Minister of Communications, Dina Pule, has appointed Joe Mjwara as the chairperson of the ICT Policy Review Panel at a meeting of the panel held in Pretoria. Mjwara is group executive for strategic relations at BCX.
The 22-member panel, under the direction of Pule, held its inaugural meeting during January in a bid to getting the ball rolling on the policy review task at hand, allocating responsibilities, designing an apt strategy, and addressing administrative issues.
Set up in November last year, Pule's appointed panel includes the likes of former Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys; former councillor at the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) and current chief corporate services officer at Neotel, Tracy Cohen; controversial billionaire businessman Atul Gupta; academic and regulatory specialist Charley Lewis (currently senior lecturer at the Link Centre); member of the board of the Universal Service and Access Agency of SA Shaun Pather; and former ICASA CEO Nkateko "Snakes" Nyoka.
This afternoon, Pule announced that Lucky Masilela has been appointed as the deputy chairman of the panel and said members had been appointed as chairs of various committees.
Libby Lloyd will head up the broadcasting committee, while Cohen will lead the telecommunications committee. Angie Maseko will chair the postal committee, while Tshilidzi Marwala has been pointed to lead infrastructure and lawyer Sizwe Snail to head up e-commerce.
"I'd like to thank all the panel members for agreeing to serve their fellow citizens. We are convinced that we have appointed the best possible team to assist the government come up with the most robust and appropriate policies for the development and advancement of South Africa," says Pule. She asked the panel to work towards assisting the department to come up with an ICT policy white paper by early next year.
Pule expects the panel to make make recommendations on appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks that support the growth and development of the country as well as make recommendations on implementation plans, options and time frames.
The panel is also tasked with determining the potential impact of the reform options and their impact on the industry, consumers and the community and determining the principles that will underpin this new vision and policy framework.
In addition, the panel is expected to identify progress and constraints in ICT research and development, ICT skills development, investment in ICTs and ICT industrial growth contributions.
The panel is guided by the terms of reference that provide that the panel must take account certain parameters, such as it should provide a platform for stakeholders and coordination of the input by stakeholders, liaise with key stakeholders and agencies and ensure that their views are taken into account in the development of the final report and provide a progress report within three months of starting its work and a final report within six months.
"We are mindful of the tight deadline that we need to work under. We are also mindful of the important result that the country expects from the process that has been initiated by the minister. We shall work in a consensual manner as is possible. This is not a race for one idea to succeed," said Mjwara.
Pule pledged to provide additional resources to assist the panel complete its work within the deadline should it be necessary.
Acting DG Gift Buthelezi, and the deputy DG for ICT Policy, Themba Phiri, are leading a team of staff from the department that will be working closely with the panel to ensure that it delivers on its responsibilities.
Share