue.
The committee says it welcomes the board’s undertaking to make the recruitment plan public, stating that transparency is critical to restoring confidence in the institution.
The committee also engaged with staff and gained insight into the operational challenges they face.
“Workers raised serious concerns about the lack of basic tools of trade, indicating that items such as laptops and cellphones were last issued approximately 10 years ago. Despite these challenges, the committee commends staff for their dedication and commitment to delivering on the institution’s mandate under extremely difficult conditions.
“Staff members made a strong appeal for the urgent appointment of a permanent board to stabilise governance and improve institutional effectiveness. The committee agrees that stable, permanent leadership is essential to addressing the systemic challenges facing USAASA and USAF, and to ensuring meaningful progress towards universal access and connectivity.”
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