ICT charter working group chairman Dali Mpofu today unveiled the final document of the ICT charter, which features a number of changes to the scorecard and ownership issues.
The latest document is a definite improvement, says Mpofu, but he adds that the work is far from finished. "This base document is a much richer and better one, and will be used as a base document for moving forward. While people can still question and query, it serves as proof of the work that has been done."
Mpofu concedes that certain issues have yet to be clarified, but remains confident that this can be achieved before the 1 March deadline. "We are on the last lap now. We are 90% complete."
Of the most notable changes, the proposal of progressive scorecards - which would require companies to have a 35% equity share by 2015 - has been dropped in favour of a single 30% target, to be reached by 2010. "Although the notion of progressive scorecards would be good, I think it is better to have a single target, so people know what to expect."
Elsewhere in the scorecard, the charter states that 5% of eligible procurement spend be allocated to enterprise development by 2010. This figure will not change by 2015.
On the issue of stakeholders, Mpofu says the working group has reached "emerging consensus" that stakeholders should be further aggregated in the process. "We have chosen to label stakeholders in a broad sense, so that the issues are now inclusive of more sectors and partners."
The working group has also reached agreement on the need for all the industries to participate in solving issues and aligning with the charter requirements, adds Mpofu.
However, there are a number of issues still outstanding, most notably that of ICT BEE council governance. The working group has yet to agree on the council`s composition, how it will be funded, and the alignment of the regulation and licensing issues by ICASA, says Mpofu. "We are confident that this issue will be solved in the next couple of months."
Mpofu highlighted mass communication of the charter as another issue yet to be resolved. "We would like to make available an executive summary of the charter in simple language, and also translate it into other languages.
"There are also a number of clarification issues to be resolved, though these are generally minor and should be solved shortly. Some people just need some areas clarified, but this is to be expected for any new document," says Mpofu.
The topic of multinationals was not readdressed by the working group, says Mpofu. "There are still one or two areas that do need clarification, but this was not raised as one of our issues. We have not readdressed all the issues."
Overall, Mpofu says the number of outstanding issues is minimal. "At present, there are no more than 10 issues to be resolved. We are making several strives forward.
"For me, this is the most positive day in the life of this process. The hard work is beginning to show dividends and it`s very heartening."
Asked about the relatively high number of drafts submitted by the group, Mtunzi Ndwaba, a member of the working group, defended the decision, adding that it strengthened the process. "We implicitly said that we would be taking input. To ensure a consultative procedure, we had to go through different drafts."
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